In the battle to slow the aging process you need to take aim at Advanced Glycation End products commonly referred to in the scientific community as AGEs.
There are two components involved in this process.
Proteins and Sugar.
Proteins are formed from amino acids. They are essential for life because they serve two critical roles.
First they provide structure for the body. One such structural protein is collagen, which accounts for approximately one third of your body’s total protein. It’s found in skin, muscles, organs, and vascular structures. Collagen provides elasticity and cohesion.
Second, proteins provide function in the form of enzymes that enable all life-sustaining chemical reactions to occur within your body.
Sugar is a simple carbohydrate. It provides needed energy for your cells. When properly controlled, proteins and sugars can interact without causing damage to the body.
However, as you age your structural proteins are damaged by a process known as glycation.
This process is an uncontrolled, non-enzymatic reaction between proteins and sugars. It significantly alters the structure and function of proteins.
A sugar molecule attaches itself to a protein molecule resulting in the formation of a non-functioning glycated protein called Advanced Glycation End products or AGEs. Research has implicated AGEs in most of the diseases associated with aging like:
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Cancer
- Heart Disease
- Type II Diabetes
- Kidney Disorders
- Atherosclerosis
- High Blood Pressure
- Stroke
- Visual Impairment
- Skin Disorders
(If you would prefer to view this information in a video format, then please click on my YouTube video below:)
Because proteins are present throughout the body, the destructive capacity of Advanced Glycation End products is enormous. Understanding how to prevent the formation of AGEs is critical to slowing the aging process and reducing the risk for degenerative diseases.
And this is where you need to understand the damaging effects of sugar.
Especially excessive consumption of sugar.
Carbohydrates, either simple or complex, are absorbed by your body to affect your blood sugar levels. Most of your blood sugar goes to providing the energy your body needs to properly function.
However, a small portion of your blood sugar is glycated to form AGEs.
When your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, then you increase the formation of AGEs.
Over the past 30 years sugar consumption has increased dramatically. Simple sugars like fructose and galactose undergo glycation at about 10 times a higher rate than glucose.
Most sweeteners today are approximately 50% fructose or a fructose derivative.
Although both proteins and sugars are involved in the process of creating Advanced Glycation End products, it is excessive sugar that is the true source of the problem.
With this in mind, the following suggestions are designed to help you reduce the formation of AGEs:
Reduce your consumption of sugar. Over the last 20 years the average yearly sugar consumption per person in the United States has gone from 26 pounds to 135 pounds. That’s over a 500% increase!
Stabilize your blood sugar levels. Learn how to use the Glycemic Index to choose foods that will help keep your blood sugar levels in a normal and healthy range.
Eat vegetables and fruits raw, boiled, or steamed. Remember water prevents sugars from binding to protein molecules. By eating fruits and vegetables raw, or by cooking them in water or with steam, prevents AGEs from forming.
Limit your consumption of processed and browned foods. Food manufacturers use techniques like caramelization and browning to improve the taste of their products. These techniques directly increase the number of Advanced Glycation End products contained in these processed foods.
Cook meats low and slow. Higher cooking temperatures will always produce more AGEs than cooking at lower temperatures for a longer time period. Learning how to use a Croc pot can allow you to make delicious meals while helping to substantially reduce the production of AGEs.
Avoid high fructose corn syrup. Read the ingredient list for all the foods you consume and avoid those with high fructose corn syrup.
Drink water. For many the greatest source of excess sugars are soft drinks. Switching to water eliminates this potential contributor to the formation of AGEs while providing a host of other health benefits.
Stop smoking. Smoking has long been associated with cancer and cardiovascular health concerns. Recent research has shown a significantly higher level of serum AGEs in smokers, and especially diabetic smokers.
If you want to slow down the aging process and reduce your risk for degenerative diseases, then you need to take aim at reducing your consumption and production of AGEs.
This is especially important if you’re diabetic or borderline diabetic. Remember it is sugar, and its various forms, that create the potential for AGEs.
Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!
Dan Hammer
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