Sunflower seeds vs flax seeds for acne
Sunflower seeds scores 93/100 (GLOW) and flax seeds scores 100/100 (GLOW) on SpotBite's Skin Score. Flax seeds is the safer choice by 7 points, and the gap comes mostly from skin boost (omega-3 and polyphenols).
Where the gap comes from
- Inflammatory fats: Sunflower seeds has 0.7 g saturated fat and 3.5 g omega-6, Flax seeds has 0.4 g and 0.6 g.
- Skin boost: Sunflower seeds gets +5 from omega-3 and polyphenols, Flax seeds gets +20.
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
| Sunflower seeds | Flax seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Glycemic (of 50) | GL 1.1 −1.9 | GL 0.3 −0.5 |
| Dairy (of 25) | 0 g 0 | 0 g 0 |
| Inflammation (of 25) | 0.7 g sat · 3.5 g ω-6 −9.9 | 0.4 g sat · 0.6 g ω-6 −2 |
| Skin Boost (of 25) | 0 g ω-3 · medium polyphenols +5 | 2.3 g ω-3 · medium polyphenols +20 |
| Skin Score | 93 · GLOW | 100 · GLOW |
Estimates for a typical serving. Real foods vary by brand and recipe.
Verdict
If you are acne-prone, flax seeds 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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