Can quitting sugar make us more beautiful and younger?

Recently, the news that "a woman became whiter and younger after quitting sugar and milk tea for a year" became a hot topic, once again sparking discussions about quitting sugar.

Comparison photos show that before quitting sugar, the woman's face was oily, acne-ridden and rough, but after quitting sugar, her face became fair and her skin became shiny.

The woman wrote in her sharing that she would not eat processed foods with added sugar, such as cakes, milk tea, and beverages, and should eat rice, pasta, fruits, and other foods that naturally contain sugar.

Many people say that it is impossible to quit sugar, and even if they do, they don’t see any changes in their skin.

So, do we really need to quit sugar? Will quitting sugar really make our skin better? How do we quit sugar scientifically?

Do we really need to quit sugar?

First of all, normal sugar intake is an essential nutrient for human health. We don’t need to be afraid of sugar. As long as we are alive, we need to take in energy and sugar.

When sugar enters the human body, the body will secrete an enzyme that promotes the combination of sugar and protein to form "glycoprotein". Glycoprotein plays an important role in human immunity.

In addition to drinking cola, milk tea and eating desserts, we also consume sugar when we eat fruits and rice. Therefore, we do not need to quit sugar, and we cannot quit sugar.

What we need is sugar control. The World Health Organization recommends that the sugar intake of adults and children should be controlled below 10% of total energy intake, equivalent to no more than 50 grams of sugar per day. According to relevant statistics, in 2020, China's sugar consumption exceeded 15.5 million tons, making it the world's largest sugar importer. Related studies have pointed out that excessive intake of sugary drinks as a behavioral risk factor, like overweight, obesity and high blood pressure, has become more and more common with social and economic development.

Drinking a 500ml bottle of Coke will consume 52.5 grams of sugar.

Have a cup of autumn milk tea (normal sweetness) and consume 36 grams of sugar.

Eating a 200-gram piece of cake will consume 40 grams of sugar.

If we add the sugar in the dishes we eat, such as braised pork in brown sauce and shredded pork with fish flavor, it is too easy to consume too much sugar.

Excessive intake of sugar can induce fatty liver, obesity, and increase the risk of dental caries. Studies have shown that the burden of cardiovascular disease and diabetes deaths caused by excessive intake of sugary drinks is particularly prominent. In the past 30 years, the number of deaths due to ischemic heart disease and diabetes has increased by 95% and 94% respectively.

In order to control sugar, some countries are also taking sugar control measures. In August this year, the Singapore Ministry of Health announced that from the end of 2023, it will ban advertising of beverages high in sugar and trans fats.

So what we need to do is control sugar, especially reduce the intake of free sugar. Free sugar refers to added sugar (white sugar, brown sugar, rock sugar, fructose syrup) and sugar in honey, syrup, and fruit juice. They are easily absorbed by the human body, causing high blood sugar and vascular disease.

Will controlling sugar levels make our skin better?

When too much sugar enters our body, there are not enough enzymes in the body to help with the enzymatic glycation reaction. After a period of time, the excess sugar will undergo non-enzymatic glycation reaction, generating "advanced glycation end products" - AGEs, which are extremely harmful to health. This product will damage the collagen in our skin and accelerate the aging of the skin, which is manifested as wrinkles, dullness, dark yellow spots, etc.

It seems that controlling sugar intake is still helpful in improving our skin condition.

However, the glycation reaction caused by excessive sugar intake is only one of the reasons for skin aging. Staying up late, sunburn, and aging can also cause skin aging.

A closer look at the woman's sharing session revealed that in addition to quitting sugar, she also went to bed and got up early (turned off her phone and lights at 10:30 p.m. and got up at 7:30 a.m.) and insisted on exercising (anaerobic exercise, swimming). Improving skin is affected by many factors. In addition to controlling sugar, it is also important to ensure good sleep and do a good job of cleaning and sun protection.

How to control sugar levels scientifically?

For people who like sweets, consuming sugar has become an addiction. The sugar in cakes, milk tea, and other foods stimulates the brain to secrete dopamine, which, as a neurotransmitter, can make us feel happy and excited. Over time, our brains have adapted to this stimulation, and the threshold for satisfaction from eating sugar has become higher and higher. In order to get the previous dopamine stimulation, we need to eat more and more sweets, and thus we become addicted to sugar.

Getting rid of addictions is never easy, and this includes sugar addiction.

Here are two ideas you can try:

1. Reduce the amount of sugar in food and beverages. Surveys show that the primary source of sugar intake for Chinese residents is cooking sugar. You can reduce sugar intake by eating light meals when cooking or eating out.

2. Find alternatives to added sugar. Replace milk tea and sweets with natural sugars such as fruits. If you really can’t help it, you can also choose sugar substitutes to satisfy your cravings.

Finally, remember not to control sugar intake excessively for the sake of beauty and anti-sugar. Unscientific sugar abstinence can lead to malnutrition, low immunity, hypoglycemia and other problems.

END

Source: China Science and Technology Workers' Home, Dingxiang Doctor, Health Times

Compiled by: Dang Min

Editor: Guru