Sugar Accelerates Aging

A new study shows that too much sugar speeds up the aging process. This fascinating study studied an epigenetic marker of aging (GrimAge2) in a group of 342 women with an average age of 39.

Epigenetic clocks are being increasingly used to measure biological age, which (compared to chronological age) is a better way of assessing how fast one’s body is aging and deteriorating. GrimAge markers are a second generation of epigenetic measures of aging that appears to have a growing link to age-related diseases and mortality.

This study showed that a healthy diet (they used the Mediterranean diet) slowed the cellular aging process. However, added sugar accelerates the aging process even if someone adhered to an otherwise healthy diet. Now, natural sugars in fruits, milk, or vegetables did not increase aging processes. The culprit was added sugar which includes not only table sugar but also baked goods, candies, and sweetened beverages.

What is the take-home message? It is best to cut down your sugar intake as much as possible. Don’t add sugar to your drinks. Stop drinking sodas. Reduce your consumption of pastries, cakes, white bread, refined flour, refined grains, ice creams, and candies. Keep an eye on the hidden sugar content of other foods like sauces, peanut butter, chips, and canned foods as well.