Sugar, ageing and the science behind Dr Coy’s sugars
Too much of the wrong kind of sugar can cause cell damage and inflammation, exacerbating skin troubles and visible signs of ageing, and contributing to coronary disease. Dr Coy’s research examines a group of sugars the body handles differently.
What we eat affects how we age and how quickly we age. When sugar reacts with proteins and other cell components, it causes Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs). This chemical reaction damages the cells, so they eventually start to show signs of wear and tear. Consuming too much classic sugar leads to loss of elasticity and sagging skin… read more
Sugar plays an important role in ageing, since sugars harbour a chemical component (aldehyde/keto group) which reacts with proteins and other cell components. By this process sugars get attached to proteins and other cell components, leading to the so-called Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs).
When sugar attaches to elastic proteins, like elastin, it changes the properties of the protein. The elastin becomes stiff and susceptible to breaking. Sugar attached to haemoglobin, the protein transporting the oxygen in our blood, reduces its ability to transport oxygen, and as a consequence muscular and cognitive performance are reduced. High blood glucose levels strongly encourage the reaction of sugar with proteins. Consuming too much classic sugar and starch causes sugar-based damage of proteins. A sugar-based reduction of elasticity of proteins has a strong effect on life expectancy and appearance.
Reduction of elastic proteins in the blood vessels leads to stiff vessels unable to compensate for an increase in blood pressure. Since expansion of stiff vessels is greatly reduced, high blood pressure causes fissures in the blood vessels. These injuries to the vessels are the starting point of coronary diseases. Stiff proteins caused by the attached sugar are also the reason for stiff and non-elastic sagging skin.
This is the reasoning that led Dr Coy to his conclusion about sugar and ageing. If it is the concentration of sugar in the blood that drives the reaction with proteins, then the damage is not caused by sugar as such but by the height of the curve it produces. Two foods delivering the same amount of sugar will not cause the same amount of glycation if one delivers it slowly and the other all at once. His argument follows from this: the useful question is not how to eliminate sugar, which the body needs, but how to supply it without the peak.
This is why his work concentrates on sugars that take different routes through the body. Trehalose and isomaltulose release glucose slowly. Galactose and tagatose are metabolised along other pathways entirely, and produce a much smaller rise in blood glucose for the same sweetness.
How classic sugars damage our skin
Anti-ageing creams, needles and surgeries have become a billion-dollar industry. Unfortunately, most of these strategies are not the fast fix consumers are hoping for. Understanding the role of sugar in cell damage explains why.
Cellulite:
Cellulite, also known as ‘orange peel’, affects around nine in ten women. A loss of elasticity in elastin, which happens when too much of the wrong sugar is consumed, causes tissues to slacken and form dents in the skin.
Stretch marks:
Stretch marks are also a side effect of a lack of elasticity. Elastin bonds with connective tissue which can stretch and tear when someone’s skin expands, for example if they put on weight or are pregnant. These traces of torn connective tissue are visible as stretch marks. In Dr Coy’s view it is the glycation of elastin that reduces its capacity to stretch and recover, and the degree of glycation follows the height of the blood sugar curve.
Acne:
Acne affects around 95% of people aged 11 to 30. Genetics is one factor, but diet and diet-related hormones like insulin levels play a major role. A diet that causes high blood glucose levels, and therefore high levels of insulin, can exacerbate inflammation and bacteria, increasing sebaceous gland activity. Studies show that dairy products in combination with a high amount of classic sugar strongly contribute to the development of acne.
Inflammation and the role of diet
A diet that promotes stable blood sugar levels helps prevent loss of skin elasticity. By contrast, a diet that causes high blood glucose levels will promote AGEs, and lead to insulin and insulin-like hormone spikes, which accelerate inflammation and the ageing process. Dr Coy’s conclusion is that the insulin response is the common factor. The same glucose peak that drives glycation also drives the insulin release that promotes inflammatory prostaglandins, so in his view skin ageing and chronic inflammation are two visible consequences of a single underlying pattern. This is why his work concentrates on sugars that supply energy without producing the peak.
Inflammation is a process which we need to battle against bacteria, fungi and viruses, and to heal wounds. Due to changes in our lifestyle and nutrition we promote inflammation, leading to the so-called silent inflammation, an ongoing inflammation at a low but dangerous level. Silent inflammation is understood to underlie many conditions, including stroke, heart attack and neurodegeneration. For this reason it is often described as a hidden killer.
Inflammation is controlled by prostaglandins, hormones acting in tissues. Prostaglandins causing inflammation are promoted by omega-6 fatty acids and insulin. The western diet consists of too many omega-6 fatty acids promoting inflammation, and not enough omega-3 fatty acids inhibiting inflammation. Furthermore, the western diet is characterised by food which strongly increases blood glucose levels, therefore leading to high levels of insulin. These high levels of insulin increase prostaglandins, which leads to inflammation. Therefore the increase of omega-6 fatty acids, and of sugars and carbohydrates causing high blood glucose levels, strongly promotes inflammation, a trigger for premature ageing and many diseases.
It is therefore important to consume less omega-6 fatty acids and more omega-3 fatty acids. In addition, it is important to avoid the high blood glucose levels that lead to prostaglandins promoting inflammation.
Our recipes page is packed with ideas for incorporating Dr Coy’s sugars into your diet
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Further reading on sugar, glycation and ageing
- Ruiz HH, Ramasamy R, Schmidt AM. Advanced Glycation End Products: Building on the Concept of the “Common Soil” in Metabolic Disease. Endocrinology. 2020 Jan 1
- Prasad C, Davis KE, Imrhan V, Juma S, Vijayagopal P. Advanced Glycation End Products and Risks for Chronic Diseases: Intervening Through Lifestyle Modification. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2017 May 15
- Salazar J, Navarro C, Ortega Á, Nava M, Morillo D, Torres W, Hernández M, Cabrera M, Angarita L, Ortiz R, Chacín M, D’Marco L, Bermúdez V. Advanced Glycation End Products: New Clinical and Molecular Perspectives. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 6
- Chaudhuri J, Bains Y, Guha S, Kahn A, Hall D, Bose N, Gugliucci A, Kapahi P. The Role of Advanced Glycation End Products in Aging and Metabolic Diseases: Bridging Association and Causality. Cell Metab. 2018 Sep 4
- Fernando DH, Forbes JM, Angus PW, Herath CB. Development and Progression of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: The Role of Advanced Glycation End Products. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Oct 11
- Roy S, Chikkerur J, Roy SC, Dhali A, Kolte AP, Sridhar M, Samanta AK. Tagatose as a Potential Nutraceutical: Production, Properties, Biological Roles, and Applications. J Food Sci. 2018 Nov
- Li B, Iglesias-Pedraz JM, Chen LY, Yin F, Cadenas E, Reddy S, Comai L. Downregulation of the Werner syndrome protein induces a metabolic shift that compromises redox homeostasis and limits proliferation of cancer cells. Aging Cell. 2014 Apr
- Lee SW, Kim HC, Lee YH, Song BM, Choi H, Park JH, Rhee Y, Kim CO. Association between HbA1c and carotid atherosclerosis among elderly Koreans with normal fasting glucose. PLoS One. 2017 Feb 8
- Ohashi, Y., Takahashi, N., Terabe, K. et al. Metabolic reprogramming in chondrocytes to promote mitochondrial respiration reduces downstream features of osteoarthritis. Sci Rep 11, 15131 (2021).
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