Sugar is usually one of the first things to go when you're on a diet or health kick but your figure isn't the only thing that can suffer if you eat a lot of it. A study from the British Journal of Dermatology strongly suggested a link between sugar consumption and getting wrinkles. Dr. Fredric Brandt, a dermatologist, also discussed the connection is his book, 10 Minutes/10 Years: Your Definitive Guide To A Beautiful And Youthful Appearance. What is about sugar diet that can be so detrimental to keeping up a youthful appearance?

The science bit

As Lisa Chothia, a London-based nutritionist for UrBod Nutrition, explains, eating too much sugar can be very ageing for the skin. When you eat sugary foods or refined carbohydrates like white bread, white pasta, white rice and crisps), the body quickly breaks these down and your blood sugar levels can rise as a direct result. If there is excess glucose (sugar) in the blood, the body must get it out in any way that it can, so it coats the proteins that are leaving the blood, says Chothia. This isn't necessarily a good thing, as sugar-coated proteins can't function properly. The end result is the creation of Advanced Glycation-End products (AGEs), which cause further damage to proteins like collagen and elastin and contribute to the wrinkled, lined and "saggy" skin that we associated with the ageing process.

If you're finding this hard to get your head around, Chothia has a visual image to demonstrate: "A topical metaphor would be the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. Here, the oil is the excess sugar coating anything that it comes into contact with and disrupting the normal function of the sea and surrounding environment. You hear reports on the news of the environmental scars that will be left by the oil, and this is similar to the damage caused by the excess sugar that we often see as ageing."

Cutting out sugar safely

Still, that's not to say you should cut out sugar altogether. "The body's main fuel is glucose so we all need some sugar," says Chothia. As with most things, moderation is key. However, because sugar is found in so many things in today's society, it is too easy to eat too much. Natural sugars from fruits and vegetables can provide essential sugars, so the key is to cut back on the artificial sugars that cause many of us to exceed the recommended amount of sugar.