A large portion of our body make-up is protein. Organs, nerves, and skin all contain protein. Skin is made up primarily of the proteins collagen and elastin, two proteins, and it is your skin that can indicate how well you’re aging on the inside of your body. When the proteins of your skin become damaged, they become weak, fragile and break down easily resulting in wrinkling and sagging. How do the proteins of your skin (and body) become damaged? One of the ways is Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs).
AGEs are damaged proteins – the result of cooking proteins with sugars when water is not present (water prevents this process). This process occurs outside our body (within our control) and inside our body as part of normal biochemical reactions. Cooking foods to the point of browning or caramelization (toast, caramelized onions, chicken skin after baking etc.) creates AGEs. All whole foods (fruits, veggies, meat) contain protein (amino acids) and sugar (glucose, fructose), and when we cook foods via roasting, baking, toasting and frying, we create AGEs. About 30% of ingested AGEs are absorbed by the body.
The amount of AGEs the body creates is relative to the amount of sugar in the bloodstream and how well the body can balance this. This is why diabetics are particularly at risk for damage to organs and nerves and have slow wound-healing.
The AGEs we ingest and the ones that our body makes cause the proteins in all structures of the body (muscles, heart, eyes, pancreas, skin etc. ) to weaken and function poorly. AGEs are also related to the formation of plaques in the arteries, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
So, what are your options?
Whole foods balance blood sugar
- cook food via steaming or boiling
- consume more raw foods
- avoid fructose-containing sugars (especially high-fructose corn syrup) as they undergo glycation 10 times faster than glucose
- eat a whole foods diet to balance your blood sugars (low-glycemic index foods are particularly good)
- cook meats low and slow
- supplement with amino acids (e.g. carnosine can help prevent the formation of AGEs)
- supplement with Vitamin B6 as it can also inhibit formation of AGEs
AGEs are not the only cause of aging – free radicals and hormone changes are also instigators. Your skin can act as a barometer of how your beloved (and unseen) organs and tissues are doing.
I’m not suggesting that you cease baking all foods and enjoying your toast (or granola – see the recipe I posted), rather I’m suggesting that you (& I) stay aware of what we’re eating and create balance.
Aging is natural, disease is not.
p.s. The documentary “Big Sugar” shows a disturbing side of the sugar industry – consider fair-trade sugar next time you purchase it.
dr jenny schmidt-white, naturopathic doctor 