Is it time to drop the Warburtons and Lurpak?
A team of researchers in France have discovered that people who eat a breakfast rich in refined carbohydrates are considered less attractive than people who kick off their day by consuming healthier unrefined carbohydrates.
According to Science Daily, scientists at the University of Montpellier claim that the subtle shift in facial composition and attractiveness may be linked to changes in blood sugar and insulin.
An increase in refined carbohydrates not only can affect skin appearance, but may also have long-term effects on sex hormones.
For the study, 52 men and 52 women aged between twenty and thirty were randomly assigned a 500 calorie breakfast rich in either refined or unrefined carbohydrates.
Only participants and volunteers with four grandparents of European origin were included in this research, to reduce cultural heterogeneity.
The high-glycemic breakfast included a French baguette made from industrially milled flour, jam, apple or orange juice and tea or coffee with sugar available.
The low-glycemic breakfast was made up of stoneground wholemeal bread with butter and cheese, an orange, an apple, and tea or coffee without sugar.
Two hours after the provided breakfast, additional heterosexual volunteers were brought in and asked to rate the facial attractiveness of opposite-sex participants as captured in photos.
The results showed that both the men and women who consumed the breakfast made up of refined carbohydrates were rated less facially attractive than those who hadn’t.
However, the researchers did notice some differences between sexes.
With regards to afternoon snacking, men specifically who consumed high-energy foods later in the day received lower attractiveness ratings, and those who consumed high-glycemic products were given a higher attractiveness rating.
All of the researchers findings held true when factoring in other elements such as age, BMI, smoking habits, and hairiness.
So what actually happens to the face when one consumes too many refined carbohydrates?
Refined carbohydrates can produce spikes in blood sugar, which the body then counters by producing insulin.
This chemical response can end up driving sugar levels too low and in turn, can affect blood flow and skin appearance. The medical term for this is hypoglycaemia.
The author of the report Amandine Visine stated: “Facial attractiveness, an important factor of social interactions, seems to be impacted by immediate and chronic refined carbohydrate consumption in men and women.”
So it’s fairly straightforward, save your sliced pan and creamy butter for special occasions, and you’ll have a chiseled jawline like Ryan Gosling in no time.
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