You have the general idea that refined sugar is bad for your health, particularly your weight and teeth, but did you know it affects our skin too? In fact, very few of our internal organs can utilise the sugar molecule. It’s left to be converted to fat by the liver.
Sugar affects our skin by damaging the proteins that ensure skin elasticity and fullness, refined sugar is the less well-known pervasive perpetrators of wrinkles.
Consuming refined sugar causes glycation, where the ingested sugar molecules attach to proteins in the bloodstream and form harmful new molecules, called advanced glycation end products, abbreviated to “AGE”. Aptly named considering this is the very process they are causing!
The proteins most vulnerable to glycation are elastin and collagen. The pair is accountable for providing skin elasticity and plumpness. Once these proteins are damaged the effects will be as you imagine: dull saggy skin, loss of elasticity (wrinkles), lack of glow and dryness.
So how do you stop this process?
Glycation is something that happens naturally which cannot be stopped. But it can be stalled! Firstly, a diet high in refined sugars will only accelerate the process and symptoms of age will appear on your face prematurely. So stalling glycation is an easy fix, restrict the consumption of refined sugar. Stick to whole foods, which release sugar slowly and contain less glucose.
You can also interfere with glycation:
Vitamin C decreases glycation and stimulates collagen production. Foods including oranges, kale, grapefruit, strawberries and mango are all brimming with it.
Anti-ageing products contain AGE fighters, which boost collagen and restore skin flexibility. Skinceuticals Age interrupter is great for that skin revival you might need. The cream contains blueberry extract and proxylane to fight glycation. Inhibiting the process and antioxidants preventing from further oxidation occurring.
These are all the components you’ll need for glycation, so cut back on the sweets and satiate that sweet tooth with some high-fibre fruit instead!
