Sugar Accelerate theProcess of Aging

Sugar is widely usedin our daily life to make food and drinks sweet,though too much intake of itmay lead to diabetes.However,today's study found it also makes people get

old faster. Ratsthat eat high levels of a natural sugar known as fructose seem to age fasterthan other rats.And the same could be true for people who eat too much sweetjunk

food,said Israeliresearchers.

Fructose,a substancefound naturally in honey and fruit,is used widely in foods ranging from softdrinks to yogurt. But while its sweet taste is popular,the sugar could cause

wrinkles and healthproblems,the researchers said.Dr. Moshe Werman and Boaz Levi of theTechnion-Israel Institute of Technology fed large amounts of fructose to

laboratoryrats.Writing in the Journal of Nutrition,they said the fructose-fed rats showedchanges in the collagen of their skin and bones.

Collagen,a fibrousprotein found in connective tissue,bone and cartilage,basically holds the bodytogether. The loss of collagen is what causes sagging and deep wrinkles in

older people.

The processaffected,Werman's team said,is known as"cross linking"."Too muchcrosslinking reduces elasticity and makes the skin stiff and rigid,and theseare the conditions

that encouragewrinkled skin,"Werman said in a statement. He said the same could be trueof people, although this has not been shown."Americans are eating more andmore

processed foods suchas carbonated drinks,baked goods,canned fruits,jams and dairy products thatcontain fructose," Werman said.Other studies have shown that high

fructose intake canaffect how the body handles glucose and increases insulin resistance一which can both be important measuresof the tendency toward diabetes.

The rats Wermanworked with were fed much more than the average adult person might eat in aday,which is standard in such experiments.The rats were 12.5 grams of

fructose per kg(2.2pounds)of weight every day for a year. To compare,a person weighing 154pounds(70kg)who drinks a quart(liter)of cola consumes about 60 grams offructose,or 0.8 gramsper kg of body weight.What does too muchcross-linking lead to?

A.Reduced strength.

B.Blurred eyesight.

C.Reduced elasticityand stiff and rigid skin.

D.Tired muscles.