Your Skin: Sweet Sugar and the Bitter Truth

There are dozens of health reasons why each of us should limit our sugar intake, and among the better known ones are that it contributes to obesity, the onset of diabetes, and heart disease. But one effect of sugar which remains overlooked by most people is the effect it is having on their skin.

In part 1 of this article series, we looked at the general ways to protect from the effects of sugar on our skin, but here in part 2, we’re going to look at the hidden ways that sugars can be found in our diets, and how to avoid them!

So what does sugar do to your skin?

Too much sugar can increase your skin’s tendency to wrinkle, making you look older than your years. The prominent dermatologist Dr. Frederic Brandt has linked sugar intake to the body’s production of molecules called advanced glycation end products or, fittingly enough, AGEs.

AGEs are proteins with an outer layer of sugar, and the more you indulge in the sweets and carbs, the more AGEs you will have. The number of AGEs you have, in turn, will dictate how much damage there will be to your elastin and collagen, the connective tissues which keep your skin firm and wrinkle free.

So is it time to kiss that sweet, sweet sugar good-bye?

One study published in the British Journal of Dermatology shows that after your 35th birthday, the AGEs related damage to the collagen and elastin underlying your skin begins to surface, and gets more and more obvious as time passes.

And research has shown that the human body produces three distinct types of collagen. Type I is the most fragile, and Type III is the toughest. Too much dietary sugar will transform your Type III collagen into the much weaker Type I, and your skin will lose its suppleness!

Also, having too much AGEs proteins will also reduce the effectiveness of the antioxidants naturally produced in your body, so your skin will be much more vulnerable to the free radicals resulting from stress or sun damage.

A triple whammy!

Our bodies are also producing free radicals with every natural process, and if sugar robs it of the protection of its own antibodies, the bad guys are pretty much left to wreak their havoc at will!

But there is hope!

You can restore your collagen to its Type III vigor, and your skin to its youthful glow and smoothness, by making a few simple changes.

Yes, you will have to lighten up on the sweets. This can be a deal breaker for some people, but replacing the refined sugar in the candy and pastries with the natural carbs of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will get your body used to a slowly absorbed form of carbohydrates so that your AGEs will have much less sugar on their surfaces.

How much sugar to have:

How much lightening up is enough? Cut back so that no more than 10% of your daily calories is in the form of sugar. For someone consuming 1600 calories a day, that’s no more than ten teaspoons of sugar.

In order to accomplish this, you’ll have to start reading the nutritional labels on the packaged products you purchase, and specifically, studying the amount of carbohydrate grams they contain.

A teaspoon of sugar equates to four grams of carbohydrates, so twelve grams of carbs in a serving of something is equal to three of your daily teaspoons of sugar.

The hidden sugars:

Both fast and processed foods "hide" their sugar content under other names; dextrose; maltose; high fructose corn syrup; molasses and maple syrup are all sugar, although by any other name they still taste as sweet.

Just get used to reading labels on packaging. Better still, have more natural foods such as fruits and vegetables and you’ll know that there won’t be added ingredients in them!

The most damaging hidden sugar:

The biggest danger among these alternative sweeteners lies with high fructose corn syrup, which creates a larger abundance of AGEs than any other kind of sugar. And it’s nearly impossible to avoid in processed foods like soft drinks, salad dressings, ketchup, and baked goods.

It’s both cheap and stable, so it won’t be going away any time soon. So just become aware of what you’re putting into your body. Again, natural, unprocessed food is the best when it comes to anti aging for the skin.

The natural solution:

The best way is to avoid these sugars and to substitute with low GI carbohydrates which are fruits and vegetables. These sugars are absorbed slowly, and therefore do not spike your sugar levels. Instead you have stable sugar levels and much less AGE proteins.

If you want a sweetener, go for unprocessed honey - it's lower GI and is much higher in antioxidants. And makes sure that the meal has protein or good oils in it to further slow the absorption of sugar, such as yoghurt or avocado.

So there you go. You can have refined sugar, or you can have youthful skin, but the odds of your having both are very low. You already know that sugar isn’t good for you, and knowing that it isn’t good for your looks is just one more reason why you should give it the boot.

Just ask yourself what sounds sweeter: all the sugar you can eat, or knowing you look good enough to eat?

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