Western food is highly processed. Often it contains high amounts of sugar, salt and fat and these make the foods incredibly palatable. During the processing of foods which can include heating and the addition of chemicals, a number of changes can occur to food components that create a number of altered and modified molecules. For example, heating of sugars and protein can result in the production of advanced glycation end products (AGE). Advanced glycation end products are modifications to amino acid groups of proteins through the bonding to sugars. Many advanced glycation end products are desirable to food manufacturers as they can alter the taste of the foods, and can also extend shelf life and alter the colour of the products. High temperatures encourage the formation of advanced glycation end products in foods, which can also form during the home cooking of foods. Intermediary compounds called Maillard reaction products can also form in foods during processing when heat is applied to foods.
Advanced glycation products (AGE) are found in many processed foods that have been subjected to heat and which also contain both sugar and protein. The browning reaction that is seen during heating first forms Maillard reaction products and these can then form advanced glycation end products as reactions between amino acids and sugars proceed. Some advanced glycation end products that are found in food include N-(carboxymethyl) lysine (CML), N-(carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL), and methylglyoxal derived hydroimidazolone (MG-H1). High amounts of these sort of products in the diet may be a cause of insulin insensitivity and weight gain. Avoiding processed foods such as cakes, biscuits, baked goods, and burnt or ‘browned’ foods can lead to significant reduction in the amounts of advanced glycation end products in the diet and this may increase insulin sensitivity significantly.
Both maillard reaction products and advanced glycation end products may have detrimental effects on health. In particular, advanced glycation products have been shown to have detrimental effects on the sensitivity of the insulin receptor and diets high in advanced glycation end products may be a cause of insulin resistance. Studies have compared low and high advanced glycation end product diets on the insulin sensitivity of overweight men and women. In one study, following a high advanced glycation end product diet for 2 weeks resulted in a significant increase in the intake of advanced glycation end products. These advanced glycation end products were detected in greater concentrations in the urine of the subjects. Those subjects following the low advanced glycation end product diet also had improved insulin sensitivity compared to subjects consuming the high glycation end product diet, although no changes in body composition were observed.
Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself
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de Courten, B., de Courten, M. P. J., Soldatos, G., Dougherty, S. L., Straznicky, N., Schlaich, M., Sourris, K. C., Chand, V., Scheijen, J. L. J. M., Kingwell, B. A., Cooper, M. E., Schalkwijk, C. G., Walker, K. Z. and Forbes, J. M. 2016. Diet low in advanced glycation end products increases insulin sensitivity in healthy overweight individuals: a double-blind, randomized, crossover trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 103: 1426-1433
