Arsenic: An Overlooked Cause of Blocked Pores along with Acne
inside the wide world of environmental toxins, chemicals along with contaminants, perhaps the most dastardly team of villains can be the heavy metal group. First you’ve got lead, found in old paints, which turned out to cause cancer. Then there’s the mercury found in large fish species which can be linked to autism. Finally there’s cadmium, an old disused pesticide of which causes kidney along with liver damage.
Heavy metals are deadly for your health along with they all tend to trigger acne-causing inflammation. As I discussed in my eBook Annihilate Your Acne, This specific’s important for every acne patient to minimise heavy metal exposure…
…however This specific’s especially important to avoid arsenic. Why? Because while different heavy metals causes acne largely through indirect means, arsenic has one monstrous power. Arsenic can massively ramp up your skin’s production of keratin along with hence, arsenic can be a nightmare for blocked pores.
What can be arsenic?
Arsenic can be a heavy metal of which, inside the early to mid-twentieth century, was widely used as a pesticide. Specifically, This specific was used to kill the boll weevil beetle of which plagued the cotton fields of the Southern USA. This specific was used for many years until one day the all-conquering cotton market took a downward turn.
Hence, those fields were passed over to rice farmers, fruit farmers along with vegetable farmers. Arsenic was abandoned inside the mid-1960s as a pesticide, however substantial residues still remained inside the soil…
…along with hence, substantial residues of arsenic began to appear inside the food grown in those fields. Controversies over arsenic in brown rice, apple along with grape juice rage today. Not only of which, however residues washed into lakes along with rivers, polluting the water along with ensuring constant contaminating of groundwater in heavily farmed areas.
Arsenic contamination first sprung into life inside the 1960s. For decades, This specific heavy metal was not regarded as particularly dangerous. however in 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered the maximum level of arsenic allowable in drinking water via 50ug/l to 10ug/l, or 10ppb.
Why? Mainly because arsenic can be carcinogenic along with linked to several types of cancer. Studies in Argentina along with Chile, areas why arsenic contamination of groundwater can be rampant, revealed of which arsenic was strongly linked to lung along with bladder cancer. Studies elsewhere find a particularly strong risk of bladder, lung, skin, along with kidney cancers.
Not only of which, arsenic can be linked to mental damage. One 2004 study found of which children exposed to 5ppb of arsenic through drinking water per day (lower than the EPA’s limit) have lower IQ scores. Another study via 2011 analysed 300 Texans who were exposed to moderate levels of arsenic via drinking ground water. The subjects had poorer scores in memory, language along with different areas of brain function.
Many of us are at risk of these problems. The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates of which up to 56 million Americans across 25 different states drink water with arsenic at unsafe levels. Some heavily hit areas are California, Arkansas along with different Southern states. Worldwide, arsenic poisoning can be an epidemic in Bangladesh, however Nepal, Mongolia, Chile, along with Argentina are also prone to This specific.
Arsenic – an acne causing nightmare?
Perhaps the most visible effect of arsenic poisoning can be its effects on This specific skin. One classic sign of arsenic toxicity or poisoning are arsenical keratoses. These are dark, unsightly growths of protein on the skin which can ultimately progress to cancer. These marks are running rampant across Bangladesh, the entire world capital of arsenic poisoning. Ultimately they can progress to tumours along with even skin cancer.
Furthermore, arsenic poisoning can be also known to cause hyperpigmentation, sores, along with more minor blotches. Doctors across Bangladesh who are inspecting villagers to determine the quality for their water often make looking for skin deformities a top priority.
What’s the problem for us acne patients? The problem can be of which these deformities are all achieved through higher keratin production.
