Glycation (Bad) P
icture what would happen if, instead of gasoline, you filled your car’s gas tank with sugar. It’s not the right fuel, will likely ‘gum up’ and mess up the functionality of the engine, and your car won’t go as far as fast, if it even goes at all. This is what high levels of blood sugar can do to our bodies. When blood sugar is very high, has nowhere to go, and your body isn’t working well enough to get it out of the blood stream, it starts to stick to things it doesn’t belong on. Red blood cells have lots of proteins and those proteins flow easily and effortlessly in the blood stream. But when sugar gloms onto those proteins, they get “sticky” and it gets harder for them to move, particularly into smaller vessels like capillaries. This is one of the reasons we see diabetics experience trouble with their eyes, kidneys, and big toes. These areas are all fed by tiny capillaries. When blood sugar is constantly elevated, it sticks onto these proteins (this is called GLYCATION), and you end up with sticky blood that doesn’t flow easily through small openings. Glycated proteins form clusters called AGEs (Advance Glycation End-Products). We want to reduce these. One of the most effective ways to reduce glycation and the stickiness in our blood stream is to not get our blood sugar so high. This is most easily accomplished by eating a low-carb diet.
Glycation affects all of the organs and tissues in our bodies. Glycation of the structural protein collagen in the heart can lead to heart failure. In bone, this can
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increase the risk of fractures. When glycation occurs to the protein elastin in the wall of the aorta, this can result in stiffness and high blood pressure. Glycation of proteins in the brain such as the beta amyloid protein increases the formation of the plaques which are the cause of Alzheimer’s Disease. Glycation of proteins in the eye changes their shape and can reduce vision and lead to cataract formation. Glycation of certain growth factors can decrease healing with age. The presence of AGEs can trigger inflammatory reactions from the immune system, increasing chronic inflammation in the body. The glycation of enzymes decreases enzyme function, which can lead the body to produce fewer antioxidants increasing oxidative stress within the body. This is like rusting from the inside out.
Glycations causes proteins and lipids to no longer function and even to become harmful to your body. The good news is that while you can’t stop glycation entirely, there are some ways to reduce the AGE load in your body. In fact, diet is the biggest contributor of AGEs. 1.
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AGEs can also form in foods. Foods that have been exposed to high temperatures and dry heat, such as grilling, roasting, baking, frying, sautéing, broiling, searing, and toasting tend to be very high in AGEs. Choose cooking methods like boiling, steaming, poaching, and low temp cooking that don’t brown the foods. Browning is a reaction between proteins and sugar. Even if your diet appears to be reasonably healthy, you may consume an unhealthy amount of harmful AGEs just because of the way you’re cooking your food.
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Light exercise can help reduce sugar stores by burning through excess sugar for energy.
Heart disease, Alzheimer’s, bad vision, reduced circulation . . . these are all symptoms we generally regard as a normal part of aging, but by reducing sugar in our blood stream, we can delay or avoid many of these problems.
Glycation is the abnormal binding of glycans that damage cellular organs and contribute to disease.
Reduce sugar intake to as close to zero as possible. Sugar feeds glycation. This means cutting out carbs that metabolize into sugar (bread, pasta, crackers, alcohol) and refined carbs. Read labels to find where sugar is “hidden” in dairy alternatives, sauces, marinades, etc.
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Certain vitamins can help prevent glycation and help reverse the damage of AGEs. Benfotiamine (B1 derivative) and B6 found in poultry, fish, and organ meats can trap the products of sugar break-down before glycation occurs.
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Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and can help fight against glycation, which is why it’s found in most supplements.
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