DO YOU KNOW HOW SUGAR ADVERSELY IMPACTS ON SKIN?

A paediatric endocrinologist in San Francisco reports, according to Guardian today, that sugar is bigger threat than has been assessed so far. It causes metabolic diseases such as high blood pressure and heart diseases whether or not we put on weight.

Dr. Lusig found that the health of 43 obese children (referred to his clinic for their weight and related issues) dramatically improved when sugar in their diet was replaced with other foods. They ate the same number of calories, he says, and yet their metabolic disease, which can cause diabetes, was reversed within 10 days, their diastolic blood pressure,“bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides dropped, fasting blood glucose went down and insulin levels were cut by a third.

As skin experts, Herbally Radiant, has been advising customers to reduce sugar intake to protect skin health. A diet high in sugar is a disaster for the face. ‘There is no point in spending lots of money on expensive skin creams if you are eating a diet high in sugar,’ says Dr. Aamer Khan, a cosmetic dermatologist at Harley Street Skin Clinic. 'Yes, you can protect and moisturize your skin from the outside with creams, but you need to feed and stimulate the growth of good strong skin cells from inside too and sugar will sabotage that.’

A cosmetic physician, Dr. Ross Perry, also cautions that sugar makes the skin lose the plump - elastic qualities that underlie a youthful appearance. ‘This is due to a process called glycation. Essentially what happens is that sugar attaches itself to any protein in the body and produces harmful molecules called ‘advanced glycation end products’. These reduce the effectiveness of elastin and collagen, proteins in the skin that help maintain its youthful appearance. ‘Normally collagen bulks out the skin and gives it a younger plump look,’ says Dr Perry. ‘Elastin gives the skin recoil so that when you smile or frown your skin goes back to how it was. If you persistently eat a high-sugar diet, then  the collagen and elastin will become more rigid, leading to wrinkles formation, loss of youthful appearance and making it harder for the skin cells to repair normal damage.’

Dr Perry further adds: ‘Sugar encourages type III collagen to become type I which is more brittle. Consequently, the skin breaks down and looks thinner and more wrinkly. It also becomes more prone to the damaging effects of the environment and UV rays.’

Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi, Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery, Washington, DC, also explains that sugar causes increased inflammation in the case of those suffering from frequent break outs. “Some people claim their acne gets worse when they have chocolate or sugar …” adds Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi.

Do you know that artificial sugars are even worse. Artificial sugars, although less tested, don’t get experts’ approval, either? These are pure chemicals that can cause more problems. Any type of impurities in the system will cause more breakouts. They also bring on the cravings.