Dietary Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs): What They Are and How to Reduce Them

Scientific-sounding buzzwords can make nutritional information seem daunting, but that’s why we are here: to help break down the complicated to make it digestible. Today’s guide is all about dietary advanced glycation end products (AGEs). We are going to cover what they are, their impact on health, and how to avoid them in the diet if you choose to.

Understanding Dietary AGEs: What They Are and How They Form

AGEs form through a process called glycation, which occurs when protein or fat combines with sugar in the bloodstream. These are harmful to our bodies, so our bodies have natural elimination processes to get rid of AGEs, which involve antioxidants or enzymatic reactions. However, when the build-up of AGEs becomes too great, our body can’t keep up with eliminating them.  

Unfortunately, AGEs are also formed in foods when they are exposed to high-heat cooking methods such as grilling, roasting, frying, and searing. These are called dietary AGEs (dAGEs) and are the most significant source of AGEs. dAGEs are more likely to be found in animal-derived foods that are high in fat and protein, whereas carbohydrate-rich foods and milks are relatively low in dAGEs.

The Health Impact of Dietary AGEs

So, how are AGEs harmful to us? When they build up, they can become pathogenic by promoting oxidative stress and inflammation. If those terms are sounding the alarm bells, they should. Chronic oxidative stress and inflammation are linked with almost every disease, from heart disease to diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, and beyond.

dAGEs directly correlate with circulating blood AGEs and oxidative stress. This indicates that the amount of dAGEs you consume does impact the levels in your body, worsening inflammation. We can assume that restricting dAGEs would help to minimize oxidative stress and inflammation in our bodies.

Strategies to Reduce Dietary AGE Intake

The next logical question is, how can we avoid dAGEs? A report on dAGE foods outlines two primary strategies: be mindful of cooking methods that promote AGE formation and choose foods that are naturally low in dAGEs. Let’s break down its findings.

Cooking Methods to Minimize AGE Formation

As mentioned earlier, the higher the cooking temperature, the more likely AGEs are to form. Moderate or lower-heat cooking methods that may slow AGE formation include poaching or steaming rather than grilling, stewing, or boiling. Interestingly, microwaving does not seem to raise dAGE levels. However, if you must choose the riskier options, try cooking them at a lower heat setting if possible.

This report shows that a low-pH food inhibits AGE formation. This means that preparing foods in an acidic marinade or low-pH solution, such as lemon juice or vinegar, may help inhibit AGE development. Similarly important is the oil that you cook your food in. Because glycation occurs when fat combines with sugar, try using lower-saturated-fat cooking oils. Our referenced report suggests that cooking with oil, margarine, or cooking spray produces fewer dAGEs than butter.

Emphasizing Low-AGE Food Choices

Again, higher-protein and higher-fat foods are more likely to form dAGEs. This means that a diet rich in high-fat animal products, such as full-fat cheeses and red meats, is more likely to produce dAGEs. On the other hand, higher carbohydrate foods are lower on the dAGE production scale. Your higher-carbohydrate foods are your plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, and more.  Despite being plant foods, some nuts can produce more dAGEs, especially when roasted.  This is likely due to their fat and protein content.

Practically speaking, to limit your dAGE intake, focus on a plant-forward diet with modest amounts of animal products. When choosing your animal products, aim for lean cuts of meat and low-fat dairy. If you decide to splurge on higher-fat animal products, keep the above cooking and preparation methods in mind. Consider marinating in an acidic solution and opt for a lower heat cooking method.

Bottom-Line

At the end of the day, we can’t entirely avoid AGE formation, nor should we! Again, our body has built-in mechanisms to reduce it. The key is to make sure that we don’t unwittingly create dietary patterns that our bodies can’t keep up with eliminating AGEs. Choosing more plant foods and being mindful of how we cook are great places to start.

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