How carbohydrate and sugar contributes to premature aging?

How carbohydrate and sugar contributes to premature aging? | Healthbiztips
photo credit: Sarah Shaffer @sarah_elizabeth @unsplash

How carbohydrate and sugar contributes to premature aging? | Healthbiztips

If you're conscious of those wrinkles and fine lines that may form or have already appeared on your face, then you will definitely want to slow down on carbohydrates and sugar because these goodies destroys the very foundation of your youthful appearance.

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | Health blog | Healthbiztips

Sugar & Premature aging

Through digestion, we are able to break down the carbohydrates in our body into simple sugar. Example of simple sugar are glucose and fructose.

Sugar isn't all that bad. In fact, we need sugar to serve as our body's energy source.

However, sugar isn't all goodness either. Through a process called glycation, simple sugar binds with proteins and lipids to produce a harmful by-product called  advanced glycation endproducts or AGEs which is capable of destroying collagen.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body which is responsible for keeping structure strong. It is found in your skin, muscle, bones, digestive system, blood vessels. You can imagine that collagen builds a large portion of your body.

When your body's collagen is damaged, you loose the elasticity of your skin which makes it sag and develop fine lines and wrinkles.

AGEs don't just affect your skin, it runs havoc in your internal organs, muscle, tendons, bones, and eye. It is the of the culprit of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, cataract, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and dementia.


Fructose, such as that commonly found in high fructose corn syrup, is ten times more potent than glucose in fueling the production of AGEs. So, better watch out for those soft drinks and pastries that uses high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener.