If you are suffering from acne my heart goes out to you.
I’ve had my own struggles with acne over the years, especially during my teenage years (like most of you reading this I bet).
There are a couple of things to understand about acne;
- There is no quick fix, even though some of the expensive products on the market will lead you to believe they will clear up your skin overnight!
- There are some things you can do change in your diet and lifestyle that can make a massive difference to how much acne you have.
Peanut butter is always a food that comes up within the topic of foods that cause acne.
For all the peanut butter lovers out there it’s bad news. Peanut butter can cause your acne to worsen.
It’s not all bad news though, it doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Let’s look some of the causes, cures, reasons, and to better understand why peanut butter can cause pimples.
Contents
What Causes Acne?
Our bodies produce sebum, an oil that comes from the follicle of hairs on our faces and protects our skin from bacteria.
However, when we produce too much sebum it can mix with dead skin and other bits of debris and dirt causing blockages in our pores which are the main causes of acne.
I’m sure you’ve seen blackheads blocking up pores and acne developing this way now I’ve explained that.
Bacteria also gets trapped in your pores causing inflammation, and this, in turn, causes pus to build up as your body fights off the bacteria.
This is exaggerated during puberty when hormones levels are at a high which is why acne is much more common in teenagers, but it can happen to anyone at any time in their lives.
So What Does This Have to Do with Peanut Butter?
Peanut butter is rich in androgen, a hormone that’s known to cause zit breakouts for some people.
Much like when a teenager is going through puberty as discussed above, adding more of this hormone to your diet can cause a reaction and lead to acne.
There is also some other nutritional content that causes a break out in some people. Such as the balance of omega-3 fatty acids, and more importantly sugar.
High sugar diets really don’t settle well with some people. If you’re trying to clear up your skin you should be cutting as much sugar from your diet as possible, along with high fat, greasy foods.
Will Acne Clear up If You Stop Eating Peanut Butter?
I wish it was as simple as that for everyone, although it might be for you if you’re lucky.
One thing for sure though, eating peanut butter isn’t going to help your skin condition so cutting it out of your diet is a good idea.
I know, I know, if you’re a peanut butter lover this is going to be tough. But, if you want to start cleaning up your skin you need to make sacrifices.
Also, there are some tasty alternatives. Cashew and almond butter are much friendlier from a nutritional stance, and they provide a nutty taste and should be a suitable replacement.
In Summary
Peanut butter can cause acne and can worsen the condition. It’s not guaranteed, and it will not affect everyone the same, but this should be enough for you to cut peanut butter out of your diet.
There are some tasty alternatives to peanut butter without such a high sugar content or the other ingredients highlighted above which can worsen your acne.
Did I mention that just two tablespoons of peanut butter contain around 16 grams of fat!
Think about that next time you’re spreading a thick layer across a piece of bread or toast. Maybe that guilt trip will be the trigger you need!

I’m a MA, (CMT) Certified Massage Therapist, Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), and Reiki Master — I’m a licensed massage therapist with over 10 years of experience in the industry.