Sunflower Seeds May Aggravate Acne

Should we be involved concerning the pimples, cadmium, and “colonic crunch” related to the consumption of sunflower seeds?

A current observational examine on pimples reported a “statistically significant relationship” between “acne severity and dietary factors such as chocolate, dairy products such as milk, [and] sunflower seed consumption….” I’ve produced movies on pimples and chocolate and dairy, however I used to be stunned by the sunflower seeds, the subject of my video Do Sunflower Seeds Cause Acne?.

When I take into consideration sunflower seeds, I simply consider , whole-food supply of diet that’s been found to decrease levels of cholesterol as a lot almonds, which is fairly good. But do you know there are proper and flawed methods to eat them? If you eat a pound of unshelled sunflower seeds—that’s, eat them with the shell nonetheless on—you’ll be able to find yourself corked with “a fist-sized mass of shredded sunflower seed shells.” How may a physician diagnose one thing like that? By the “‘colonic crunch’ sign,” in fact. Sounds like breakfast cereal served in hell, however, slightly, it’s the “palpation of a large crunchy rectal mass.” You can see a photograph of 1 at 1:10 in my video.

Indeed, if you happen to eat sunflower seeds with the shells nonetheless on, you can find yourself with a “sharp, thorny mass,” which is why the so-called sunflower seed syndrome has been described as “a prickly proctological problem.” It’s been lamented that “people who consume health foods occasionally fall into the trap of believing ‘if some is good, more is better.’” In this case, it’s not the quantity that’s the issue, however how they’re being eaten: with the shells nonetheless on. “Perhaps this is why the syndrome is uncommon unless the patients are children or adults who are either impaired or have no experience with eating sunflower seeds.”

Most circumstances involve youthful, “preadolescent children,” aged 5 to 11, however researchers described the case of a “psychologically sound” 13-year-old lady and “stressed the importance of the role of the parents guiding their children, whatever the age group, about the potential problems associated with the ingestion of unshelled seeds.”

Does that imply you’ll be able to eat as many sunflower seeds as you need so long as they’ve been shelled? No—you’ll be able to overdo even shelled seeds. Simply due to the character of sunflowers, they’re good at drawing the naturally occurring heavy steel cadmium out of the bottom. So, even when they’re grown in uncontaminated soils, sunflower seeds (or kernels) find yourself with greater cadmium ranges than most meals. However, individuals who devour massive quantities of sunflower seeds don’t appear to undergo any untoward results and even find yourself with detectably greater cadmium ranges. What constitutes a “large” quantity? In this examine, it was outlined as greater than an oz. per week, which is sort of a handful, about 150 seeds.

The World Health Organization recommends staying under about 490 micrograms of dietary cadmium per week. If you ate a handful of shelled sunflower seeds a day, you’d be nicely under that, however we might get as a lot as 36 micrograms a day from the remainder of our food plan, so I believe one handful a day is an affordable secure higher restrict. 

Okay, however will sunflower seeds give us pimples? You don’t know, till you set it to the check, which researchers did as a result of, in any case, “consuming sunflower seeds is a very enjoyable way of participating in a clinical trial….” Fifty younger adults have been randomized to eat sunflower seeds—or not—for per week. As you’ll be able to see at 3:23 in my video, the pimples severity index stayed about the identical within the management group, however acquired worse within the sunflower group. This translated into about three additional pimples within the sunflower seed group versus solely about one additional pimple within the management group. The researchers concluded that “sunflower seed intake appears to aggravate acne vulgaris; however, further evidence is needed to ban sunflower seed intake in patients with acne.”

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Sunflower seeds, , whole-food supply of diet, decrease levels of cholesterol as a lot as almonds.
• They needs to be eaten shelled, as consuming their shells could cause issues, together with “a fist-sized mass of shredded sunflower seed shells.”
• Because of the character of sunflowers, their seeds are good at drawing cadmium, a naturally occurring heavy steel, out of the bottom. So, even when grown in uncontaminated soil, the kernels have greater ranges of cadmium than most different meals.
• The World Health Organization recommends consuming lower than about 490 micrograms of dietary cadmium per week; consuming a handful of shelled sunflower seeds a day within reason secure.
• Researchers reported a “statistically significant relationship” between pimples severity and chocolate, dairy merchandise, and sunflower seed consumption. When put to the check, the pimples of examine contributors within the sunflower group worsened in comparison with these within the management group, main the researchers to conclude that consumption of sunflower seeds seems to worsen pimples vulgaris. However, extra proof is required to ban sufferers with pimples from consuming sunflower seeds.

The findings I simply shared have been as shocking to me because the Does Cocoa Powder Cause Acne? revelation. Interested in additional concerning the results of varied meals and diets on pimples? Check out:

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In well being,

Michael Greger, M.D.

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