We all are aware of the benefits of drinking plenty of water. It’s no mystery drinking water has proven to improve your skin health. It not only helps you to stay hydrated, but it also helps in improving your skin. Drinking water can help avoid skin sagging, maintains your skin’s pH, helps in secreting toxins, makes the skin more firm, and much more.
We all are pretty aware of the quote that says we are what we eat. What about what you drink? Have you ever wondered what effects drinking other beverages has on your skin? Have you ever wondered what these different types of drinks that we consume do to our skin? Let us take a look at how these beverages and drinks affect our skin.
Soft Drinks
Soft drinks could be tempting and also addicting. It only satisfies your thirst but also keeps you wanting more. Sugar is one such important component of all soft drinks and soda, but what happens when we consume a massive amount of sugar? We may have been aware that they do not contain any natural sugar but only additives. To understand this, we should be able to understand how soda affects your body.
After drinking soda, there is a sharp rise in the level of insulin. The liver starts converting sugar to fat which causes oil to produce in more significant amounts, which clog pores. This causes inflammation and also causes you to get pimples and wrinkles. Once the caffeine kicks in, the blood pressure increases, and the toxins present in our body are generally very high. The inflammatory substances releases after consuming high amounts of sugar are cytokines. They wear down collagen and elastin, which are responsible for keeping your skin firm. In the absence of these, one might experience premature sagging and premature wrinkling.
Another dreadful effect these sugars have on the skin is that this sugar attaches glucose to collagen and causes glycation. Due to this, the sugar is bound to protein in the bloodstream and produces a new harmful molecule. This molecule reduces the activity of natural antioxidant enzymes making skin more prone to sun damage. In short, to sum up, one should say a big no to soda and soft drinks as they contain high levels of sugar, which affects collagen and elastin, which are very much essential to look youthful and have a firm skin.
Liquor or Alcohol
Many studies show the connection between alcohol and various skin conditions. Alcohol has a dehydrating effect on your body. The more you consume alcohol, the more dehydrated you feel. This byproduct forms when our body metabolizes alcohol and releases toxic acetaldehyde. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause the skin pores to dilate, and one might face issues regarding blackheads and whiteheads. Alcohol also affects collagen.
Alcohol causes the blood vessels to swell or expand, which results in broken capillaries. This causes the skin to look rough and aged. We might have heard that red wine is good for your heart, but is it good for your skin? It is a common rosacea trigger and causes skin inflammation due to the additives present in the drink. Consuming alcohol occasionally has very few side effects. One must avoid regular consumption of alcohol.
Milk or Dairy
Consuming milk full of additives can have adverse effects on the skin and health. The cows that give milk are usually pregnant. There are high chances that the milk contains a higher concentration of progesterone and insulin. These hormones are responsible for causing skin inflammation and breakdown. Milk can also cause severe skin conditions like acne due to growth hormones fed to cattle by farmers for higher cattle production.
This growth hormone causes an increase in the insulin level in the body after the consumption of milk. Dairy products are a good source of vitamin D, but you can replace this with foods like spinach, broccoli, and more.
Caffeine
Caffeine can cause dehydration in the skin, leading to the accumulation of toxins that may harm your body. Drinking excessive coffee or tea can cause your skin to wrinkle. If you’re a fan of lattes, the presence of dairy products in it blocks sebum and causes dead skin cells to glue together, which is terrible for your skin. Late-night owls who depend on coffee or tea to stay awake to complete their work would want to cut down their consumption of coffee. Caffeine increases the secretion of oil due to the stress hormone cortisol making your skin more prone to breakouts.
Conclusion
We must also know that anything in excess is not suitable for our health. Everything has both good and bad results. One cannot eliminate these things but can substitute them with other healthier options. The key to healthy skin is keeping it hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
