Advanced Glycation End Products (aka AGEs) are harmful compounds that are responsible, in part, to the aging process as well as contributors to serious conditions. AGEs have been associated with
Alzheimer’s
Cataracts
Macular Degeneration
Hypertension
Coronary Heart Disease
Peripheral Artery Disease
Neuropathy
Stroke
Anemia
Chronic Kidney Disease
Osteoporosis
Our body has the ability to process and render harmless small amounts of AGEs, but this defensive mechanism can quickly become overwhelmed when presented with high amounts of them. AGEs are both created inside the body and by taking them in via food.
AGEs Your Body Creates
When excess sugar binds with protein in our body, a toxic compound called methylglyoxal is formed. Methylglyoxal is the most powerful creator of AGEs. Therefore, any condition that results in high amounts of sugar in the body, such as diabetes and insulin resistance, can accelerate AGE production.
There is another newly discovered second mechanism that causes your body to produce AGEs. More on that later.
AGEs from Food
Foods that are cooked with high direct heat, carmelizing, or browning foods are sources of AGEs. Cooking methods that produce AGEs include:
Deep frying
Roasting
Broiling
Barbecuing
Grilling
Specific foods high in AGEs include:
Hamburgers
Hot Dogs
French Fries
Chips
Crackers
Processed Cheeses
Low Carb Diets and AGEs
Since a low carb diet, by definition, severely reduces carbohydrate intake and lowers blood sugar levels, it would be logical to conclude that AGEs produced by the bodies of these dieters would be very low. When this theory was tested, however, the opposite was discovered.
Researcher from Dartmouth measured the amounts of methylglyoxal levels in the blood of those who started a low carb diet. On average the amount of methylglyoxal started at 46.8 (nM) and rose to 165.8 after one week, then 359 after week two (more than a 750% increase). This amount is on par with someone with out of control diabetes.
As it turns out, a high level of sugar isn't the only pathway to create methylglyoxal. One of the ketones your body makes when it is in a state of ketosis (the goal of a ketogenic diet) is acetone. Acetone is a precursory compound your body uses to create methylglyoxal.
It is ironic that in its effort to control blood sugar and resulting damage from diabetes, the keto diet results in the same risk factors and consequences as out of control diabetes.
Sources
Nutrition Facts: Keto and Diabetes
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-ketogenic-diet-help-diabetes-or-make-it-worse/
AGEs Contribution to the aging process:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20478906
AGE levels in Foods:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20497781
Methylglyoxal Levels on Atkins Diet