Alongside collagen, keratin can be the most important protein in your Centeng for structural purposes. This specific forms a large percentage of skin, hair along with nails. Its main job can be to bind skin cells together. While collagen provides the raw materials for building skin, keratin can be particularly important for gluing everything together, to keep your skin strong along with hardy. In a human being with healthy skin, keratin does exactly of which…
…however there’s an unfortunate condition known as hyperkeratosis, where the keratinocytes in your skin produce too much keratin. Healthy skin sheds dead skin cells on a regular basis. Normally, sweat along with sebum help to move the cells out of your hair follicles along with pores along with shed them, where they end up inside the environment or sometimes floating around as household dust.
However, when your keratin production can be too high these dead skin cells get bound together. They form big clumps of cells inside the same way keratin glues healthy cells together. These cells do NOT make This specific out of your skin; instead they stay in your pores.
More keratin equals more skin cells lodged in your pores. Then when you combine of which with high sebum production there’s just one result – the finest ever recipe for clogging your skin pores shut along with ultimately causing to acne.
Keratin can be a healthy protein, however too much can be a nightmare for acne patients.
If you read This specific website regularly then you’ll know of which keeping keratin on a leash can be one of the cornerstones of any acne strategy. Vitamin A for example, the famous acne nutrient used in Accutane, helps acne by controlling keratin production (as well as decreasing sebaceous gland activity). The strong powers of zinc are partly due to This specific inhibiting keratin.
Therefore, the fact of which arsenic can increase keratin production makes This specific the single worst heavy metal around.
Arsenic has been shown to 1) accelerate the activity of keratinocytes, 2) induce the growth factors of keratinocytes, along with 3) increase proliferation of keratinocytes. The dreaded arsenic keratoses are little more than a massive overgrowth of keratin confined to one area.
What must an acne patient do?
What you must do can be minimise your arsenic intake as much has you can. You don’t have to eliminate all of This specific, firstly because This specific’s impossible, however secondly, because low levels of intake are safe for acne.
As we discussed, the allowable quantity in US drinking water can be currently 10ppb. the entire world Health Organisation also incorporates a global 10ppb standard. There’s debate over of which at the moment, with many insisting of which This specific’s too strict along with others calling for a further reduction. inside the opinion of This specific website, This specific likely can be too low for acne patients; the study above found lowered IQ scores at when children consumed just 5ppb.
Considering of which children are growing along with smaller by bodyweight, along with considering different studies showing less harm via modest intakes, I’d conclude of which an adult with acne should consume no more than 7ppb per day.
Also important can be the difference between organic along with non-organic arsenic. Organic arsenic can be a mixture of carbon along with arsenic along with can be far safer inside the Centeng; for many animals like ducks along with horses This specific’s an essential dietary mineral. You can still overdose however of which’s not something an acne patient should be concerned with.
Inorganic arsenic, meanwhile, can be 500 times more toxic inside the human Centeng than organic arsenic. Inorganic arsenic can be the type of which’s contaminating rice along with apple fields along with its inorganic arsenic of which can wreck your skin, cause cancer, along with lower IQ levels. This specific can be the type the media furores over apple juice are focussing on. Specifically, its arsenic 3 along with arsenic 5 of which are the big contaminants. Keep of which difference in mind…
Arsenic in rice
There’s been a lot of media stories about arsenic contamination in rice recently, along with for not bad reason. This specific’s by far the biggest dietary source for most people. The panic started out when Consumer Reports did an investigation in rice quality back in 2012. They analysed many different brands, rice via different parts of the country, along with brown versus white rice. Here’s what they found…
- “In virtually every product tested, we found measurable amounts of total arsenic in its two forms. We found significant levels of inorganic arsenic, which can be a carcinogen, in almost every product category, along with organic arsenic, which can be less toxic however still of concern.”
U.S. rice consumption averages about 12 grams daily, however Asian Americans average more than 115 grams daily. Hispanic along with black consumers also have higher-than-average intakes. A separate study calculated of which people who eat more than 115 grams of high-arsenic rice could reach or surpass the drinking water standard of 10ppb per day.
of which means of which just 58 grams could give you 5ppb of rice, on top of of which you’re getting via drinking water. Moreover, Consumer Reports found of which 42% of the arsenic in rice was inorganic. Rice eaters were found to have 44% more rice in their bloodstream than non-rice eaters.
