Lard vs olive oil for acne
Lard scores 91/100 (GLOW) and olive oil scores 100/100 (GLOW) on SpotBite's Skin Score. Olive oil is the safer choice by 9 points, and the gap comes mostly from skin boost (omega-3 and polyphenols).
Where the gap comes from
- Inflammatory fats: Lard has 5.1 g saturated fat and 1.3 g omega-6, Olive oil has 1.9 g and 1.3 g.
- Skin boost: Lard gets +0.8 from omega-3 and polyphenols, Olive oil gets +5.8.
Evidence: Khayef 2012 (n=13): fish oil for 12 weeks cut inflammatory lesions from 10.1 to 5.8 on average (study). All 13 sources.
Score breakdown, side by side
| Lard | Olive oil | |
|---|---|---|
| Glycemic (of 50) | no carbs 0 | no carbs 0 |
| Dairy (of 25) | 0 g 0 | 0 g 0 |
| Inflammation (of 25) | 5.1 g sat · 1.3 g ω-6 −9.5 | 1.9 g sat · 1.3 g ω-6 −5.7 |
| Skin Boost (of 25) | 0.1 g ω-3 · low polyphenols +0.8 | 0.1 g ω-3 · medium polyphenols +5.8 |
| Skin Score | 91 · GLOW | 100 · GLOW |
Estimates for a typical serving. Real foods vary by brand and recipe.
Verdict
If you are acne-prone, olive oil 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.
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