9 Drinks & Foods That Age You

Our diet is one of the key aspects of our health, and many processes can be regulated by following some simple (but not necessarily easy) principles. Choosing the right diet requires an individual approach, and there is hardly a unanimous recipe for it. But, food and drinks that negatively impact our bodies and make us age faster are well known, and we're very good at finding excuses to keep consuming them. But we're not here to burst the bubble of excuses or for personal reality checks, but to help explore foods that age your face, no matter how tasty or addictive. If you are having second thoughts or still doubt the direct impact of food and drinks on your appearance, think about how your skin looks different after a holiday binge or a night of drinking.  

So, let's look at that fridge, freezer, and pantry. What makes you age faster? We have decided to tackle the following aging food and drinks today: 

• Coffee
• Sweet and sugary drinks
• Alcohol
• Salty, and spicy foods
• Fried foods
• Refined carbohydrates
• Processed, charred, and red meat
• Trans fats
• Frozen ready meals
   

Does Coffee Age You?

There are mixed signals about coffee's potential health benefits or drawbacks. Some claim it lowers the risk of certain diseases and prolongs life expectancy, while others claim it is straight-up bad.

Anti-aging benefits of coffee

Photoaging Protection
Coffee contains polyphenols, such as chlorogenic acids, which seem to have a protective effect. This results in fewer spots and hyperpigmentation that appear with photoaging.

Chronic Inflammation Reduction
As we age, there will inevitably be more inflammation, even in vital old age. Stanford University School of Medicine found that caffeine is very good at dousing the inflammatory process, which might be why regularly drinking coffee is associated with longevity.

Healthspan Extention
Ageing Research Reviews analyzed data collected from over 50 studies. They concluded that coffee could extend healthspan by nearly two years by reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, certain cancers, diabetes, dementia, and depression.

Anti-Anti-Aging Effects of Coffee

Aging Due to Sleep Disturbance
We all know that coffee is a stimulant that helps us feel awake, alert, and capable of doing things and pretending to be a person in the morning. A meta-analysis found that caffeine can steal about 45 minutes of sleep daily, speeding up cognitive decline and increasing the risk of chronic diseases.

Collagen Inhibition
Topical caffeine may inhibit collagen formation dose-dependently, lowering skin elasticity and firmness and worsening wrinkles and skin atrophy.

Skin Dehydration
When you sit down to a proper coffee as it is supposed to be enjoyed, you'll always get a glass of water because coffee is a diuretic, aka dehydrates you. If you don't replace the hydration lost, you may experience signs of premature aging or worsen existing fine lines and wrinkles. 

Does Sugar Age You?

If you were to line up the top offenders for foods that age your face, sugar would be right there at the top, crinkling your skin up via raging glycation. Sugar that comes naturally in our food, as all carbohydrates will be metabolized as sugar molecules, is not such a problem. Our body knows how to deal with jams, potatoes, or carrots. But added artificial sugars that our body has never experienced during evolution (like high fructose corn syrup) are really good at aging you and contributing to a whole span of chronic diseases, and these sugars are addictive. And there is rarely a better vehicle to consume large amounts of added sugar without even realizing it than sweet, sugary drinks. 

Added sugars or hyper-refined starches combine with the bacteria in our mouth, form acids that wear down our teeth's enamel and cause decay. The list of diseases one can develop due to sugar starts with diabetes (and the list goes on), along with an undeniable impact on one's skin after consuming sugar. It increases oil and sebum production and can start or aggravate inflammation, clog pores, and worsen skin conditions such as acne and eczema. 

Still, glycation is the most sinister one of all, subtle and insidious. In glycation, sugar molecules latch on to proteins, including collagen and elastin, and form advanced glycation end-products (aptly named AGEs). You're basically doing to your body what you do to a steak searing in the pan as it browns. Sugars and amino acids (proteins) combine in the Maillard reaction, but in the case of your ever more sagging face, the reaction is just slower.

Does Alcohol Age You?

We all enjoy a glass (or a few) of the best social lubricant now and then, and there is no harm in occasionally indulging, but keep in mind that the short-term relaxation, giddiness, or release from stress and inhibitions will come with a cost shortly after alcohol consumption. According to nutritionists, alcohol is one of the most aggressive compounds to destroy your skin. How does alcohol affect your skin? 

