Dermatologist warns against four snacks before bed that are 'ageing' your skin
A dermatologist has sounded the alarm over certain popular snacks, suggesting they could be contributing to unwanted wrinkles and sagging skin. The expert is encouraging individuals to steer clear of these potentially harmful nibbles, particularly in the evening.
Dr Kate Jameson, a dermatologist hailing from Youth Lab AUS, shed light on high glycaemic foods, which could be fast-tracking your skin's ageing process. Common snacks that many grab before hitting the hay could be the prime offenders.
She stated: "Eating high glycaemic foods like pizzas, crisps, or biscuits right before bed can cause a spike in insulin levels and result in inflammation, significantly impacting your skin’s health and appearance. Opting for healthier snacks can make a noticeable difference in maintaining your skin’s youthfulness and elasticity."
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Her guidance is grounded in research linking diet-induced inflammation to collagen breakdown and increased oxidative stress, both of which can speed up skin ageing. According to Kate, the high glycaemic snacks to swerve before bedtime include:
Crisps
Biscuits
White chocolate
Energy drinks.
Instead, she spotlighted some healthier alternatives to satisfy late-night hunger pangs without jeopardising skin health:
A bowl of mixed berries
Carrot sticks with hummus
A small serving of cottage cheese
A handful of almonds
An apple with peanut butter.
She remarked: "These nutritious snacks help stabilise your insulin levels and supply essential nutrients that support skin repair and regeneration throughout the night." Kate's advice aligns with guidance from Healthline, which stated: "Foods with a high glycaemic index, like white bread, can cause inflammation in the body, which is directly linked to the ageing process."
The website also associated sugar, alcohol, and oils cooked at high heat with accelerated skin ageing. A scientific study published in the Molecular Aspects of Medicine journal discovered that a high glycaemic diet not only ages the skin but could be connected to age-related health problems.
More specifically, it linked the food to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. The authors of the study stated: "Thus, long term consumption of high glycaemic index diets may contribute to decreased proteopoise [the process by which cells maintain a balance of protein] and exacerbate a number of age-related protein precipitation diseases including AMD and cataract."
