Signs of skin aging: There’s no arguing about the fact that most of us love to sweeten practically everything we eat and drink. While the sweet stuff may taste good, it can harm your body in many ways, including your skin.
Even though 10% of your calories should come from sugar (at most), many of us are guilty of eating far more than that by consuming processed food and sugar-sweetened beverages.
Although we know that sugar is bad for our body, do you also know that consuming too much sugar is bad for your skin? That’s right, eating too much sugar can have an effect on the texture of your skin, both physically and visibly.
Sugar is an inflammatory food, it causes inflammation in the body. When we consume too much sugar, the sugar enters our bloodstream, gets digested in the stomach and can cause bloating. Foods with a high glycemic index can cause inflammation, which can worsen many skin conditions.
The refined and processed sugars and carbohydrates contained in high-glycemic snacks such as white bread, soda, salad dressing, sweets and other baked products increase your insulin levels.
Signs of Sugar Affecting Your Skin
Sugar can have many harmful effects on your skin. Consuming too much sugar contributes to the following conditions:
1. Dark Circles
Too much sugar can damage the elastin and collagen molecules in the skin, which can lead to dark circles, wrinkles and dehydrated skin and fast-track the aging process.
2. Inflammation
Sugar triggers the release of inflammatory messengers called cytokines, nasty compounds that increase inflammation, pain and, uh, general inflammation. If your skin or the area under your eyes are ever puffy or swollen after indulging in too much candy (or a cocktail), cytokines are to blame.
3. Acne
When you have too much sugar in your body, it causes inflammation throughout your body. These spikes cause your body to make more sebum, an oily substance in your skin. Both inflammation and excess sebum can cause acne.
4. Dull Skin
Sugar breaks down collagen and elastin – the proteins that give your skin shape, structure and firmness. When this happens, your skin starts to look wrinkled, loose, dry and dull.
5. Breakouts
Consuming more sugar can increase the risk of acne breakouts. As stated earlier, blood sugar spikes trigger inflammation in the body, and increased inflammation can lead to pimples, zits, blackheads, and whiteheads.
6. Lines and Wrinkles
Glycation is a process where sugar molecules damage collagen and cause wrinkles. It can also lead to inflammation, acne breakouts and other skin problems. To stop this process, avoid sugary foods and consume plenty of antioxidants.
Ways to reduce the skin-damaging effects of sugar
1. Spot the hidden sugars: High ‘fructose corn syrup, barley malt, maltodextrin….’ are just a few other names that hide behind sugar.
2. Replace processed foods with natural foods: Try replacing your junk food with natural sugars from berries, fruits, sweet potatoes and carrots.
3. Cut down on sugary beverages: Instead, drink water, coffee and tea to quench your thirst.
Essential tips for better skin care
– drink plenty of water
– Enough Sleep
– Exercise regularly
– Maintain a good skin care regimen
– reduce your stress level
(This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for advice provided by qualified medical professionals.)