Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) form when the sugars, amino acids, and fats in food encounter heat. The molecules in the foods rearrange, forming brown polymers (a process known as the Maillard reaction) and creating the deep flavors of browned barley in beer, roasted coffee, seared meats, and French fries. A recent study in worms shows that dietary AGEs promote overeating and reduce lifespan by as much as 30 percent in those genetically susceptible.
Researchers investigated the health effects of AGEs in Caenorhabditis elegans, a type of roundworm often used to model human aging. Specifically, they looked at the effects of dietary AGEs derived from methylglyoxal, a byproduct of glycolysis and lipid peroxidation.
They found that worms lacking the gene for glyoxalase, an enzyme that protects the body from methylglyoxal-derived AGEs, showed increased appetite when exposed to AGEs. They also found that the methylglyoxal-derived AGE known as MG-H1 influences the production of the neurotransmitter tyramine, ultimately contributing to the harmful effects of AGEs, including increased feeding, decreased lifespan, and neuronal damage.
These findings suggest that dietary AGEs promote overeating and reduce lifespan by as much as 30 percent in genetically susceptible organisms. Although AGEs are present in the diet, they also form in the body during normal glucose metabolism. However, if high AGE levels accumulate in the tissues and blood, they can become pathogenic, driving many chronic diseases, including diabetes, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and kidney failure. The body clears excess AGEs via the liver (and possibly the kidney)00462-3/fulltext), but the clearance rate declines with age.
Evidence suggests that a low carbohydrate diet inhibits AGE formation. The ketogenic diet typically restricts carbohydrate intake to roughly 10 percent or less of one’s calories. Learn more about the ketogenic diet and its health effects in this episode featuring Dr. Dominic D'Agostino.
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