Well-designed trials assessing the impacts of diet on rosacea are lacking. However, certain foods are frequently reported to trigger flares of rosacea symptoms. Common trigger foods include spicy foods, marinated meats, certain fruits and vegetables (e.g., avocado, banana, tomatoes, citrus fruits), and cheese. Some researchers propose these effects may be due to certain compounds in these foods, such as histamine, capsaicin, and cinnamaldehyde.[1][2][3]
A prospective cohort study in China found that higher adherence to dietary patterns similar to the Mediterranean diet (in this study, higher intake of plants, fish, and monounsaturated fats, and lower intake of animal products and saturated fats) was associated with a reduced incidence of rosacea in non-overweight people (BMI <24.5 kg/m2).[4] Otherwise, the potentially protective effect of diet on rosacea is largely unexplored.