Dehydration and Loss of Elasticity
Alcohol is a diuretic, like coffee, but without the good stuff (to be fair, there are some nice polyphenols in quality red wine). Dehydrated skin looks dull, lifeless, and dry, and loses skin elasticity, making you look saggy and wrinkly before your time.

Bye-bye Collagen
A glass of wine or a schnaps here and there won't do much. Your body can process small amounts of alcohol, just as it can with sugar. However, chronic alcohol consumption will deplete the body of vitamin A, an essential nutrient for collagen production.

Inflammation
The body will need to deal with the byproducts of alcohol metabolisation once the buzz has gone, and we know this can trigger inflammation that makes your rosacea or psoriasis worse. Blood vessel dilation can lead to facial redness and the development of spider veins, which we commonly see in the faces of alcoholics.

Speeds Up the Biological Clock
Alcohol will increase oxidative stress and shorten telomeres (the protective end caps on chromosomes that predict longevity), leading to premature aging and increased risk of age-related diseases.

Sleep Disruption
If you drink, you'll sleep poorly, be it from a disturbed sleep pattern or dehydration forcing you to wake up to get a drink of water. Disrupted sleep also slows skin regeneration and welcomes telltale signs such as dark circles, puffiness, and dullness.

Vitamin depletion
Chronic alcohol abuse can deplete essential nutrients like vitamins B and C, which can lead to skin dryness, discoloration, and impaired skin healing.

May Increase Skin Cancer risk
Susceptibility to UV damage is also not good news, as it opens the door to a higher risk of developing skin cancers, including melanoma. 

Salty and Spicy Foods

You know how they say water and salt solve everything - be it sweat, tears, or the sea. We need (and enjoy) salt and it is necessary for our body's function. According to the National Lung, Heart and Blood Institute, adults should consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily as part of a normal healthy eating pattern. If the sodium in our blood falls below the normal, tightly regulated range of 135–145 mEq/L we enter hyponatremia, spanning symptoms from cramps, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, which can eventually lead to shock, coma, and death. But regularly oversalting your food will reflect on your body, leading to higher blood pressure that can hurt essential organs like your heart, brain, kidneys, eyes, and dry, cracked, dull, and lackluster skin.

If you have a habit of seriously overdoing the salt, you're risking:

Dehydration and Wrinkles

High sodium draws the water out of cells, including skin cells, leading to dry skin that doesn't bounce back and wrinkles easily. 

Oxidative Stress and Cellular Aging

A study done on rats demonstrated that a high-salt diet raises oxidative stress and leads to a situation where old skin cells accumulate in the skin, rather than a normal turnover where they would get replaced, accelerating aging processes. 

Puffiness and Collagen Impact

Excess salt can cause puffiness and retention of the water drawn from the cells, particularly around the eyes, leading to compromised collagen function. 

A lot of things make life more fun if they're spicy, and spicy food is no exception. However, it is essential to remember that spicy food can go either way. Just like coffee, it has some good and some bad sides and needs a nuanced approach. It should be strictly avoided only if you have some underlying stomach or gut issue that might be irritated by a spicy meal, such as IBS, colitis, or a stomach ulcer.

Potential negative side effects include skin irritation and blood vessel dilation in people with skin conditions such as rosacea.

On the other hand, Harvard Medical School says there might be some benefits. Research suggests that enjoying spicy foods containing capsaicin regularly may help prolong life due to their potent anti-inflammatory effects. 

Fried Foods 

What does that mean if you were to say to someone that you're fried from the day? It means you are destroyed and useless, that your body is tired, and your brain is not working anymore. Frying foods in (reused) low-quality fats will do the same to the food stuff you're frying. There is no harm in having a doughnut mustache here and there or munching on an occasional French fry. But if a doughnut is your regular breakfast and fast foods in your town know you and your cat by name, maybe it's time to reevaluate your choices.

Destroyed food makes you age faster because food is not just for burning for energy; it carries information and is used to rebuild new tissues constantly. Living mostly on field-processed foods harms your body on multiple levels, from increasing the risk of coronary artery disease, heart failure, heart attack, and stroke to brain fog, emotional and behavioural issues, and looking and feeling like an older, more tired version of yourself. Why? Because of:

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs)
AGEs are compounds that damage collagen and elastin fibers, compromising skin elasticity and causing wrinkles.

