AGEs (Advanced Glycation End Products) & Cooking

[EatTrainClean]

Hey guys, not sure how many of you are familiar with AGEs (advanced glycation end products) but this study provides a 549 item list of foods and their amounts of AGEs.

 

Advanced Glycation End Products In Foods And A Practical Guide To Their Reduction In The Diet

 

For those unfamilar, AGEs are: "Dietary advanced glycation end products (dAGEs) are known to contribute to increased oxidant stress and inflammation, which are linked to the recent epidemics of diabetes and cardiovascular disease."

 

For those that might start freaking out that bacon has 91,000 kU/100g, Mat Lalonde weighed in on this and said...

 

"The medical and nutrition community have the bad habit of always looking toward exogenous sources when they identify something bad. In this case, it has been shown that AGEs within the body, as a result of insulin resistance and hyperglycemia, increases the rate of aging and the risk of diseases such as heart disease. The medical community then identifies food sources of AGEs and recommends that we do not consume them. Interestingly the consumption of foods containing AGEs has not been shown to be all that problematic (maybe a little bit of arterial dysfunction but even that study is questionable).

 

The real problem is often endogenous production, as opposed to exogenous sources. AGEs result when blood sugars are elevated. AGE formation is rampant when blood sugar levels reach 180 mg/dL or higher. But high blood sugar levels are the result of insulin resistance, which is the result of excess carbohydrate, specifically fructose, consumption. AGEs are problematic when they result from excess blood sugar levels, not so much when they are consumed from food. That being said, it is wise to try to minimize AGE consumption and slow cooking at low temperatures is one way to do that.

 

I slow cook everything at low temperatures in a crock pot or the oven. Boiling meat does not appeal to me in any way."

 

Still an interesting study, and the food list is pure nerd heaven.

 

Hope this is informative!

[1Maryann]

"The medical community then identifies food sources of AGEs and recommends that we do not consume them. Interestingly the consumption of foods containing AGEs has not been shown to be all that problematic (maybe a little bit of arterial dysfunction but even that study is questionable)."

 

Just like they did with cholesterol.  They scared generations of people away from eating high-quality nutrient sources like eggs and red meat, but elimination of those foods did little if anything to change people's numbers.  Instead, it was really the insulin spike from the grains in the same meals that signaled the body to store cholesterol.  Our modern nutritional community is great at creating markets for pharmaceuticals that change the results of eating the SAD, but does little to prevent the problems by changing the way we eat.  The food pyramid will kill more people than a breakfast of bacon and eggs.