The way our bodies function and how well we feel physically surely depends on our age. But did you know your body could be showing signs of aging that don’t align with the number of candles you blew out on your last birthday?
While chronological age is something we’re all familiar with, biological age is a little harder to determine. It represents the amount your body has aged due to several factors, including diet and lifestyle. By the same token, this is good news! It means you have some control over the aging process, and can also end up offsetting the wear and tear that naturally comes with age by eating better, exercising, and quitting bad habits.
Let’s discuss the basics about aging as well as the foods that are can speed up this process. Read on to know more.
What Is Aging?
As you get older, your body’s internal processes from skin cell turnover to workout recovery slow down and take longer to complete or recharge.
Aging is the impact of time on the human body, and it occurs on multiple levels:
Cellular Aging
Cells age based on the number of times they have replicated. A cell can replicate about 50 times before the genetic material is no longer able to be copied accurately, which is due to shortened telomeres. The more damage done to cells by free radicals and other factors, the more cells need to replicate.
Hormonal Aging
Hormones play a huge factor in aging, especially during childhood growth and adolescent maturity. Hormone levels fluctuate through life. Puberty brings acne and larger pores. As we get older, hormonal changes lead to dry skin and menopause.
Accumulated Damage
Accumulated damage is all external. Exposure to toxins, the sun, harmful foods, pollution, and smoke take a toll on the body. Over time, these external factors can lead to tissue damage and the body falls behind in its ability to maintain and repair cells, tissues, and organs.
Metabolic Aging
As you go about your day, your cells are constantly turning food into energy, which produces byproducts that can be harmful. The process of metabolizing and creating energy results in damage to the body over time. Some believe that slowing down the metabolic process through practices such as calorie restriction may slow aging in humans.
These changes may be surprising if they happen earlier than expected, hence the term “premature” aging.
Common Signs of Premature Aging
The aging process looks different for everyone, but there are certain signs of aging that are considered “premature” if you notice them before you turn 35.
Sun Spots
Sun spots, also called age spots and liver spots, are flat spots on your skin caused by years of sun exposure.
These hyper-pigmented spots may develop on your face, the back of your hands, or your forearms.
They tend to appear at or after age 40. People with fairer skin, like Fitzpatrick type 1 and 2, may see these sun spot developments earlier.
Gaunt Hands
Over time, the top layers of your skin become thinner and contain fewer structuring proteins, such as collagen, that give your skin its shape.
Your hands may start to appear more veiny, thin, and prone to wrinkles as a result.
There’s no objective metric for when hands start looking older, but most people tend to notice it during their late 30s and early 40s.
Inflammation or Hyperpigmentation Along Chest
Many people develop patchy discoloration on their chest as they get older.
Similar to sunspots, these areas of differing pigment can be caused by damage to your cells from sun exposure.
This kind of hyperpigmentation isn’t always connected to aging. It can be the result of eczema or other skin conditions that damage the melanin cells in your skin.
There isn’t an average age of when this skin condition typically appears.
Dry or Itchy Skin
Dry or itchy skin (xerosis cutis) happens more frequently among the elderly (1). That’s because thinning skin is more susceptible to dehydration.
You may notice your skin becoming drier and more prone to flaking as you near your 40s.
Wrinkles or Sagging
As you enter your 30s, your skin slows down its production of collagen, the protein that gives your skin its shape. Collagen is what helps your skin bounce back and stay plump.
With less collagen in the skin, it’s easier for visible wrinkles and sagging to occur. You might notice this happening more in areas around frequently used muscles, like the forehead, or where you’re more exposed to the sun.
The age when people first notice wrinkles varies, with little standard for when it’s “premature.”
And sometimes aging may not even be responsible. It could simply be dirt or dehydration.
Hair Loss
Hair loss happens as the stem cells that trigger new hair growth in your hair follicles die off.
Hormone changes, environmental factors, genetics, and your diet all play a role in how quickly this happens.
Up to 40% of women over age 70 experience hair loss (2). Men experience it earlier, with 50% seeing hair loss after age 50 (3).
What Causes Premature Aging?
There are a couple of different factors that have a direct effect on how quickly these signs appear on your body.
Smoking
The toxins in cigarette smoke expose your skin to oxidative stress. This causes dryness, wrinkles, and other signs of premature aging.