Oxidative Stress from Free Radicals
The high-heat cooking process of frying produces the rogue unstable molecules of free radicals, that steal electrons from other molecules, damaging cell structures and leading to premature aging.

Lipid Peroxidation, Cellulite, and Inflammation
A fancy name for oxidized fats. Although they are not very useful anymore, they can integrate into cell membranes, impairing skin barrier function and promoting inflammation. Sagging and cellulite are not far behind.

Introduction of Harmful Compounds
Frying starches (carbs) can produce acrylamide, which has potential carcinogenic effects (this is still under debate), so it's better to make any kind of fried or fried dough a rare treat.

Oily skin
Deep-fried food typically causes the skin to produce more oil than necessary, which can lead to breakouts and acne if prone to those. 

Refined Carbohydrates 

The more refined the carbohydrates, the more empty calories void of vitamins, minerals, or fibre. Due to the usually quite high added sugar content, they provide food for all the wrong bacteria in your gut, causing raging dysbiosis, which can manifest as an acne breakout on the skin. 

They also have a high glycemic index, meaning they spike insulin and prompt the skin to produce more sebum or oil, the main culprit behind clogged pores forming pimples, whiteheads, and blackheads. 

Refined carbohydrates also facilitate the production of AGEs we've mentioned before and cause glycation, which destroys collagen and triggers premature aging. The best anti-aging foods will be those in their natural form that are minimally processed, if any. Try to look for refined carbs on your shopping list and find whole foods substitutes. 

Processed, Charred, and Red Meat

Just as with refined carbs, processed meat is not much better due to the high content of colorants, preservatives, deteriorated fats, artificial aromas, sodium, and processing compounds that most of us can't even pronounce on the first try. 

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting saturated fat intake to less than 6% of total daily calories, choosing lean cuts of meat when possible, and limiting consumption of processed meats. The American Diabetes Association, WHO, and AHA also recommend limiting red meat intake. 

Regarding the impact on the skin, the problems are free radicals and their ability to destroy healthy cells systematically. Charred meat is the worst offender because of the pro-inflammatory hydrocarbons that cause collagen damage, and it is even worse if combined with sugar-loaded sauces or marinades.   

Trans Fats

UV oxidative damage

Trans fatty acids (TFA) increase UV-radiation-induced oxidative damage to the skin. Simply said, trans fats can make your skin more susceptible to sun damage, which is one of the most prominent causes of signs of aging, like sagging skin and wrinkles. 

Systemic Inflammation

Some inflammation is normal, and it is one of the very precious immune responses that keep our body safe and healthy. But if it is out of control and spreads throughout the entire system, we have a problem, a larger one than just compromising the collagen and elastin fibres that serve as the wireframe for firm and youthful skin. 

Mitochondrial Dysfunction and AGEs

Once the mitochondria go, the cell is in trouble because it can't breathe and produce energy properly, so it starts cutting corners to survive. Survival is more important than optimal function, and mitochondrial dysfunction results in premature skin aging, increased skin thickness, and wrinkle formation. Once AGEs step in and start destroying skin elasticity, the usurpation is complete.

From a general health perspective, thanks to numerous studies, we are aware that we should avoid trans fats because they raise bad cholesterol levels, which can lead to unwanted consequences such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.  

Frozen Ready Meals

We all have days when the schedules get so tight that there is no way we can prepare or cook something from scratch, and we do agree that an occasional frozen meal may be a lifesaver. But don't make it a daily habit because they are dominantly processed food, high in sodium, added sugars, and saturated fats, with low nutritional value, but they are shelf-stable and practical. Still, you can always make a larger batch of, for example, stew, and freeze your homemade meal as a better choice. 

The most common complaint of those who have lived on this stuff for a while is that ready-to-eat frozen meals contribute to acne and can also disrupt the balance of healthy bacteria in your gut, causing digestive distress and affecting the health of your skin.   

