If you want to look your best in the morning, it may be worth swapping the ultra-processed pastries and fruit juice for wholemeal toast and tea without sugar.

Researchers in France found that people who ate a breakfast rich in refined carbohydrates were rated less attractive than those who started the day with healthier unrefined carbs.

Scientists at the University of Montpellier believe the subtle shift in facial attractiveness may be driven by changes in blood sugar and insulin that can affect skin appearance and have longer-term effects on sex hormones.

“It’s surprising to consider but our dietary choices can have rapid effects on our appearance,” said Dr. Claire Berticat, an evolutionary biologist and the first author of the study. “These physiological changes could subtly alter facial features, impacting how others perceive attractiveness.”

The researchers recruited 52 men and 52 women aged 20 to 30 and randomly assigned them to have a 500-calorie breakfast rich in either refined or unrefined carbohydrates. The refined carbs breakfast included a French baguette made from industrially milled flour, jam, apple or orange juice, and tea or coffee with sugar available. The unrefined carbs meal was stoneground wholemeal bread with butter and cheese, an orange or apple, and tea or coffee without sugar.

The scientists measured blood sugar levels of volunteers before and after they ate and then took headshots of the participants under controlled lighting conditions. The photos were then passed to groups of raters to estimate how old, how masculine or feminine and how attractive the individuals looked.

Writing in Plos One, the researchers claim that eating refined carbohydrates for breakfast decreased facial attractiveness for men and women.

Refined carbohydrates can produce spikes in blood sugar, which the body counters by releasing insulin. The response can drive sugar levels too low, a condition called hypoglycaemia, and affect blood flow and skin appearance. In the study, only the refined carbs breakfast produced hypoglycaemia.

David Perrett, a professor of psychology at the University of St. Andrews, who has studied facial cues for health, said there should be no surprise that diet affects attractiveness. Fruit and vegetables improved attractiveness by increasing plant pigments called carotenoids in the skin, he said, while high-sugar diets could age the skin.

Asked what advice she would give to people who wanted to look their best, Berticat said: “We know that refined carbohydrates have a negative impact on health and that’s reason enough to limit their consumption.”

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【全麦吐司】quánmài tǔsī wholemeal toast a type of brown bread made from the whole of a grain kernel

【法棍】fǎgùn French baguette a long thin loaf of French bread made of flour, water, yeast and salt

如果想在早上容光焕发，建议你把精制面点和果汁换成全麦吐司和不加糖的茶。

法国一项研究发现，与早餐吃健康粗粮的人相比，早餐吃精制碳水化合物的人被认为外貌吸引力较低。

法国蒙彼利埃大学的科学家认为，外貌吸引力这一微妙改变可能与血糖和胰岛素的变化有关，这些变化会影响皮肤外观并对性激素产生长期影响。

该研究的主要作者、进化生物学家克莱尔•伯蒂卡特博士表示：“虽然令人惊讶，但饮食选择对我们外貌的影响是立竿见影的。这些生理变化可能会微妙地改变面部特征，从而影响他人感知到的吸引力。”

研究人员招募了52名20至30岁的男性和女性，随机分配给他们一份富含精制碳水化合物或粗粮的500卡路里早餐。精制碳水化合物早餐包括工业加工面粉制成的法棍面包、果酱、苹果汁或橙汁以及加糖的茶或咖啡。粗粮早餐则由研磨全麦面包搭配黄油奶酪、橙子或苹果以及不加糖的茶或咖啡组成。

科学家在志愿者进食前后测量他们的血糖水平，然后在特定光线下拍摄他们的头像照片。随后将照片交给评审员小组，让他们推测照片中人的年龄、男性或女性气质以及吸引力。

研究人员在《公共科学图书馆期刊》上发表的报告指出，食用精制碳水化合物早餐会降低男女的外貌吸引力。

精制碳水化合物会导致血糖飙升，促使身体释放胰岛素。这种反应会导致血糖水平降得太低（称为低血糖症），影响血液流通和皮肤外观。研究发现，只有精制碳水化合物早餐会导致这种反应。

圣安德鲁斯大学心理学教授、研究面容和健康关系的大卫•佩雷特表示，饮食影响吸引力并不令人惊讶。他说，水果和蔬菜能增加皮肤中的类胡萝卜素，增加吸引力，而高糖饮食则会使皮肤老化。

当被问及如何保持容貌，伯蒂卡特博士说：“我们知道精制碳水化合物会对健康产生负面影响，这本身就是限制摄入这类食物的充分理由。”

(chinadaily.com.cn)