Diabetes, High Blood Sugar Make You Look Older: Study

Diabetes has its repercussions, from higher risks of heart attack and stroke to kidney disease and poor circulation. Now researchers say it can make you look older, too.

In a joint study by Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands and Unilever R&D, scientists found that people with high blood sugar levels, either due to a poor diet or diabetes, consistently looked older than those with lower blood sugar levels.

Their findings revealed that for every 180 gram increase in blood sugar levels, subjects looked about five months older than their actual age.

For the study, researchers measured the blood sugar levels of 600 men and women, after which photographs were taken of their faces. Their actual age was compared with their estimated age, based on assessments of the photographs by sixty independent reviewers.

Researchers hope that their findings will provide added incentive for people to better control their blood sugar levels.

"These results stress how important a well-regulated blood sugar level is for wellbeing and health. If people realize that this also has an effect on their appearance, it may be an added incentive for them to adopt a more healthy lifestyle," said Diana van Heemst, one of the study authors, in a release.

Since that means you aren't going to find the fountain of youth down the sugary snack aisle, try these tips instead:

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