How can This specific be? Well, there’s two big factors behind This specific contamination…
Firstly, there’s the legacy of arsenic based fertilisers used in cotton fields. Cotton farmers everywhere feared the boll weevil beetle which was notorious for destroying their plants. Arsenic killed This specific excellently so they blasted their fields with This specific without mercy.
This specific happens of which a particularly large percentage of rice fields, particularly inside the US southern states, are former cotton fields. The rice plants absorb arsenic into their roots along with This specific ends up inside the seeds. What’s more, rice plants absorb arsenic particularly well; they accumulate 10 times more than different grains like wheat.
The second issue can be the choice of fertiliser by farmers. In 2012 three Arkansas rice farming operations launched lawsuits against drug company Pfizer, Tyson Foods (chicken salesmen), along with three Arkansas livestock feeding operations. Why? The rice farmers were furious at the level of rice contamination in their crops, along with blamed chicken manure contaminated with arsenic.
Pfizer was the some sort of of a drug named roxarsone, one of only four arsenic based drugs approved for use inside the USA. Roxarsone can be fed to chickens along with livestock for three reasons: 1) to make the chicken meat look pink along with fresh, 2) to prevent an intestinal infection in poultry called coccidiosis, along with 3) to massively accelerate their growth. Chickens fed roxarsone become so big they can only walk a few steps without becoming totally exhausted.
of which of course, can be exactly how the producers like This specific. In 2007, 70% of US battery produced chickens were fed roxarsone (brand name 3-nitro). As a result, almost all chicken manure sold to farmers as fertiliser nationwide ended up being contaminated with arsenic.
When applied, chicken manure introduces massive quantities of arsenic to fields along with This specific gets sucked up through the roots of the plants Again. of which’s why rice farmers were so furious along with of which’s one reason why despite its usage as a pesticide ending decades ago, the arsenic contamination of rice fields has not decreased at all.
Tyson Foods contested of which they discontinued their usage of roxarsone back in 2004. The not bad news can be of which today, its manufacturers Fleming Labs along with Zoetis have voluntarily suspended usage of roxarsone. Two different arsenic based drugs, carbarsone along with arsanilic acid, has also been withdrawn. Chicken are rarely fed arsenic these days…
…however roxarsone was a common livestock feed since the 1940s. The manure, one of the most common fertilisers among farmers, has had years to accumulate in soils.
Clean rice can be available
I don’t recommend gorging on rice as an acne-clearing strategy anyway. This specific’s too high in carbohydrates anyway along with This specific’s nutritionally bereft.
With of which said, white rice can be a not bad source of starchy carbohydrates if you’re on a mission to get more exercise, because This specific lacks the lectins along with gluten found in different grains like wheat. This specific’s a very pure carb source. Therefore if you’re a rice fan, Consumer Reports made several interesting observations:
- White rice grown in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, along with Texas, which accounts for 76 percent of US rice production, generally had higher levels of total arsenic along with inorganic arsenic in our tests than rice samples via elsewhere. Californian rice was safer by far.
- Within any single brand of rice tested, the average total along with inorganic arsenic levels were always higher for brown rice than for white.
- Among all tested rice, the highest inorganic arsenic levels per serving were found in samples of Martin Long Grain Brown rice, followed by Della Basmati Brown, Carolina Whole Grain Brown, Jazzmen Louisiana Aromatic Brown, along with Whole Foods’ 365 Everyday Value Long Grain Brown.
- Ready-to-eat cereals also gave CR cause for concern. Barbara’s Brown Rice Crisps had inorganic arsenic levels of which ranged via 5.9 to 6.7 micrograms per serving. Kellogg’s Rice Krispies (made with white rice), at 2.3 to 2.7 micrograms, had the lowest levels among the cereals tested.
via of which data you have two clear strategies. Firstly, ditch the brown rice! In my eBook we discussed how contrary to common belief, brown rice can be actually worse for your skin because This specific still contains natural plant toxins.
