Almonds and acne in young adults
What it found
In a 20-week trial in people, eating 60 g of almonds daily led to fewer acne lesions and greater skin microbial diversity than a cereal snack.
The authors say almonds may complement standard acne treatments.
What they found
Studies in people
Acne lesions
At week 20, the almond group had a 22.2% reduction in total acne lesions, compared with 9.8% in the control group. Inflammatory lesions decreased by 8.3% in the almond group but increased by 12% in controls, and non-inflammatory lesions decreased by 26.1% versus 20.4%.
Skin microbial diversity
In a subsample of 38 people, the Shannon diversity index rose from 2.6 to 3.4 in the almond group, and the Chao1 richness index increased from 266.9 to 835.2. The control group also saw some increase, but the almond group had larger gains.
Skin hydration and sebum
Facial hydration improved in the almond group by week 20, but sebum measurements did not show a significant change.
Quality of life and anxiety
Acne-related quality of life scores and anxiety symptoms improved significantly in the almond group. However, sleep quality worsened in the almond group.
Metabolic and inflammatory markers
The almond group showed reductions in LDL cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, fasting glucose, and the inflammatory marker TNF-alpha. Muscle mass and fat-free mass also increased.
What the authors conclude
“Daily almond consumption reduced acne lesion count and improved skin microbial diversity and acne-specific quality of life, highlighting its potential to complement standard acne treatments and support skin health.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that daily almond consumption reduced acne lesion count and improved skin microbial diversity and acne-specific quality of life.
- They say almonds have potential to complement standard acne treatments and support skin health.
- They call for further research in larger trials to confirm the findings and explore how almonds affect the skin microbiome.
How it was done
The authors wanted to test whether almonds, which are rich in nutrients that may reduce inflammation and improve blood sugar, could help with acne, since diet is thought to play a role but research on almonds and acne is limited.
They randomly assigned 81 men and women aged 18 to 35 with mild to moderate acne in Mumbai, India, to eat either 60 g of whole almonds or an equal-calorie cereal-pulse snack daily for 20 weeks. 74 participants completed the trial.
What it can’t tell you
- The study was relatively small and lasted only 20 weeks, so it cannot show whether the benefits last longer or apply to larger groups.
- The skin microbiome analysis was done in only a subset of participants, so those results are preliminary.
- The trial cannot prove that almonds directly cause the improvements, only that they were associated with them.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Almond Board of California (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- Author R.J. was employed by the Clinical Aesthetics and Investigative Management Services Pvt Ltd. And author S.K. was employed by the FamPhy. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of anycommercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The funding body was not involved in the design of the study, the collection, analysis, or inter-pretation of data, or the writing or decision to submit this manuscript for publication.The investigators and laboratory personnel were blinded to group allocation, and data interpretation and manuscript preparation were carried out exclusively by the authors without any input from the funding body.
- Authors work at
- Shreemathi Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University, India; Kasturba Integrative Health Society-Medical Research Foundation (KiHS-MRF), India
The paper
- Title
- Almond Supplementation Improves Acne Lesions and Skin Microbial Diversity in Adults with Mild to Moderate Acne Vulgaris
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Moitra P, Madan J, Shah K, et al (2026). Almond Supplementation Improves Acne Lesions and Skin Microbial Diversity in Adults with Mild to Moderate Acne Vulgaris. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu18040625Free full textPubMed 41754142DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error