Many people would confess to being sugar addicts. Sugar has become a regular and normal part of daily food intake, rather than being a treat to enjoy once in a while. I grew up eating frosted flakes and other cereals that were considered a typical American breakfast. Over time I learned about better nutrition, but even then I would eat something sugary every day. Dinner was never complete without a treat!
But I finally realized that if you are experiencing health issues, and I do think rosacea is a sign of negative health, then its time to evaluate how much sugar is actually going in your body. And if you have an inflammatory condition, then maybe even a little is too much at that point.
Does Excess Sugar Consumption Cause Rosacea?
I don’t think sugar is the exact cause of rosacea, and neither are gluten and dairy. But if you understand leaky gut and the gut-skin connection, then it makes sense that ultimately our diet affects our gut and skin health. So although diet doesn’t “cause” rosacea, it can nudge the inflammatory system toward either calm or toward chaos. Added sugars and high-glycemic foods (refined flours, sweetened beverages, candy, pastries etc.) surge blood glucose and insulin quickly. Those swings can amplify low-grade, body-wide inflammation, which can lead to rosacea. The National Rosacea Society says rosacea is linked with chronic, low-grade inflammation, and several studies report associations with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, conditions that are fueled by high sugar consumption.
Glycation is another result of excessive sugar consumption. Glycation is basically what happens when there’s too much sugar floating around in your bloodstream. Instead of just being used for energy, that extra sugar can start to stick to proteins in your body like collagen and elastin, which are the fibers that keep your skin firm.
When sugar attaches itself, it creates what are called “advanced glycation end products,” or AGEs. These AGEs make the proteins stiff and less flexible.
For skin, that means:
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Collagen and elastin can’t do their job as well.
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Skin may look duller, less firm, and more prone to redness.
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The body sees these sugar-coated proteins as “damaged,” which sets off inflammation, the same type of inflammation that worsens rosacea.
Then there’s inflammation as a result of high-glycemic index (GI) eating. High-glycemic eating turns food into sugar in your body really quickly. Foods like white bread, pastries, candy, soda, or white rice burn fast and send your blood sugar soaring. When blood sugar shoots up, your body pumps out a lot of insulin, a hormone that helps move sugar into your cells. Soon after, blood sugar crashes, which can leave you feeling tired, cranky, and craving more sugar. This “spike-crash” rollercoaster also stirs up inflammation, which can aggravate conditions like rosacea.
In contrast, low-GI foods like beans, oats, sweet potatoes, quinoa, and most vegetables act more like slow-burning logs. These foods release sugar gradually, keeping your energy steady and your body calmer.
Sugar, the Brain, and Cravings: Why It Feels Addictive
If sugar feels hard to quit, it’s not just you! I removed gluten and dairy from my diet, but not sugar. There are plenty of dairy-free and gluten-free desserts available and I probably tried them all! There’s a reason why sugar can become an addiction. Sweet tastes trigger dopamine, the same “feel-good” chemical that lights up when you do something rewarding.
Then glucose rises and falls, which can set up a craving cycle of a spike, leading to a crash, resulting in a strong desire to eat more sugar.
The problem is, sugar doesn’t keep you satisfied for long. After the rush, your blood sugar crashes, leaving you tired or irritable. That crash makes you crave more sugar to feel good again. Over time, your brain can get used to the constant sugar hits and want bigger amounts to feel the same effect just like with other addictive behaviors.
Hormones Change When You Cut Sugar
Added sugars can influence several hormone systems that affect inflammation and skin:
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Insulin: This hormone helps your body use sugar for fuel. Too much sugar leads to too much insulin. High insulin can stir up inflammation and blood vessel changes that may make rosacea worse. Eating less sugar helps keep insulin steady.
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Cortisol (the stress hormone): Big swings in blood sugar stress your body out, which can raise cortisol. High cortisol results in more inflammation.
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Inflammatory signals: Extra sugar makes your body release chemicals called inflammatory cytokines that worsen redness and irritation. When you eat less sugar, your body sends out fewer of these alarms.
Less sugar means steadier hormones, less stress inside your body, and fewer inflammatory sparks that can trigger rosacea flares.
Is Fruit Still Sugar?
Not all sugar-containing foods behave the same way. Fructose from added sugars like high-fructose corn syrup and sucrose in processed foods will stoke inflammation and metabolic disruption, whereas fructose from whole fruit contain fiber, water, and polyphenols. Whole fruits generally have a lower inflammatory impact and can be part of an anti-inflammatory diet when eaten in reasonable portions. But drop the juices which are all full of sugar. Smoothies can also be full of fruit and one glass can contain a full day’s portion of fruit. So if you are still hungry and looking for fruit snacks after a morning smoothie, then either find a recipe that has lower amounts of fruit and incorporates vegetables and protein, or drop smoothies all together.
Eliminating Sugar
Quitting sugar cold turkey is tough NGL. I did it and I watched friends and family eat the most delicious desserts in front of me while I snacked on a pear or just drank water! It was tough but I got used to it. Here’s how to eliminate those added sugars we don’t really think about in our foods.
Swap Out Your Daily Added Sugars
The big added sugars are usually drinks that we start our day with! They are caffeinated drinks and juices. It’s a big adjustment going from a flavored latte or coffee with milk and multiple sugars to plain black coffee. But it’s a taste you will eventually acquire. Drop the juices and other flavored drinks for water with a squeeze of lemon. Also, consider sipping on a warm cup of bone broth. Bone broth is beneficial whether you boil the bones at home or buy a powered version with clean ingredients. Other typical breakfasts like cereals, instant oatmeal and flavored yogurts are sugar bombs that will have to be removed from your diet. Eggs, avocados and veggies are great high-protein replacements.
Learn to read labels and the different forms that sugar can take like dextrose and maltodextrin to name a few. You will find these sugars in many breads and packaged or processed foods and condiments. Instead of ketchup, BBQ and other sauces, use mustard, salsa, pesto and vinaigrettes that don’t contain any sugar but provide the flavors you want.
Finally, forget about granola bars and trail mix. Snack on plain nuts, seeds, hummus and veggies and boiled eggs.
Cutting Sugar is Tough
Yes, life becomes a little boring. It sucks out some of the pleasure we get from eating. But if you are in the state that I was in, where my face was completely covered with redness and pustules, and you can’t take it anymore, then you need to make drastic changes unfortunately. All drugs have failed, now this is your medicine.
Cutting dairy, gluten and sugar was phase 2 for me when just eliminating dairy and gluten for three months didn’t work. After falling off the wagon, I restarted my diet cutting all dairy, gluten and sugar. However, approximately six weeks later, I introduced L. reuteri yogurt into my diet. I know its dairy, but fermented probiotic yogurt can help with healing the gut and is worth adding to your diet to help reduce inflammation.