While there are numerous health-related reasons to avoid sugar, it turns out that this highly addictive fine white powder also accelerates the ageing process of your skin. That’s why I want to talk about how sugar drastically affects our skin’s appearance, how to tell if you’re being affected by your sugar consumption, and what dietary shifts you can make to be more proactive about your skin.
Sugar affects skin maturity with an internal process called glycation. Glycation causes permanent damage to collagen fibres and reduces the elasticity of tissues that support the dermis1 – causing the skin to lose its firmness & flexibility. Glycation produces Advanced Glycation End products, normally abbreviated as AGEs (ironically enough…) – And while it’s not important to remember this terminology, just keep in mind that AGEs affect every cell.
What is important to remember: that whenever there is a high amount of glucose or fructose (forms of sugar) in your blood, the glycation process becomes accelerated.The damaged collagen and tissues turn to waste (when, in fact, they should be holding up the formation of the skin). This waste builds up, makes structural changes in the skin, and promotes ageing – aka the ‘Sugar Sag’2.
Collagen keeps the skin strong & resilient. But if you eat a lot of sugar, the glycation process starts and essentially ends with collagen damage. This can be seen in the skin as:
Sadly, the ‘Sugar Sag’ is irreversible; once those proteins are damaged, they reach a point of no return. But the good news is that it’s preventable! It might come as no surprise, but the foods you choose to eat play a quintessential role in preventing this.
To prevent sugar damage to the skin, you want to try to stop sugar spikes – which means so much more than just not eating sugar. Because it’s not only about refined sugars (though that is the worst offender); it has to do with the amount of sugar present in your bloodstream, which depends on the food you eat… All kinds of foods. How much your blood sugar rises and how long it stays on high depends on what types of food you eat, when you eat them, and how often.
The best way to keep blood sugar stable is by eating carbohydrates that are low on the Glycemic Index (GI). The GI refers to a scale that ranks food by how fast they elevate blood sugar levels; the aim is to reduce your overall glycemic load by consuming foods with a lower GI.3
To increase the intake of low GI foods, the general rule is to eat more whole foods in the form of vegetables, fruits, legumes, dairy & grains. But from a more practical viewpoint, you can do things like:
Protein is integral for making you feel full longer and stabilising blood sugar levels..Eating protein with every meal and snack will prevent you from feeling hunger pangs every 30 minutes. protein comes in many shapes & forms:
If you start skipping meals, your body will eventually get to a point where it says, “I need energy. Now!” This all too often results in trying to overcompensate for the lack of nutrition by grabbing for something that will give you energy as fast as possible… and it usually contains heaps of sugar. By eating every couple of hours (or at least consistently throughout the day), you keep your blood sugar levels in check; these meals don’t have to be large or overly filling – just something that includes protein / something with a low GI level.
Sugar is delicious, and you don’t need to completely deprive yourself of it (all in the name of beauty!). Naturally occurring sugars found in whole fruits aren’t the real issue, as they are digested as a part of their fibrous skin, which slows down the rate at which their sugars will enter your bloodstream. It’s that pure white stuff (aka “refined sugar”) you really have to watch out for – or its cousins, which can be found in foods under different guises.You’d be surprised where sugar is hidden. It’s everywhere! And even when you think you’re avoiding it, it may still be hijacking your foods. So it’s important to always check the ingredients list and look out for sugar’s aliases: high-fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, glucose syrup, sorghum syrup, fructose, maltose, and dextrose, to name a few.
Somewhere along the way, artificial sweeteners popped up as the “better alternative” to sugar. This is suggested because they don’t directly affect your blood sugar levels, like good ol’ sugar does – triggering the whole glycation and AGEs song & dance. They are, however, unnaturally sweet. And what is one of their side effects? They heighten your taste buds palate for something sweet that no meal or dessert will match. And because your body receives this super sweet hit, your appetite is increased and your body will search out more food to satisfy its growing needs. This usually leads to weight gain – and even more sugar cravings!
The take-away: protect your collagen & skin resilience by fortifying your diet and avoiding sugar spikes. It’s never too late to make changes! And while it can take time – much like with any lifestyle change – our bodies are always adapting, and they do so surprisingly well when a change is being made for the better. More times than not, you’ll see the positive results on your skin. What more could you wish for?
Tags: Ageing, Diet, Health, Skin Care
Alana is a qualified naturopath & nutritionist from Australia. After years of studying and first clinical experiences, she moved to Europe where she spent many years as a health editor and writer for Amazingy Magazine. In 2020 Alana started her online Health Practice based out of Berlin. She believes the body has the innate ability to heal itself. The core of her work is teaching individuals the foundations of nutrition for an abundance of energy, smooth digestion and vital health. The stuff she teaches we just weren't taught at school, but it is fundamental for excellent health for everyone. Get in touch with Alana via her website: https://alanabonnemann.com/
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