How to Avoid Sugary Wrinkles

Spending your lifetime eating too much sugar can form wrinkles in your skin. In this article we will discuss how wrinkles are formed and how can you eat right and keep a beautiful skin.

Glycation is at blame of forming wrinkles. It is a natural process in which sugar in your blood directly (non enzymatic) binds to proteins to form harmful new molecules called Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs). Glycation can occur outside the body , and AGEs are typically formed when sugar is heated (cooked) with proteins or fats, they are then ingested and absorbed by the body.

Browning reactions are evidence of pre-formed glycations, and sugars are added to products like french fries and bakes to enhance browning.

Many products contain AGEs like those with significant browning, or with directly added AGEs as flavors or colorants.Some of foods with very high exogenous AGEs are Donuts, barbecued meats, cakes and dark colored soda pop, just to name a few.

The aging process starts at about age of 35 and increase rapidly after that, according to a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology. Skin ( and blood arteries) aging occurs when AGEs hit Collagen and Elastin protein fibers that keep skin (and arteries) firm

and elastic. Once damaged, springy and resilient collagen and elastin become dry and brittle, leading to wrinkles and sagging.

Collagen in your skin is present in three types Collagen type-I, Collagen type-II, ANDCollagen type-III with type-III being the most stable and longest lasting, another factor in how resistant skin is to wrinkling. Glycation transforms type III collagen into type I, which is more fragile causing the skin looks and feels less supple.

Another powerful touch of AGEs is that they deactivate your body’s natural antioxidant enzymes, leaving you more vulnerable to sun damage.

Diabetics -that can suffer from years of undetected high blood sugar- often show early signs of skin aging.

For sugar-damaged skin, there is a way to build new collagen with products that contain retinoids (Retinol). To keep this new collagen supple, prevent AGEs from forming by taking steps to minimize the damage sugar causes to your skin. Here some tips to eat right, fight wrinkles and keep your skin looking its youngest:

1- Use bee honey for sweetening to cut on the extra sugar:

Practically, it is difficult to eliminate sugar completely, you still eat other foods that contain carbohydrates that are digested to glucose

-the primary glycating sugar. Limit added sugars to no more than 10%

of total calories. If you need 1800-2000 calories per day, then you only need to take 180-200 calories from sugar (about 10-12 teaspoons),

if you substitute with bee honey it will be only 4-5 teaspoons, since honey is 2-3 times as sweet as sugar.

If you buy prepared food, look for the hidden sugar, such as barley malt, corn syrup, dextrose, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, maple syrup, molasses, and turbinado on the label. To calculate, check for

total carbohydrates and divide by 4 to obtain the number of teaspoons, or calories from carbohydrates and divide by 16. For example, if sugars are 8 g, you get 2 spoons per serving, if calories from carbohydrates are listed to be 48 then you get 3 teaspoons per serving.

Look for Corn syrup in the label and avoid it.

2- Be careful to take vitamins B1 and B6 at least 1 mg per day:

These vitamins proved to be potent AGE inhibitors in a number of published studies. Most multivitamins deliver 1 mg of both. You can acquire the habit of eating Goji Berries, they are very rich in vitamin C,E,B1,B2, and B6.

3- Wear broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen every day, preferably Zinc Oxide- based :

Significantly more AGEs occur in sun-exposed skin than in protected skin, according to the British Journal of Dermatology study.

4- Replenish free radical fighters – Antioxidants:

Eat more antioxidant-rich fruits, nuts, and vegetables, such as cranberries, walnuts, and red bell peppers, and apply topical antioxidants such as green tea and vitamin E and A. Free radicals facilitate sugar reaction with proteins.

5- Use these new interesting compounds:

They rescue your Collagen and Elastin by binding to the molecules that start glycation process and preventing them from hurting your valuable proteins. Examples of these products are Aminoguanidine and Alistin.

6- Put these foods on your preferred list :

# Turkey contains a helpful protein which slows down cross-linking,it’s a great idea to eat it at least two or three times per week, better if smoked.

# Beetroot: all purple foods like beetroot contain pigments called anthocyanins which help support collagen production in the skin.

# Chocolate: In a study conducted in Germany, it was found that after drinking cocoa, blood flow to the skin was increased and thus it received higher levels of nutrients and moisture.

# Olive oil has been touted as one of the best natural anti-wrinkle ingredient to get rid of wrinkles.

# Tomatoes contain lycopene that prevents cancer and wrinkles.

Other vegetables, fruits are citrus fruits, blueberries, spinach, broccoli, pineapple, mango, brown rice, whole grains, kale and carrots.

Do not be deceived by the sweetness of sugar, once ingested it can distort both your arteries (hypertension) and your skin, not to mention distorting your waste line.

How to Avoid Sugary Wrinkles by Waheed Elqalatawy