Cheddar cheese vs parmesan for acne
Cheddar cheese scores 71/100 (GOOD) and parmesan scores 85/100 (GOOD) on SpotBite's Skin Score. Parmesan is the safer choice by 14 points, and the gap comes mostly from dairy.
Where the gap comes from
- Dairy: Cheddar cheese has 28 g of dairy, Parmesan has 15 g. Milk proteins can act like growth signals in the skin.
- Inflammatory fats: Cheddar cheese has 5.3 g saturated fat and 0.2 g omega-6, Parmesan has 2.8 g and 0.1 g.
Evidence: Hoppe 2004 (n=24): 1.5 L of skim milk a day raised IGF-1 by 19% within 7 days (study). All 13 sources.
Score breakdown, side by side
| Cheddar cheese | Parmesan | |
|---|---|---|
| Glycemic (of 50) | no carbs 0 | no carbs 0 |
| Dairy (of 25) | 28 g −23.3 | 15 g −12.5 |
| Inflammation (of 25) | 5.3 g sat · 0.2 g ω-6 −6.9 | 2.8 g sat · 0.1 g ω-6 −3.6 |
| Skin Boost (of 25) | 0.1 g ω-3 · low polyphenols +0.8 | 0.1 g ω-3 · low polyphenols +0.8 |
| Skin Score | 71 · GOOD | 85 · GOOD |
Estimates for a typical serving. Real foods vary by brand and recipe.
Verdict
If you are acne-prone, parmesan is the better pick of the two.
Not medical advice. Both scores are for the food on its own. What you eat with it changes the result, and breakouts usually show up 3 to 7 days after a meal. Diet is one factor among many.
See your own pattern
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