Does eating sugar cause aging? Well, it doesn’t cause it, but the sweet stuff definitely speeds up the aging process. A diet high in sugar, combined with genetics, illness, medications, and stress, are all factors that can contribute to early visible signs of aging. While Mary Poppins sang that “a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down,” science and our skin say sugar is far from beneficial. When you discover how sugar accelerates aging and that there are things you can do to minimize its effects, you may be motivated to avoid this skin “ager” and achieve the glowing, smooth complexion you deserve!

The Effects of Sugar
How does sugar affect your body? Eating sugar can not only pack on pounds, but overconsumption can impact heart health and lead to obesity, which can be a risk factor for some types of cancer. It bonds to proteins in our bodies in a process called glycation and occurs in two different ways:

From within: Glycation happens as a natural part of aging inside our bodies through normal metabolism and aging. This endogenous type occurs when either simple or complex carbohydrates are absorbed by our bodies, elevating our blood sugar levels. Most blood sugar provides the energy your body needs to function correctly. However, a small proportion of your blood sugar is glycated to form AGEs (Advanced Glycation End Products), which make your skin and body susceptible to skin disorders and conditions.

From without: Sugar consumption and aging are intricately intertwined, as a diet high in sugar or foods browned through heating or cooking of sugars causes glycation, inflammation, and aging. This is known as exogenous glycation from outside your body. When consumed, refined carbohydrates, white & brown sugar, and high fructose corn syrup are converted into glucose, which coats proteins, forming AGEs. Toasting, grilling, and frying bread and meat cause a Mallard effect wherein beneficial food enzymes are killed, and heat modifies sugars. This triggers the non-controlled binding of sugars to basic and essential proteins, resulting in highly destructive AGEs. Note: It is the heating of sugars with proteins at high temperatures in the absence of water that forms more AGEs. While experts estimate that 30% of AGEs are absorbed when ingested, our bodies help eliminate them through enzymatic and antioxidant activity. However, high consumption of AGES causes them to accumulate, damaging adjacent proteins and negatively impacting our health and wellness. (AGES have been tied to conditions like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, liver issues, inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic syndrome. This can also affect bones, cartilage, muscles, and tendons.)

When this happens, sugars clump up, absorb water, and dry out collagen. Which then causes collagen fibers to become stiff and break, leading to less stability, structure, and blood flow. As the collagen count decreases, it further inhibits the nutritional exchange necessary for optimal functioning and vitality. Crosslinking, the formation of chemical bridges between proteins, hardens them, making them less elastic and prone to tearing or cracking, damaging collagen and elastin. Fibers intertwine to support one another in bunches, forming “nuts” under the skin, but once cross-linked, there is no support for the skin. Once AGEs bind to collagen, the resulting cross-linking is irreversible and unresponsive to the skin’s natural enzymatic activity. Collagen, like scaffolding or columns supporting a structure, basically collapses upon itself. As the nuts grow in size and number, this triggers the production of antibodies, inflammation, and DNA damage in the skin, resulting in premature wrinkling, loss of elasticity, and hyperpigmentation. This confirms the connection between sugar and age spots, lines, and sagging skin.

Ironically, we lose sugar (saccharides) in our skin as we age, which further contributes to the breakdown of our deeper dermal layer of the skin. We aim to fight the harmful excess sugars in the diet, which are not to be confused with sugars used in skincare that can help skin appear plumper again. So, why could you get away with eating foods laced with sugar when you were younger without it taking a toll? That is because youthful bodies produce more collagen that can block AGE damage.

Gut Health for Beauty
Newer understanding of how sugar impacts our complexions has to do with our digestive ecosystem. Our digestive system’s microflora has over 400 types of good and bad bacteria. Keeping the balance right will help your skin and your overall wellness. When we eat sugar, it feeds these bacteria, upsetting the ratio of good and bad bacteria and increasing issues like acne and rosacea in the skin. Eating sugar can also affect your skin by upsetting your quality of sleep. How does sugar affect your sleep? It has a stimulating effect on our brains, making it tough to fall asleep. Since sleep is when our bodies are renewed, anything that detracts from ample slumber can harm our general health. Does natural sugar cause aging? Yes! Sorry, we wish that this dietary loophole would allow us to indulge. However, it doesn’t matter what the source is! While some people deem honey, agave, concentrated juices, and other natural sources of sugar to be better than refined sugar, fructose, and glucose have the same damaging effects on our health as refined sugar.

Sugar-Skipping Solutions
Eliminating excess sugars in your diet is essential to prevent the inflammation, glycation, and cross-linking connected to visible signs of aging. While you may have already accumulated wrinkles and a loss of elasticity, if you start now, you can prevent sugar from continuing to wreak havoc on your skin.

Watch out: Be on the lookout for hidden sugars. Condiments like ketchup, salad dressings, and barbecue sauce are high in sugar, so moderation is essential! Whenever possible, opt for complex carbohydrates versus simple carbohydrates (for example, brown rice instead of white), and skip starches fried in high heat which ups the glycemic index.

Be patient: You can’t ditch sugar one day and expect to wake up to a youthful-looking complexion the day after. It can take a couple of weeks or longer to start seeing a difference.

Don’t worry: Even if the damage is “already done,” research indicates that reducing sugar consumption can significantly slow the damaging effect AGES have on your skin.

Easy does it: Can't resist the smell of chocolate chip cookies and other sugary fare? We know it can be challenging to step away from sweets altogether. Here are some “workarounds” we know you’ll enjoy:

1. Get your chocolate fix with chocolate-infused skin and body care instead. Our Chocolate Indulgence Foaming Salt Scrub Face & Body and Chocolate Indulgence Moisturizer Face & Body with deeply moisturizing Caramel and Hyaluronic Acid from sugar beets, are healthy forms of sugar to plump and revitalize your skin. This antioxidant-laden chocolate scrub and moisturizer duo has an intoxicating calorie-free aroma that makes it an excellent way to enjoy a rewarding, guilt-free treat. You can also treat yourself with a new saccharide-rich serum since sugars used in skincare are not the same as sugars in the diet!
2. Choose products with ingredients that help counteract the damage sugar does to make up for days when you decide to indulge. These actives won’t allow you to eat sugar with abandon but will help support collagen and elastin synthesis and help minimize sugar’s harmful effects.

Antioxidants: Vitamin C & Vitamin E (Tocopherol), Kombucha Black Tea Ferment in our Lumafirm® Collection, and Retinol are effective skincare ingredients beneficial for helping repair AGEs damage.

Proteins: Peptides and skin smoothing and repairing Soy Protein.

Nutrient-rich oils: Omega-6 Fatty Acid-rich Safflower Oil, Sesame Seed Oil in our products for thinning hair and scalp health and hair loss, and Soybean Oil.

In addition to watching “extracurricular” sugars, continue your efforts to minimize exposure to UV rays, pollution, and other lifestyle habits that hasten aging, and choose clean beauty products that work to keep our face, body, and hair as youthful-looking and healthy as possible. For the ultimate delight, visit Find A Spa for an oasis near you offering Pevonia and experience the Chocolate Indulgence Face Mask Treatment and Chocolate Indulgence Body Wrap Treatment, plus a myriad of Chocolate Indulgence Superfoods Wellness Experiences.