Experts from Leiden University in the Netherlands say that high blood sugar accelerates the aging process.
Their study involved 602 people and an additional 60 independent volunteers. During the experiment, scientists found that every additional millimole per liter of blood sugar can age a person by about five months. In healthy people, it is 6 mmol/l, and they look a year younger than those with high blood sugar, and a full year and a half younger than diabetics.
Experts have concluded that accelerated aging occurs under the influence of sugar on collagen, a protein that provides skin elasticity. The body itself very rarely copes with increased sugar levels, hence the aging appearance. Therefore, scientists urge people to lead a healthy lifestyle and regularly get their blood tested.