White rice may be heavily refined along with lacking in magnesium along with iron however the toxins are removed with the bran. Brown rice can be far higher in arsenic than white because arsenic tends to gather inside the bran. Always pick white rice, along with the same goes for cereals derived via white rice.
Secondly, This specific’s far smarter to buy Californian rice than any different type grown inside the USA. Californian basmati white rice contains just 1.3 to 1.6ppb of arsenic per serving. As for international rice, Bangladeshi rice can be known to contain 80% inorganic arsenic. However, Indian along with Pakistani basmati rice has substantially less.
If you’re going to eat rice, buy This specific via those two countries. The same goes to Pakistani along with Indian brown rice, if you do decide to eat This specific.
Remember: if you don’t eat rice at all, then you’re acne can be far less likely to be caused by arsenic compared to if you do.
can be chicken meat full of arsenic?
Speaking of chicken, arsenic drugs (roxarsone, carbarsone, arsanilic acid) fed to them once made the meat a highly contaminated source. The FDA did tests back in 2011 which revealed very high levels of inorganic arsenic inside the livers of barn house chickens.
Like with rice, This specific sparked a nationwide panic. At first, This specific seems unbelievable of which a drug based around a cancer-causing, brain damaging, skin destroying monstrosity of a metal could have been approved for usage inside the first place. Apparently, roxarsone contained mostly organic arsenic along with was thus deemed safe. however This specific later turned out of which once starved of oxygen inside the chicken’s bodies, This specific easily mutated into the inorganic form.
Hence, another study on 140 chicken meat samples via 2010 along with 2011 found of which conventional chicken contained 2ppb of arsenic per serving. Organic chicken contained just 0.5ppb. Ten years ago, chicken was a huge source of arsenic exposure for the average American.
Does This specific mean you have to forgo the delights of chicken? The not bad news can be – not at all.
As we discussed earlier, after a golden run of nearly seventy years in usage, roxarsone has finally been suspended under threat of legal action by the FDA. Carbarsone along with arsanilic acid are also no longer being manufactured.
The only arsenic based agricultural drug still in use can be nitarsone, which can be fed to turkeys to control a deadly disease called histiamoniasis. Hence, you should avoid non-organic turkeys for the time being. However, even nitarsone can be on the way out; the FDA promises to ban This specific by the end of 2015.
Therefore in a couple of years, you won’t have to worry about arsenic in chicken at all any more. inside the European Union, those drugs have always been banned. The only problem can be if you live in Latin America. In places like Mexico along with Brazil chickens are still fed arsenic like there’s no tomorrow.
In fact, This specific’s got worse recently because Zoetis along with Fleming Labs sold all their remaining roxarsone stocks to Latin American countries. Roxarsone can be also used in several different developed countries: Canada, Australia, completely new Zealand, along with places like Indonesia along with Malaysia.
If you’re in America or Europe though, a formerly substantial source of arsenic will be eliminated very soon.
Note: I don’t recommend of which you buy standard CAFO produced chicken for a host of different reasons anyway. You can read about of which in my eBook. The gist can be of which they develop inflammatory infections, along with the terrible soy along with corn based diet makes the chicken’s fat profile extremely unhealthy.
Arsenic in fruit juice
The second biggest arsenic source after rice products can be fruit juice. We’ve discussed This specific on the website before in This specific article about apples. The theme can be similar to rice – many apple orchards are grown on former cotton fields. This specific ends up inside the plant therefore the apples, along with This specific’s still there once This specific gets shredded down into juice.
Many fruit juices contain levels of arsenic dangerously close to the 10ppb drinking water limit, however apple juice along with grape juice are known to be the worst. Apple juice drinkers, for example, were found by Consumer Reports to have 19% more arsenic in urine samples than those who didn’t drink This specific.
