I went on the Zone Diet for about 1 months and in that time I started breaking out in acne really bad. (The kind that is under the skin, big and really painful!) So to test whether it was the zone i went off it for a full week and my acne cleared up. Now Im back on it and im back to breaking out again! What is going on with my body and how do i stop this while staying in the zone? I am taking the fish oil and im carefully measuring everything i eat. I read there is often a transitionary period when the body is releasing archionotic acid, but how long does that normally take? because im 34 years old and feel like an insecure teenager all over again. =(

The amount of time it takes for the initial AA release to subside differs between individuals. Try increasing your fish oil dose to at least 5 g daily. That's 8 capsules of Omega Rx (or 2 teaspoons liquid Omega Rx).

Acne occurs when pores in the skin become clogged with sebum. Unfortunately, our bodies make more sebum when hormones become unbalanced which may be the result of the diet.

The Zone will switch your body to a fat-burning metabolism instead of a carbohydrate-burning metabolism, therefore, you may be releasing a particular type of stored fat known as arachidonic acid from your fat cells.

For about 25% of the population, there will be a transitory release of arachidonic acid. The build-up of extra arachidonic acid is a result of your previous dietary patterns. This temporary increase in arachidonic acid in the bloodstream can give rise skin outbreaks.

Supplementing with long-chain Omega-3 fats (EPA/DHA) may help minimize this transitory effect. The best source of EPA is fish, but another good source is fish oil capsules as long as the fish oil is ultra-refined. Alternatively, you can slow the release of stored body fat by making a slight adjustment in your hormonal carburetor and add 10 grams of carbohydrate block to each meal for a couple of week to see if you notice improvement.

Research has demonstrated that a low glycemic load diet (like the Zone) and omega 3 supplementation (like OmegaRx) may improve acne. See: http://drsears.com/SearchResults/ta...earch=acne