An interesting reason to ditch BEER O'CLOCK

For anyone who has ever suffered conditions with their skin; acne, psoriasis, eczema you will know how debilitating, embarrassing and stressful the issue can be. I, thankfully have been fairly blessed with pretty good skin, albeit a little sensitive to certain products. But on the whole it generally behaves well. Some of my dear friends, family and clients have not been so lucky.

What you put in your mouth impacts just as much as what you put on your skin. Clean and lean nutrition (a variety of veggies,quality proteins,anti-oxident rich fruits), plenty of water and keeping up a variety of good essential fats are a great way to stabilize hay-wire skin. Cut stimulants right down too, coffee and tea can make a big difference. Sugar is also a nasty irritant, as it causes inflammation of the cells, which contributes to the red and itchy skin irritations.

New research also suggests that alcohol, and specifically beer can be a major contributor to these conditions.
"Regular consumption, which was defined as having five beers per week, actually doubled the risk of psoriasis when compared to women who did not drink. The situation did not apply to non-alcoholic beer, wine, or other spirits. To arrive at their findings, published in the Archives of Dermatology, researchers examined the records of more than 82,000 female nurses between 27 and 44 years of age, focusing on their drinking habits over a 14-year period (1991 to 2005).What they found was that women who consumed 2.3 alcoholic drinks each week had an increase in the incidence of psoriasis by 72% when compared to women who did not drink. The consumption of five glasses of beer each week almost doubled (1.8 times) the risk, and when certain criteria were used, this risk increased to 2.3 times. Because neither low- or non-alcoholic beer had the same effect, nor did wine or spirits, scientists theorize that the association with psoriasis may be tied to the presence of barely used in the fermentation process, which contains gluten, a known allergen. Previous studies have found that removing gluten from certain people's diet can lead to improvements in the skin condition. Along these lines, it is possible that people with psoriasis actually have latent gluten sensitivity. In light of this, the authors of the study indicate that people who suffer from psoriasis might want to avoid regular consumption of beer.
Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the skin. It manifests itself as scaly red patches that frequently appear on the knees, elbows, and scalp, though it can occur anywhere on the body. It generally stems from our body's immune system sending out faulty signals that affect the growth of skin cells.Psoriasis can affect both men and women and can occur at any age, though it is most commonly seen between the ages of 15 and 25 years. In this country, it has been estimated that nearly 2.1% of the adult population has some level of the condition, with upwards of 35% of that group having moderate to severe cases.The exact cause of psoriasis is not known, though many people report a family history of the disease, suggesting both a genetic and environmental component."-

In light of the OCSOBER campaign that is just weeks away from kick off, this may be another reason to cut the booze for a time and see what health benefits other than reducing the waistline, you may experience. If you or anyone you know is suffering from any skin complaint the best option is to speak with your Gp or medical cosmetician.

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