Eating Sugar Can Cause Acne: Sugar and Skin Health

In this blog post I will be discussing how sugar affects the skin health. 

There is no denying that I am myself a big sweet tooth and love indulging in various kinds of desserts from time to time.  

For me sugar was playing a huge role in the inflammation going on in my body leading to acne. I’ve suffered from both acne and rosacea. I still get hormonal breakouts from time to time but limiting sugar in my diet has drastically affected my skin health. I have noticed that whenever I overindulge in my favorite sweets my acne is aggravated and my skin becomes oilier. 

Sugar is an inflammatory food; hence it results in the inflammation inside the body. The sugar affects the cells of the body which leads to inflammatory response in it. High glycemic foods such as white bread, pasta, candy, bakery, processed foods, canned sodas, and canned fruit juices can lead to sugar spike in the body. The high glycemic foods enter the gut and are processed there and quickly absorbed in the bloodstream. This results in sudden glucose spike and altered insulin levels. 

High glycemic foods break down the collagen and elastin fibers in the process called glycation. Glycation is a process in which the sugar molecule is attached to a protein or lipid resulting in the formation of AGEs or Advanced Glycation End Products. Now as the name suggests these culprits’ leads to skin aging causing premature wrinkle formation as well as sagging, this can make you look older than your actual age. 

The sugar molecules which have permanently attached to the proteins, or collagen it produces a chemical reaction causing the surface of the skin to become stiffer, rigid and the skin appears tougher and wrinkled. These reactions also lead to fine lines, skin discoloration, and dullness on the skin. Sugar also messes the hormone levels in the body. 

When the glucose is non-enzymatically attached to the haemoglobin in the body it forms a molecule called Glycated Haemoglobin or HbA1c. That’s why whenever a patient is tested for diabetes or glucose intolerance they are also subjected to go for HbA1c test. Its value can tell the sugar levels for the past 3 months in the body.

Apart for causing acne, high glycemic foods can also cause other inflammatory conditions such as rosacea, psoriasis and eczema. Avoiding excess sugar can definitely benefit your skin health. You don’t have to completely eliminate it in your diet. 

Just keep a track of the food that you are consuming. Make sure that you get your sugar from fresh fruits and vegetables because apart from combating the sugar cravings it can also include more nutrients and minerals in the body. Including more and more clean food in your diet helps in weight management as well and it is good for the skin health too. I totally recommend avoiding canned sodas and juices which contain a huge amount of added sugar in them. These are just empty calories which do nothing good and only harm your skin and body as well. 

So whenever you try to overindulge in that temping dessert remember that it not only affects your waistline it might cause serious impact to your skin and overall health. Limiting excess sugar also reduces oxidative stress and damage to the cells. 

Try to have a clean diet including more fresh fruits and vegetables, fiber, healthy fats, edible plant seeds in your daily diet. This will prevent the free radical damage in the body leading to a healthier complexion and weight management.  

Hope you found this article helpful. 

Take care.