Acne Vulgaris: A Disease of Western Civilization (2002)
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Acne Vulgaris: A Disease of Western Civilization (2002)
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Re: Acne Vulgaris: A Disease of Western Civilization (2002)
#2I haven't read the paper but do they define what they mean by "westernized"? China is very much the east, does acne vulgaris have the same prevelance in countries in Asia and the middle east?
Re: Acne Vulgaris: A Disease of Western Civilization (2002)
#3Totally anecdotal, but I started taking vitamin D supplements at the suggestion of my doctor because of my family history of colon cancer. I noticed that my acne declined significantly. I'm wondering if it has to do with the amount of time one spends outside in the sun.
Re: Acne Vulgaris: A Disease of Western Civilization (2002)
#4How much time are those "non western" people spending outside shirtless soaking in the sun?
Re: Acne Vulgaris: A Disease of Western Civilization (2002)
#5"As in the Kitava sample, skin infections and intramuscular abscesses were common and responded well to treatment with antibiotics such as erythromycin and tetracycline."
I'll take the occasional zit and cover it up with concealer, thank you very much.
Re: Acne Vulgaris: A Disease of Western Civilization (2002)
#6This should be marked [2002].
Re: Acne Vulgaris: A Disease of Western Civilization (2002)
#7I haven't read the paper but do they define what they mean by "westernized"? China is very much the east, does acne vulgaris have the same prevelance in countries in Asia and the middle east?
"Herein we report the prevalence of acne in 2 nonwesternized populations: the Kitavan Islanders of Papua New Guinea and the Aché hunter-gatherers of Paraguay." They also mention reports from an Inuit community as it transitioned from a traditional diet/lifestyle to a more industrialized one, and the concomitant rise of acne.
The speculation is that low-glycemic load diets are related, possibly through insulin sensitivity/resistance. So probably an industrialized Chinese diet with a relatively high proportion of refined rice (or other grains) is also prone to acne.
Re: Acne Vulgaris: A Disease of Western Civilization (2002)
#8I haven't read the paper but do they define what they mean by "westernized"? China is very much the east, does acne vulgaris have the same prevelance in countries in Asia and the middle east?
I'm Chinese and my Acne problem is pretty bad.
Re: Acne Vulgaris: A Disease of Western Civilization (2002)
#9I haven't read the paper but do they define what they mean by "westernized"? China is very much the east, does acne vulgaris have the same prevelance in countries in Asia and the middle east?
From a quick skimming of The Fine Article, it seems to mean people living in "modern" environments — like, e.g., plumbing. If I had to guess, diet is probably among the most salient characteristics, with lessened sun exposure from spending time indoors also being material.
Re: Acne Vulgaris: A Disease of Western Civilization (2002)
#10I haven't read the paper but do they define what they mean by "westernized"? China is very much the east, does acne vulgaris have the same prevelance in countries in Asia and the middle east?
I'm Chinese and my Acne problem is pretty bad.
yep - anecdotally, my family members living in both China and Japan experienced some bad bouts of acne during their adolescence and up through young adulthood. given that the paper's study population were hunter-gatherers and islanders, it would probably make more sense to frame it as "modern industrialized society" versus "hunter-gatherer" rather than "western" against "non-western