BONUS ROUND: Foods that reverse aging (List)

Vegetables

• Spinach – Popeye was right. Antioxidants and vitamin C load will boost collagen production.
• Kale – Rich source of lutein and beta-carotene for skin elasticity and hydration.
• Broccoli –  Sulforaphane source to help fight oxidative stress.
• Red bell peppers – High in vitamin C and carotenoids that prevent wrinkles.
• Carrots – Beta-carotene helps protect skin from UV damage and is a precursor to retinol.
• Sweet potatoes –  Great for the gut and rich in skin-smoothing vitamin A (beta-carotene).
• Tomatoes – Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant, especially for sun protection.
• Avocados – Skin needs fat for a normally functioning barrier. Avocados provide healthy fats and vitamin E for supple skin.

Fruits

• Blueberries – Loaded with anthocyanins to protect the skin. Berries in general are great.
• Strawberries – High in vitamin C, necessary for optimal collagen synthesis.
• Pomegranates – Contain anti-inflammatory punicalagins that preserve collagen.
• Papaya – Full of vitamins A, C, E, and precious enzymes that brighten skin.
• Watermelon – Excellent hydrating summer snack, rich in lycopene for skin protection.
• Apples – Contain quercetin and polyphenols to fight skin-damaging free radicals.
• Oranges – Citrus vitamin C boosts collagen and is crucial in skin repair.

Proteins

• Wild salmon – High in omega-3s to reduce inflammation and moisturize skin.
• Sardines – A budget-friendly source of essential fatty acids and vitamin D for skin strength.
• Eggs – Another cheap and perfectly packed anti-aging food, rich in protein and biotin for healthy hair and skin.
• Greek yogurt – Contains probiotics that support gut and skin health. Eat it or use it as a face mask; both work.
• Chia seeds – A plant source of omega-3s and precious fiber, excellent for gut health.

Nuts & Seeds

• Walnuts – Loaded with omega-3s and antioxidants for youthful skin.
• Almonds – Vitamin E-rich to protect skin from UV damage.
• Sunflower seeds – Provide selenium and zinc for skin repair.
• Flaxseeds – Omega-3s help keep skin plump and hydrated.

Other Superfoods

• Dark chocolate (70% + cacao) – Delicious, satisfying, and rich in flavonoids to protect skin from sun damage.
• Green tea – The secret of youthful longevity with catechins to reduce inflammation and improve skin elasticity.
• Olive oil – Monounsaturated fats and anti-inflammatory polyphenols that reduce wrinkles.
• Turmeric – Even small amounts of curcumin fight inflammation and slow down aging at the cellular level.
• Garlic – Supports detoxification, is a natural antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral, and increases blood flow for glowing skin.
• Bone broth – Collagen-rich, helping skin stay firm and smooth. Sip as is or incorporate into various meals as a stock.

Conclusion

We all age; it is natural, and it means you've survived everything life has thrown at you so far. So congratulations. Those lines on your skin mean you've lived and felt emotions that got etched on your face. Let's hope we all age and age well. Yet, the speed and visibility of the effects time leaves on our skin may be partially affected by our genetic heritage, but can still be significantly influenced by what we choose to put on our plates. 

Some drinks and foods that age you might seem innocent, harmless (and are really good at comforting), but they have a dark side, silently accelerating aging. Mechanisms of aging foods vary but mostly rely on disturbing some key balances, such as dehydrating the skin, disrupting collagen production, increasing inflammation, or causing oxidative stress. Coffee, sugar, alcohol, fried and processed foods, and excessive salt or trans fats all have scientifically backed arguments linking them to premature aging. 

If skin is just a reflection of the health of the entire organism, then you should take sudden or premature changes in the skin as a warning and a window into what is happening to other organs. Fortunately, the body is very good at fixing the damage and rebuilding. By reducing or eliminating these foods that age you from our diets and replacing them with nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich whole foods—like leafy greens, berries, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds—we can protect our skin, improve our overall health, and age more gracefully, adding more life and vitality to your years.

Foods that age your face and destroy your body, and foods that reverse aging co-exist in the same stores, and the choice is left to you. The fight is not necessarily fair, as foods that age you are mostly products designed to entice overeating and addictive behaviours, and the blame is shifted onto the consumer for not resisting. You don't need to change all at once. This usually doesn't work as we get overwhelmed. Find a nutritional habit you deem most damaging in your life and fix little habits one at a time. As you get results, you'll be more motivated to continue and experiment with new, delicious foods that reverse aging in ways you've never tried before. After all, food is just creativity you can eat.

So stay curious, stay beautiful, bon appétit, and enjoy living in your beautiful skin.