Sun Exposure and Tanning
Tanning beds and exposure to the sun penetrate your skin with UV rays. These rays damage the DNA in your skin cells, causing wrinkles.
Genes
There are some very rare genetic conditions that can cause you to show signs of aging in childhood and early puberty. These conditions are called progeria.
Werner syndrome affects 1 in 1 million people (4). It causes wrinkled skin, graying hair, and balding to develop between 13 and 30 years old.
Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome is an even rarer condition, affecting 1 in 8 million babies (4).
Children with this syndrome don’t grow as quickly as others in their age group. They also experience thin limbs and baldness. The average life expectancy for children living with Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome is 13 years.
Other Factors
Several lifestyle habits can contribute to how quickly your body shows signs of aging, even if they aren’t a primary cause.
Sleep Habits
Sleep gives your body an opportunity to refresh and regenerate cells.
Evidence has shown that poor sleep quality is connected to increased signs of aging and a diminished skin barrier function (5).
Environment
Pigment spots and wrinkles can be triggered or worsened by environmental pollutants (6).
Since your skin comes into direct contact with the air around you, your skin barrier is being subjected to the toxins and pollutants in your daily environment.
Stress
A stressful lifestyle can trigger an inflammatory response in your body, as well as hurt your sleep habits. Stress hormones and inflammation can age your body faster (7).
Diet
Some research suggests that eating a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates can damage your skin over time (8).
15 Common Foods That Can Cause Premature Aging
1. French Fries
Who doesn’t love French fries? French fries can hit the spot, both in the satisfaction department and the AGE production department, as they’re fried and salty.
Foods fried in oil at high temperatures release free radicals that can cause cellular damage to the skin. Exposure to free radicals accelerates the aging process due to an action called cross-linking (9). Cross-linking affects DNA molecules and can weaken skin’s elasticity.
What’s more, consuming too much salt can draw water out from the skin and lead to dehydration. That may make your skin more prone to wrinkling.
Swap French fries for baked sweet potato fries or fried sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are rich in anti-aging copper, which aids in collagen production.
2. Sugar
Sugar is responsible for weight gain, creating wrinkles, making your skin saggy, and harming your health in general. Eating too much sugar starts a process called glycation. Consuming more sugar that you can process makes glucose bind with proteins and lipids (10). This process damages your skin’s collagen, the one responsible for the firmness of the skin, and encourages the development of wrinkles.
Sugar is also one of the infamous contenders to unwanted skin concerns like acne. It contributes to the formation of collagen-damaging AGEs. When our sugar levels are elevated, this AGE process is stimulated (11). It’s sped up even more if sunlight is involved.
Reach for fruit or dark chocolate when craving something sweet. Blueberries, specifically, prevent loss of collagen based on animal studies (12).
3. Trans Fats
Trans fats can be found in fast food, deep fried foods, margarine, canned frosting, any junk food, and the list goes on and on. Not only do they raise the risk of developing heart disease, but they also stiffen the arteries or constrict the blood vessels. This weakens the blood flow to the skin and causes premature aging and wrinkles.
Don’t believe the packages with labels that say, “Zero trans fats” because the products inside might still contain under 0.5g of it.
4. White Bread
As mentioned above, when refined carbs integrate with protein, it causes the formation of AGEs (13). AGEs have a direct effect on chronic diseases as well as the aging process.
Foods with a high glycemic index, like white bread, can cause inflammation in the body, which is directly linked to the aging process (14).
5. Charred Meat
Black chars on grilled meat contain pro-inflammatory hydrocarbons, which could cause the collagen of your skin to be damaged. You don’t necessarily need to avoid barbecuing, but, in any case, you should make sure you scrape off the black chars and clean the grill when you’re finished.
6. White Wine
White wine can damage your enamel and stains your teeth. Do not brush your teeth immediately after drinking white wine or any other acidic drink. If you brush already acidic teeth, you encourage the erosion of your enamel and may cause tooth loss, which is another sign of aging. You need to give your teeth time to re-mineralize after being bathed in an acidic beverage.
7. Margarine
Take it easy with that butter knife. Older studies have shown that those who don’t consume margarine or butter have less skin damage and wrinkles than those who do (15).
Margarine is worse than moderate amounts of real butter due to the fact that it’s high in partially hydrogenated oils. These trans fatty acids make skin more vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation, which can damage skin’s collagen and elasticity.