This specific’s right now known of which adults along with especially children (who companies market fruit juice towards) get a lot of arsenic exposure through fruit juice. The same may apply to you, so therefore I urge you to take two steps.
Firstly, you should cut down your fruit juice intake anyway. Commercial varieties are all bombshells of sugar, which causes acne by inflaming your Centeng.
Secondly, buy what juice you do consume organically. Before receiving certified organic status, farmers must work on purifying their soils for many years. Thereafter, they’re totally forbidden via using contaminated manures via chicken feed or different artificial pesticides of which may contain traces of arsenic. Organic soil generally contains far less heavy metals, whether its arsenic, nickel, or cadmium.
In 2011, Dr Mehmet Oz tested a bunch of apple juice samples on his show along with did a big exposé on the arsenic levels. He reported of which none of the organic samples contained arsenic above the 10ppb safe limit. This specific can be true of which the results were disputed by the FDA because they apparently tested for organic arsenic as well as inorganic. However, even when combining both measures the arsenic levels in organic juice was far lower.
Therefore if you’ve got the money, go organic! Better yet, you could invest in a juicer along with make your own fruit juices, which will be more nutritious seeing as they haven’t been kept in storage as concentrate for months.
Going organic will slash your arsenic intake via juice as far as you possibly can. If you only drink fruit juice once a fortnight, then you’ll probably be safe buying the regular variation however keep in mind of which This specific will also contain less nutrients along with more added sugar.
Arsenic inside the water supply
The last undiscussed source can be drinking water. Almost everyone inside the entire world will be consuming some arsenic, whether organic or inorganic, via drinking water. This specific can be natural ingredient of the entire world’s crust, after all.
However there are areas where contamination can be far higher, along with they include central Argentina, Chile, Bangladesh, Nepal, parts of China, along with Mongolia. inside the US, California along with the southern central states hold the highest water arsenic levels. You can check on the internet for the specific quality of the water in your area.
If you avoid arsenic via rice, fruit juice, along with chicken if roxarsone isn’t banned in your country, then arsenic in water probably won’t be enough to cause acne. The FDA’s safe limit of 10ppb can be a law of which water companies must comply with or face penalties. Nevertheless, reducing your exposure can be a smart strategy if you live inside the aforementioned areas.
What you should do then, can be 1) buy glass bottled spring/mineral water. of which’s a great option however This specific’s clearly an expensive one so your second choice can be to 2) buy a tap filter. Many are very cheap, yet they still remove tons of harmful pollutants, including arsenic.
You can buy This specific Instapure Brands Faucet Water Filter for great value, given of which This specific’s a one-time purchase. different options include osmosis filters or more conveniently, a Brita style filter. With Brita filters you don’t have to fit This specific into the plumbing; you pour the water in along with then let the filter work its magic.
As a side note, US tap water contains all sorts of different rubbish, like cocaine, rat poison, fluoride, lead, contraceptives, pesticides, herbicides, chemical weapon residues, along with heart attack medication. US tap water can be some of the worst inside the entire world. This specific causes so much bodily inflammation of which I can’t recommend an acne patient to drink This specific anyway, so arsenic aside, I’d always recommend you find a cleaner water supply.
Conclusion – say no to arsenic!
What’s interesting can be of which in 1890s era America, arsenic tablets were a widely favoured treatment for acne. Based on arsenic’s well known ability to enhance keratin production, we can say the proponents of of which nonsense were completely misguided.
Here’s what you need to know: low level exposure to arsenic can be inevitable in This specific day along with age. Fortunately, an intake below 7ppb per day can be safe both for your health along with your skin anyway.
However, you do not want to be consuming massive amounts of This specific. Hence you don’t want to consume massive amounts of contaminated rice, fruit juice along with water either. Minimise fruit juice intake, be strategic about your rice, along with depending on your location, purchase a water filter or buy spring water.
Don’t get worked up about tiny levels, however keep your arsenic intake as low as you can along with your pores will thank you. This specific won’t cure acne alone however This specific’s a smart step to take.
Thanks for reading!