Your diet significantly impacts your skin’s health and appearance, often more than topical treatments. Certain foods, like fried items, refined carbohydrates, and processed meats, contribute to advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that damage collagen and elastin, accelerating aging. Limiting these can help maintain a more youthful complexion.
We spend so much time chasing the perfect skincare routine that it’s easy to forget the skin is, above all, a living organ responding to how we treat it from the inside.
The irony is that many people who diligently apply sunscreen, retinol or vitamin C still overlook the one thing that shapes their complexion every single day: their diet. While sunlight is the obvious catalyst for premature ageing, the quieter and often more destructive force comes from advanced glycation end products, or AGEs. These compounds form in the bloodstream when certain foods break down, and they latch onto collagen and elastin like tiny clamps, making the skin less springy, less bright, and more prone to wrinkles.
What makes this especially important is how subtle it is; you don’t feel the damage happening, but you see it years later. Knowing which foods drive this process is how you begin to slow it.
French Fries
Fried foods like French fries are cooked at very high temperatures, which can lead to the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), damaging molecules that cause cross-linking in skin proteins. This cross-linking weakens collagen and makes skin less elastic, accelerating signs of aging. A review published in American Journal of Laboratory Medicine explained AGEs compounds form in fast foods contributing to the oxidative stress in the body.
White bread
White bread is a refined carbohydrate that digests quickly, spiking your blood sugar. Over time, these sugar spikes can promote glycation, when sugar binds to proteins (like collagen), forming AGEs that stiffen skin structure and reduce its resilience. A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a link between higher dietary AGE intake (from refined carbs) and higher skin AGE levels.
White sugar
Eating a lot of sugar can directly fuel the formation of AGEs. When sugar levels in your blood are high, it reacts non-enzymatically with proteins in the skin, leading to stiff cross-links in collagen and elastin, making the skin less firm and more prone to wrinkles. A study published in JAMA concluded that there was a clear link between added sugar intake and the epigenetic age.
Processed meats (Hot dogs, bacon, sausage)
Processed meats often contain high amounts of sodium, saturated fat and preservatives, which can contribute to inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. Chronic inflammation weakens collagen, reducing skin resilience. Review published in the Journal of Food Science backs the argument by highlighting how ultra-processed meat products can drive harmful metabolic and inflammatory pathways that potentially accelerate skin aging.
Dairy
Dairy can be tricky: for some, it causes inflammation or oxidative stress, which can damage skin over time. A review on diet and skin aging, published in the journal Nutrients, argues that AGEs, inflammation, and poor dietary patterns together influence skin health, and reducing some animal-based processed foods can slow aging. However, the effect varies by person.
Soda and coffee
While not all impact comes from “AGEs,” the more relevant aging risk here is sleep disruption. High caffeine intake (especially from soda or coffee) can impair sleep quality, and poor sleep is strongly linked to signs of skin aging: dark circles, fine lines, dullness. Your diet plays a key role in skin aging. Foods high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats can accelerate damage. Choose antioxidant-rich, whole foods instead to support healthier, smoother, and more youthful-looking skin over time.