Swap butter for olive oil or smear avocados, rich in anti-aging antioxidants, on toast instead.
8. Energy Drinks
Your grab-and-go Red Bull habit isn’t going to your future 60-year-old self any favors. Energy drinks are very high in sugar and very acidic, which can damage teeth and leave them more prone to stains that will age your smile. Plus, their high caffeine and sodium content can lead to dehydration, especially if you are drinking them instead of water.
Since dehydration is one of the main factors that contributes to older looking skin, aim to drink the recommended 8-10 glasses of water per day and even more if you’re consuming alcohol or working out. If regular H20 just doesn’t do it for you, try a detox water!
9. Bacon, Ham, and Sausages
That sizzling strip of bacon may be calling your name come brunch, but it is not good for your health. Preservatives used in processed meats may create free radicals within the body. Free radicals lead to oxidation of your cells and DNA, and they can cause enough damage to lead to cancer or other health conditions.
10. Spicy Foods
Spicy foods can cause rosacea on your skin since it dilates the blood vessels. This, in turn, can cause skin to look red, blotchy, and less youthful. There is nothing bad about eating something spicy occasionally, but regular flare-ups could lead to spider veins, puffiness, and permanent redness.
11. Dairy
Got mixed feelings about dairy? Science does, too.
Some have seen positive skin changes from dropping dairy. Others have seen no significant difference at all.
It all depends on the person. For some, dairy may increase inflammation in the body, which leads to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is one of the main causes of premature aging (16).
For other sources of calcium, eat seeds, beans, almonds, leafy greens, and figs.
12. Alcohol
Alcohol can cause a host of problems when it comes to the skin, including redness, puffiness, loss of collagen, and wrinkles.
Alcohol depletes your nutrients, hydration, and vitamin A levels, all of which have a direct impact on wrinkles.
Vitamin A is especially important in regards to new cell growth and the production of collagen, ensuring that skin is elastic and wrinkle-free.
Drink in moderation. That’s one drink per day for women and two for men. Make sure you’re well-hydrated with water. Try experimenting with some fun and creative mocktail recipes as well.
13. Soda and Coffee
What soda and coffee do to your health have more to do with sleep than skin. First, both are high in caffeine, which, if you drink frequently throughout the day to night, may affect your sleep.
Poor sleep has been linked to increased signs of aging and darker eye circles, wrinkles, and fine lines (17, 18).
If you’re concerned about the sugar content, take a look at how much you’re drinking. See if you can decrease the amount or make swaps, like having golden milk instead of coffee. Turmeric, the main ingredient in golden milk, is rich in antioxidants and one of the most powerful anti-aging compounds around (19).
14. Black Tea
People who drink tea often can have stained teeth due to the high tannin content. However, a study published in the Journal of Dental Hygiene reveals that the casein in milk reduces the risk of tooth stains, while the citric acid contained in the lemon makes your enamel more porous and your teeth more vulnerable to stains.
15. Rice Cakes
While rice cakes are usually touted as a good snack, this isn’t the case for the skin.
Rice cakes have a high glycemic index and can cause spikes in blood sugar levels. Increased blood sugar levels act as an “aging accelerator” that can cause wrinkles (20, 21).
For an anti-aging snack, try hummus with red bell pepper strips. Red bell peppers are high in vitamin C, making them great at producing collagen. Chickpeas are chock-full of skin-healthy antioxidants, too.
Key Takeaway
If you read this thinking it’s a sign not to eat any of these foods, we’re reminding you that it’s all about balance. Food is the long game! Aside from eating healthy, there are plenty of other measures you can take regardless of your age that can turn back your biological clock and help you live longer. Exercise, socialize, sleep well, don’t stress, and boost collagen formation, like through supplements or injections!
References:
(1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26148310/
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2695167/
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2695167/
(4) https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/premature-ageing-syndromes-progeria/
(5) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25266053/
(6) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583881/
(7) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3428505/
(8) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583891/
(9) http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/journal/paperinfo?journalid=235&doi=10.11648/j.ajlm.20170206.17
(10) https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/glycation
(11) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20620757/
(12) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3636388/
(13) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3704564/
(14) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6047276/
(15) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.2001.10719017
(16) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5927356/
(17) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25266053/
(18) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3738045/
(19) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20388102/
(20) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1442654/
(21) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3543736/
