When sugar mixes with protein or, more specifically, the amino acids that are the building blocks of protein, they form compounds called Advanced Glycation End products or AGEs for short.

AGEs are formed inside your body and can also be present in the food you eat and are linked to several chronic, degenerative diseases including cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, deteriorating eyesight, joint pain and diabetes as well as premature cellular degeneration – that’s aging to you and me.

What is Glycation?

When sugar glycates (reacts without the need for a chemical enzyme) with an amino acid, the resulting AGEs produce a large number of molecules called free radicals.  In the simplest of terms, a free radical is a molecule that has an unpaired electron in its outer shell.  This results in a highly volatile and reactive molecule that trawls around your body causing serious damage to any cells it comes into contact with.  This cellular damage results in inflammation.  Free radicals are not isolated molecules operating alone – they are usually present in large numbers and roam freely around your body causing havoc wherever they go.

What is inflammation?

If you scratch your skin hard enough with your nail, a few moments later a red welt will appear – an example of inflammation.  With time, the welt disappears leaving no trace. However, if you scratch yourself in the same place again, you will get the same reaction.  Keep scratching and you could end up damaging your skin to such a degree you create a scar.

Now, imagine that same inflammation on the inside of your blood vessels, in your heart and even your brain, not caused by a scratching nail but by of AGEs.  Unlike the occasional or accidental scratch from a nail, this inflammation can last days, weeks, months or even years depending on how much and how often you are exposed to AGEs.

Like repeated scratching can lead to a scar, long term exposure to free radicals can cause severe damage to cells, tissues and vital organs.  For example, free radicals can cause damage to the inside of your arteries which results in a build up of plaque, hindering blood flow going to your heart and can eventually cause a heart attack.

Avoiding AGEs

There are several steps you can take to avoid AGEs and the free radicals and inflammation that they cause…

• Reduce your intake of refined sugars.  All carbohydrate foods contain some sugar but refined sugars are much more reactive and therefore more likely to result in the formation of AGEs.  Refined sugars are commonly added to breakfast cereals, cookies, cakes, regular (not diet) soda and ready to eat meals.  A typical serving of soda can contain as much as 40 grams (around 1.5 ounces) of refined sugar!  It’s best to keep your sugar intake below 50 grams (around 2.0 ounces per day).

• Limit your intake of fruit.  Fruit is healthy because it contains lots of vitamins and minerals but it also contains a lot of fructose – fructose being fruit sugar.  Fructose is nowhere near as reactive and harmful as refined sugar but that doesn’t mean you should eat lots of the stuff.  Restrict your fruit intake to around two servings per day and avoid over-ripe fruit, processed fruit juice, and dried fruit.  Instead, choose organic, locally grown fruit and make your own juice.  The best type of fruit to eat are raw berries.  Berries are low in fructose, high in fiber and very high in anti-oxidants which fight off free radicals.

• Avoid overcooking foods.  Food that is overcooked contains a high number of AGEs.  The more browned the food is, the higher the number of AGEs.  High cooking temperatures damages both the amino acid and the sugar in foods and while you might enjoy a well-cooked strip of crispy bacon, those tasty morsels are doing you more harm than good.  To prevent overcooking your food, turn the heat down and cook it more slowly, use a slower cooker instead and stay away from frying or grilling too much.  And if you do happen to barbecue try not to char the food too much.

• One effective way to fight off free radicals is by consuming foods high in anti-oxidants. As I mentioned earlier raw berries is a great free radical fighting food.  But more impressive is dark green leafy vegetables…especially kale.  Kale is a super food that is super high in anti-oxidants and can really help you combat some of the effects of AGEs.

There is an impressive and conclusive body of evidence confirming that AGEs are the cause of a large number of otherwise avoidable health issues as well as premature aging.  Populations that are known for their longevity are exposed to far fewer AGEs and not only live longer but enjoy much less illness.  A diet low in refined sugar, rich in lightly cooked food and high in anti-oxidant rich vitamins and minerals is arguably your best defense against AGEs.