We all have heard that avoiding excessive amounts of sugar keeps us from seeing the consequences of it on our health, however I am sure that most of us aren’t limiting the amount of cookies we eat in one sitting because we are afraid sugar will give us wrinkles. Yet here I am as both an esthetician and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach with unfortunately another reason you may want to take it easy on your sugar consumption.

How Sugar Can Cause Aging

The process known as glycation refers to the chain of events that sugar can cause within the skin.

The process in which sugar ages your skin is known as glycation. Glycation is when sugar molecules attach themselves to the lipids and proteins within our skin and create Advanced Glycation End Products which are ironically referred to as AGEs. The accumulation of AGEs within the skin wreaks havoc on the structural proteins in the skin like collagen and elastin. Thus leading to accelerated aging with earlier development of fine lines, wrinkles, sagging and dull complexion. Glycation is a natural occurrence in life, meaning it will happen no matter what. However, there are some actions you can take to slow this process and help to preserve your skin's youth.

Slowing Aging with Your Diet

Being mindful of how much sugar we consume is crucial.

Yes, we want to be careful when it comes to sugary foods and beverages that are obviously high in sugar, but we also need to be aware of the types of carbohydrates that we consume that can influence the blood sugar on varying levels. You want to focus on avoiding simple or refined carbs such as white rice, pasta and white bread that have been stripped of all fiber and nutrients and cause a drastic and fast spike in blood sugar or otherwise put, have a high glycemic index. Instead, be mindful to choose complex carbs that provide more nutrients and have fiber, like brown rice, 100% whole grains and veggies; these will enter the blood much slower and have a lower glycemic index. In general, keeping your carbohydrate and sugar consumption lower will help you to decrease the glycation process within your skin and help to slow the aging process.

Other foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids will reduce inflammation, as well as food high in the antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E have also been shown to have antiglycation potential as antioxidants provide protection from oxidative stress caused by free radicals and both inflammation and free radical damage are big components of glycation.

Lifestyle Tips for Slowing Down Glycation

Lifestyle behaviors like physical activity and supplementation with carnosine can help prevent AGE accumulation.

Another motivator for you to get in your daily session of physical activity! Studies have shown promise in exercise’s ability to immensely improve glycemic control, which has been shown not only to help reduce the risk of disease, like type 2 diabetes but also reduces AGEs within our skin that cause aging. Another tip is to supplement with carnosine an amino acid that can help reduce AGE prevalence within the skin.

Although most of what you can do to reduce the risk of sugar on skin aging is diet and lifestyle related, there are many ingredients that can help to address skin aging, if you are interested in addressing aging concerns consult with a Pomp Esthetician for free and get on a regimen that addresses your skincare concerns.