This article sets out what the NHS and published studies say about acne causing foods: which foods have been tested, what the results were, and where dates sit.
What the NHS lists as causes of acne
The NHS acne page says acne can happen when hair follicles become blocked with excess oil and dead skin cells, and bacteria can grow in the blocked follicles and cause inflammation and pus. It lists these causes:
- changes in hormone levels, such as during puberty, periods, menopause and pregnancy
- conditions such as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) and rosacea
- taking certain medicines
- products you use on your skin or hair that can make your skin greasy
No food is on that list. Researchers have still published studies on diet and acne, and the main ones are summarised below.
What reviews of the research found
A 2022 systematic review in JAAD International screened 410 articles and included 34. It concluded that high glycemic index, increased glycemic load and carbohydrate intake "have a modest yet significant proacnegenic effect." On dairy, it called the literature "mixed" and said the effect may depend on sex, ethnicity and cultural dietary habits. The authors asked for more randomised trials.
A 2021 review of studies from 2009 to 2020 included 53 articles, of which 11 were interventional trials and 42 were observational studies. It named high GI/GL food, dairy products, fat food and chocolate as acne-promoting factors, and fatty acids, fruit and vegetable intake as acne-protective factors. It also said the role of specific components in milk, dairy products and chocolate "remains an unsolved issue."
High glycemic load diets: the trials
Two randomised trials tested a low glycemic load diet against a control diet.
In a trial published in 2007, 43 male acne patients aged 15 to 25 followed either a low-glycemic-load diet or a control diet built on carbohydrate-dense foods for 12 weeks. Total lesion counts fell by 23.5 in the low-glycemic-load group and by 12.0 in the control group. The low-glycemic-load group also lost more weight, and the authors said further studies were needed to separate the effect of weight loss from the effect of the diet.
A 2012 trial in Korean patients randomly assigned 32 people with mild to moderate acne to a low glycaemic load diet or a control diet for 10 weeks. The low glycaemic group had a significant clinical improvement in both non-inflammatory and inflammatory lesions.
A Cochrane review of complementary therapies for acne pooled two trials comparing low and high glycaemic load diets and found no clear evidence of a difference in non-inflammatory lesion counts. It rated that evidence low quality. Its overall conclusion was that there is "some low-quality evidence from single trials" that a low glycaemic load diet may reduce total skin lesions.
Milk and other dairy
A 2018 meta-analysis pooled 14 observational studies with 78,529 children, adolescents and young adults aged 7 to 30. Any dairy was linked to higher odds of acne (odds ratio 1.25 compared with no intake), and so were milk and yogurt. For cheese, the lower end of the confidence interval was exactly 1.00. The authors found publication bias and said the results "should be interpreted with caution due to heterogeneity and bias across studies." This kind of study shows an association. It cannot show that milk causes acne.
Chocolate
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study gave 14 men aged 18 to 35 with a history of acne capsules filled with unsweetened 100 percent cocoa, gelatin powder, or both. Thirteen finished. The mean number of lesions was significantly higher on day 4 and day 7 than at the start, and lesions were not followed after day 7.
Where dates fit
A PubMed search for acne together with date fruit, date palm or Phoenix dactylifera, run in October 2026, returned two records. Neither tested eating dates: one was a rat study of date palm pollen and the other a case-control study of adult female acne that does not mention dates in its title. This search found no study of whether eating dates affects acne.
Dates are sweet. USDA FoodData Central record 168191 lists Medjool dates at 66.5 g total sugars per 100 g, with one pitted date weighing 24 g. Their glycemic index is a different measure. A 2011 study of five date varieties in healthy volunteers found mean glycemic indices between 46.3 and 55.1, which the authors described as low.
The NHS 5 A Day guide counts a 30g portion of dried fruit, such as dates, as 1 of your 5 A Day, eaten at mealtimes rather than as a snack between meals.
Ajwa is a small, roundish, near-black date from Madinah in Saudi Arabia. Green Diamond's homepage (harga Kurma Ajwa Green diamond, Kurma Madinah in Malaysia) and its Ajwa page (Kurma Madinah in Malaysia) both list Ajwa with prices.
What the NHS suggests you do about acne
The NHS advice is about skin care rather than food. It suggests washing your skin twice a day with a gentle cleanser, removing make-up at the end of the day, and using skincare and make-up products that are non-comedogenic, meaning they will not clog pores. It says not to pick or squeeze spots, because this can cause scars, and not to scrub your skin. It suggests trying treatments you put on your skin, such as salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, and says a pharmacist can advise.
It advises seeing a GP if treating acne yourself is not working, if the spots are deep, painful or causing scars, or if acne is affecting your mental health.
If you want to try changing your diet as well, the trials above tested a low glycemic load diet for 10 to 12 weeks, not the removal of a single food.
You can read about Dates Supplier Malaysia or use the contact page for questions about dates.
This article is general information, not medical advice. For acne that is severe, scarring or not improving, speak to a pharmacist, GP or dermatologist.
References
- NHS. Acne. nhs.uk
- Meixiong J, Ricco C, Vasavda C, Ho BK. Diet and acne: a systematic review. JAAD Int. 2022;7:95-112. PMID 35373155. PubMed
- Dall'Oglio F, Nasca MR, Fiorentini F, Micali G. Diet and acne: review of the evidence from 2009 to 2020. Int J Dermatol. 2021;60(6):672-685. PMID 33462816. PubMed
- Smith RN, Mann NJ, Braue A, Mäkeläinen H, Varigos GA. A low-glycemic-load diet improves symptoms in acne vulgaris patients: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;86(1):107-15. PMID 17616769. PubMed
- Kwon HH, Yoon JY, Hong JS, et al. Clinical and histological effect of a low glycaemic load diet in treatment of acne vulgaris in Korean patients: a randomized, controlled trial. Acta Derm Venereol. 2012;92(3):241-6. PMID 22678562. PubMed
- Cao H, Yang G, Wang Y, et al. Complementary therapies for acne vulgaris. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;1:CD009436. PMID 25597924. PubMed
- Juhl CR, Bergholdt HKM, Miller IM, et al. Dairy intake and acne vulgaris: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 78,529 children, adolescents, and young adults. Nutrients. 2018;10(8):1049. PMID 30096883. PubMed
- Caperton C, Block S, Viera M, Keri J, Berman B. Double-blind, placebo-controlled study assessing the effect of chocolate consumption in subjects with a history of acne vulgaris. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2014;7(5):19-23. PMID 24847404. PubMed
- Alkaabi JM, Al-Dabbagh B, Ahmad S, et al. Glycemic indices of five varieties of dates in healthy and diabetic subjects. Nutr J. 2011;10:59. PMID 21619670. PubMed
- U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central, SR Legacy 168191: Dates, medjool. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- NHS. 5 A Day: what counts? nhs.uk