Looking older is an inevitable part of the ageing process. While this affects everyone, and is perfectly natural many people try to avoid wrinkles and dry, damaged skin as best they can.
It is thought the global anti-ageing market was worth a whopping $62bn (around £49bn) in 2021, with this expected to increase over the coming years.
While there are plenty of anti-ageing remedies easily available from various shops such as moisturising creams and face masks, you can also help slow the process of ageing by thinking more carefully about what you consume.
More specifically an expert warned that certain drinks can have a damaging and therefore ageing affect on your skin.
Speaking on social media platform TikTok, neuroscientist Robert Love said: “Avoid these three drinks because they can make your skin look older. Number three was a real surprise to me because it is so healthy for you.”
The drinks he warned against were:
Alcohol
This is probably not surprising due to the multiple health risks of consuming alcohol.
Robert explained: “Drink number one, there’s been some debate about it, is alcohol.
“Now before, alcohol was thought to be really healthy for your heart. Alcohol does reduce stress in the short term, but actually in the long term it increases stress.
“So alcohol ages your skin. Why? Primarily, it does it by dehydrating the skin. Alcohol dehydrates the body, therefore dehydrates the skin and can make it look older.”
He added: “Alcohol also ages the brain and ages the body. Alcohol is harmful to the gut, certainly harmful to the liver.
“Alcohol impairs the gut brain connection, and alcohol is just directly harmful to the brain and your sleep. All of those things make alcohol extremely damaging to your skin and to your whole body as well.”
Soda
Again, this might seem “obvious”. Better known as fizzy drinks or soft drinks in the UK, soda can cause inflammation in the body.
Robert said: “Why does soda age your skin? Well, soda has a lot of sugar in it and no fibre.
“And what this does is it spikes your glucose levels, your blood sugar levels.
“What this does is this can increase inflammation. Inflammation is one of the primary causes of ageing and ageing of the skin.
“And don’t get me started on diet soda. Diet soda is even worse for you.”
Coffee
We love coffee in the UK, drinking almost 100 million cups between us every day.
“Now, this one was a surprise to me because it’s so healthy,” Robert said.
“It’s great for your brain, it’s great for your gut bacteria.”
He explained how coffee also dehydrates the body.
Robert said: “Caffeine is what’s called a diuretic. That means it dehydrates you.
“So caffeine can dehydrate the body and dehydrate the skin and make you look older.
“Now, I’m not saying don’t drink coffee ever again.
“If you do like coffee or drinks that contain caffeine, and many of them are very healthy for the brain and for the body, make sure you drink plenty of water.
“And that can ensure that coffee not only is healthy for you, but also your skin looks great as well.”
