Can Cheese Affect Your Skin?

If you enjoy cheese on a regular basis, your bones benefit from all of the calcium. Cheese also contains a healthy dose of protein for healthy muscles. While these are benefits to eating cheese, your skin may not benefit as much. When you eat large amounts of cheese, the ingredients and nutrients it contains may negatively affect the appearance and health of your skin. Once you know how cheese may affect your skin, you can determine how much, if any, you would like to include in your diet.

Saturated Fat

Not only is saturated fat potentially damaging to your heart, but it can also impact the appearance and health of your skin. You need some dietary fat to help encourage your skin to function properly, but the majority of your fat intake should come from healthy unsaturated fats, such as those found in olive oil, nuts and avocados 2. The saturated fat in cheese is inflammatory, which may increase your risk of uneven skin tone, redness and blemishes, such as blackheads and pimples.

Sodium

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A diet high in sodium can cause you to retain water. Joyce L. Vedral, author of "Bone-Building/Body-Shaping Workout," notes that sodium can hold up to 50 times its weight in water 3. If you eat a lot of cheese, the sodium it contains can cause you to retain water, which can negatively impact the appearance of your skin. Too much salt may cause your skin to appear puffy, flaky and dry. Limiting your intake of cheese may help reduce your sodium intake, which can improve the health of your skin.

Lactose and Naturopaths

Lactose is a type of sugar found in dairy foods. If you have a lactose intolerance or allergy, cheese may cause skin symptoms, such as hives and a rash. If you experience these types of skin changes after eating cheese, speak with your doctor about cutting lactose out of your diet to see if your skin symptoms disappear. Cheese also contains naturopaths. Karen Fischer, author of "The Healthy Skin Diet," reports that naturopaths make your lymphatic fluids thicker, which makes it more difficult for your body to get rid of toxins 2. Toxins can cause your skin to appear dull and dry.

Protein

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Protein is an essential nutrient that helps support healthy tissue and cell formation. Kimberly Snyder, author of "The Beauty Detox Solution," notes that protein may help improve your skin tone as well 5. While you do not want to eat a large amount of cheese because of the saturated fat and sodium content, a small amount of cheese will supply some protein, which encourages your skin cells to constantly regenerate so your skin appears healthy and glowing 2.