Bad news, ladies. If you have over-indulged on sweet treats during the festive season, you just may have one or two more wrinkles to show for it. Sugar does cause wrinkles!
How does this happen?
During a process called glycation, sugar attaches to protein fibres in your blood stream forming toxic new compounds called Advanced Glycation End products (or AGEs – how ironic!) As these AGEs build up, they cause inflammation and the protein fibres of collagen and elastin are damaged. Skin starts to lose its elasticity and is no longer firm and supple. It cannot spring back into its original position after a smile or a frown, and wrinkles start to appear.
Sugar also causes damage to the more stable Collagen II and Collagen III and only the weaker, less resilient, Collagen I, is left. Collagen I is easily damaged, so skin loses its elasticity more quickly this way.
AGEs also make the skin more vulnerable to sun damage and pollutants as AGEs also reduce the effectiveness of the skin’s own natural antioxidants.
It’s not only sugar that produces these AGEs, but they are also created when food containing sugar, protein and fats is cooked at very high temperatures, e.g. when braaiing or fry-ups.
A certain amount of glycation is inevitable over time. That is why our skins tend to show our age, but poor diet and bad habits, such as drinking and smoking, can speed up the process. This is why smokers sometimes develop that drab, yellow complexion.
How can we slow down this process?
The best advice is to try and eliminate sugar from your diet as much as possible. Always look at labels, because sugar is often disguised in the ingredients as glucose, high-fructose, corn syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, sucrose and lactose amongst others. Try and avoid those Wimpy breakfasts and limit the weekend braais if you want to keep your skin smooth and supple for as long as possible. If you are a smoker, try to quit the habit for the sake of your skin and your health, and if you drink, try to limit your alcohol intake or cut it out all together as alcohol is very high in sugar.
Article by: Maryanne Young