Decreasing AGE: Advanced Glycation Endproducts
August 1, 2010 3 minutes read
Decreasing AGE: Advanced Glycation Endproducts
Abstract & Commentary
By Russell H. Greenfield, MD, Editor
Synopsis: Researchers examined a wide variety of foods and methods of meal preparation to help create a new database of advanced glycation endproduct (AGE) content. The results suggest that part of the benefit of eating an anti-inflammatory Mediterranean- or Asian-style diet may be the reduced synthesis of AGEs and thus less exposure to their associated oxidative and inflammatory actions. Cooking foods at low temperatures and with moist heat helps lower AGE content as well.
Source: Uribarri J, et al. Advanced glycation end products in foods and a practical guide to their reduction in the diet. J Am Diet Assoc 2010;110:911-916.
Advanced glycation endproducts (ages) have long been recognized as toxic compounds regularly produced in small quantities in the body that in high concentrations may prove harmful. Until recently it was believed that food was not a significant source of AGEs, but it is now accepted that foodstuffs can contribute to AGE buildup within the body.
The authors of this article sought to enlarge upon the existing database of foods and their specific AGE content and tested a number of commonly eaten foods from a multi-ethnic population in the Northeast. Using validated laboratory techniques, they were able to determine the AGE content of more than 500 foods, as well as the impact of specific cooking techniques. Their results support the general notion of the importance of anti-inflammatory diets that rely largely on vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
Foods with the highest AGE content included animal protein sources, with beef being the greatest source of AGEs, followed by full-fat cheeses, poultry, pork, fish, and eggs. Highly refined, thermally processed carbohydrate foods were a significant source of AGEs, while low-fat and high-moisture (for example, yogurt) dairy products delivered far fewer AGEs than their full-fat counterparts.
Noteworthy is that marinating meat in an acidic environment of lemon juice and vinegar for 60 minutes reduced AGE generation. Other cooking techniques also made major differences in AGE food content, with "dry" techniques utilizing high temperatures (broiling, grilling, frying, or roasting) generating higher AGE levels than cooking at lower temperatures employing higher levels of moisture (boiling, stewing, steaming, or poaching) and for shorter periods of time.
The authors conclude that AGEs from food are a significant source of potential inflammatory and oxidative damage, and that holding to a Mediterranean- or Asian-style diet, together with utilizing cooking techniques that employ moist heat at low temperatures, can limit generation of these potentially harmful compounds.
Commentary
Frankly, this article is cool. The methodology is strong and the information relatively new, as it seems many might not even be aware of the existence of AGEs (also called glycotoxins because of the involvement of reducing sugars in their formation through the Maillard or browning reaction), and even fewer that food may be a significant source of them. In addition, the conclusions suggest that the push toward an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle for optimal health is on target for reasons perhaps not previously recognized.
Until recently it was assumed that AGEs naturally present in foods were not well-absorbed and so posed little risk to health. That assumption has been proven incorrect, and it is now known that AGEs are absorbed from foodstuffs, as well as that various cooking techniques can alter the degree of exposure. The results of the investigators' work is available on-line at: www.adajournal.org.
The authors point out that therapeutic diets promoting high-protein intakes may contribute to long-term health problems through elevated AGE levels, a previously unrecognized risk associated with select weight-loss programs, for example.
It is long now that inflammation has been seen as potentially beneficial when acute and localized and harmful when persistent and inappropriate. All means at our disposal should be used to help patients limit inflammatory potential, including through dietary manipulation. The results of this study add greatly to the force with which we can authentically make such recommendations.
Researchers examined a wide variety of foods and methods of meal preparation to help create a new database of advanced glycation endproduct (AGE) content.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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