Sugar's effect on Skin and Acne

It is white, sold in mass and can be found in almost every edible product on the market. Dating back thousands of years, once people discovered sugar they became so obsessed with getting their hands on it, it is one of the major driving forces of the slave trade. Drugs have been known to make people do outrageous things.

Meet Meth (Methamphetamine) a popular powerful drug, highly addictive and unfortunately as easy to get your hands on as a box of Krispy Kremes. It is interesting to compare its side effects with that with sugar.

• A false sense of well-being
• Convulsions, twitching and jerking
• Aggressive behavior
• Increased heart rate
• Increased muscle tension, grinding of teeth
• Stimulation of the adrenal gland
• Constriction of blood vessels
• Rise in blood pressure
• Impaired speech
• Dry, itchy skin
• Loss of appetite
• Hallucinations
• Acne, sores
• Paranoia
• Insomnia

Although sugar shares many of the same debilitating effects as illegal drugs there is no warning label or small print displayed alerting consumers of its harmful consequences.

Specifically speaking, too much sugar intake has a great impact on the condition of our skin. Excess sugar in the blood in a process called glycosylation, glucose attaches itself to proteins until they become nonfunctional. All cells within the body are comprised of some protein and when proteins are attached to sugars, they cannot work effectively.

Collagen makes up about 25% of our body's protein content and when damage from glycosylation or oxidation occurs, the skin becomes saggy and wrinkled. This process tears down the collagen in your skin making skin lose its elasticity and also making it more vulnerable to sun damage.

Although acne has various contributing factors, such as raised hormone levels, overactive oil glands according to world renowned physician Dr. Nicholas Perricone, inflammation in our skin results from a rapid rise in blood sugar. Large quantities of sugar compromises your immune function resulting in a rapid increase in insulin production. When this occurs not only is oil production increased, a nemesis of acne, but inflammation occurs throughout the body.