Blog / Therapies

16 May 2018

The effects of sugar on your skin

Eating refined sugar and processed carbohydrates on a regular basis has disastrous effects on weight, heart health and many other areas of health. However, we don’t often hear about the impact of sugar on skin health.

When we consume sugar or high-glycemic carbohydrates the body releases the hormone insulin which helps to lower blood sugar levels by storing excess glucose.  Unfortunately insulin triggers inflammation within the body and this can be devastating for the skin.

If blood sugar levels are consistently raised the glucose molecules link with proteins and form advanced glycation end products (AGEs), a process called glycation which causes damage in the body. The effects on the skin can be a worsening of inflammatory skin conditions and premature-aging like wrinkles and sagging skin as AGEs attach to and damage collagen and elastin.

Here are 5 lifestyle changes you can make to reverse and prevent further skin damage.

• Consume a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables that provide the body with powerful antioxidants to combat the effects of inflammation.
• Avoid high-glycemic and processed foods like bread, baked goods, junk food, sweets, desserts, concentrated fruit juice, pre-packaged snacks and cool drinks.
• Eat more complex carbohydrates like whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and vegetables which are packed with fibre and slow releasing carbohydrates that don’t spike the blood sugar.
• Eat some high-quality protein with each snack and meal to keep your blood sugar stable. Eat the protein first during a meal to prevent insulin levels spiking and trigging inflammation.
• Getting enough sleep and managing your stress levels is so important to reduce the production of cortisol, a stress hormone which mobilizes sugar stores and causes your insulin to spike in the same way as sugar does.

Sources

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.za/entry/sugar-bad-for-skin_n_4071548