Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. High temperature broiling and frying of foods produces higher blood levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) than low temperature steaming and boiling of foods.
According to the latest statistics from the American Diabetes Association, 29.1 million Americans were diabetic in 2012. Of those, approximately 1.25 million American children and adults had type 1 diabetes. Also, of the 29.1 million, 21.0 million were diagnosed, and 8.1 million were undiagnosed. 1
Diabetes is an independent risk factor for both cardiovascular and heart disease deaths. In fact, death rates from these diseases is 5 times higher in men with diabetes compared to non-diabetic men. 2,3.
This has placed a premium on maintaining blood vessel health as a way to improve the quality of life for those with diabetes 4.
Maintaining blood vessel health can be significantly controlled through the diet, specifically the effect of heated foods on blood vessel health. Heating foods, particularly foods high in protein and fat, induces a chemical change called advanced glycation end products (AGEs) 5,6. Those with type 2 diabetes are known to have blood levels of advanced glycation end products higher than those without type 2 diabetes 7, so limiting intake of advanced glycation end products may benefit blood vessel health in type 2 diabetics.
In a 2007 study 8, 20 type 2 diabetic patients (14 men, 6 women, ages 53 to 57 were fed either a meal classified as “low-advanced glycation endproduct meal” or a “high-advanced glycation endproduct meal”. The meal for both groups provided 580 calories with 54 grams protein, 17 g fat, 48 g carbohydrate, 60 mg cholesterol, and 10 g fiber (200 grams chicken breast, 250 grams potatoes, 100 grams carrots, 200 g tomatoes, 15 g vegetable oil) but differed in how long the meal was cooked. The high-glycation meal was fried or broiled at 230 degree Celsius for 20 minutes (producing 15.1 killiUnits of advanced glycation endproducts) while the low-glycation meal was steamed or boiled at 100 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes (producing 2.75 kU advanced glycation endproducts).
Before meal consumption and 2, 4, and 6 hours afterwards, the researchers obtained blood samples and administered tests to determine various measures of blood vessel health.
They noted the following effects of high and low glycation meals on flow-mediated dilation, a measure of how effective a blood vessel can relax 9. A greater decrease in flow-mediated dilatation indicates greater damage to blood vessel health:
| 2 hours Post-meal | p - value | 4 hours Post-meal | p - value | 6 hours Post-meal | p - value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-Glycation Meal | 31.8% decrease | < 0.001 | 36.2% decrease | < 0.001 | 23.4% decrease | < 0.001 |
| Low-Glycation Meal | 20.1% decrease | < 0.001 | 20.9% decrease | < 0.001 | 7% decrease | < 0.001 |
In addition, those in the low-glycation group also had significantly less cell damage after their meal, a measurement called TBARS 10, compared to the high-glycation group (though statistical significance was not reached in the 2-hour reading for the low-glycation group.
| 2 hours | p - value | 4 hours | p - value | 6 hours | p - value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-Glycation Meal | 22.9% increase | < 0.001 | 9.4% decrease | < 0.001 | 13.3% decrease | < 0.001 |
| Low-Glycation Meal | 6.1% increase | > 0.001 | 21.5% decrease | < 0.001 | 23.4% decrease | < 0.001 |
For the researches, “the current study showed that the same meal cooked under different conditions had different effects on vascular function and oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes” and that “a simple dietetic intervention, which does not necessarily mean deprivation of certain foods, but only the preferred use of low AGE-producing culinary techniques (boiling, poaching, or stewing), could represent an attractive prevention alternative to pharmacologic approaches.”
Source: Negrean, Monica, et al. “Effects of low-and high-advanced glycation endproduct meals on macro-and microvascular endothelial function and oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 85.5 (2007): 1236-1243.
© 2007 American Society for Nutrition
Posted April 20, 2017.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- Association AD. Statistics about Diabetes. 2017; Statistics about Diabetes. Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/. Accessed April 13, 2017, 2017.
- Kannel WB, McGee DL. Diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors: the Framingham study. Circulation. 1979;59(1):8-13.
- Stamler J, Vaccaro O, Neaton JD, Wentworth D, Group MRFITR. Diabetes, other risk factors, and 12-yr cardiovascular mortality for men screened in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial. Diabetes care. 1993;16(2):434-444.
- Celermajer DS. Endothelial dysfunction: does it matter? Is it reversible? Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 1997;30(2):325-333.
- Cai W, Gao Q-D, Zhu L, Peppa M, He C, Vlassara H. Oxidative stress-inducing carbonyl compounds from common foods: novel mediators of cellular dysfunction. Molecular Medicine. 2002;8(7):337.
- Ahmed N. Advanced glycation endproducts—role in pathology of diabetic complications. Diabetes research and clinical practice. 2005;67(1):3-21.
- Kilhovd BK, Giardino I, Torjesen P, et al. Increased serum levels of the specific AGE-compound methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone in patients with type 2 diabetes. Metabolism. 2003;52(2):163-167.
- Negrean M, Stirban A, Stratmann B, et al. Effects of low-and high-advanced glycation endproduct meals on macro-and microvascular endothelial function and oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007;85(5):1236-1243.
- Celermajer DS, Sorensen KE, Gooch V, et al. Non-invasive detection of endothelial dysfunction in children and adults at risk of atherosclerosis. The lancet. 1992;340(8828):1111-1115.
- Mäkimattila S, Liu M-L, Vakkilainen J, et al. Impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation in type 2 diabetes. Relation to LDL size, oxidized LDL, and antioxidants. Diabetes care. 1999;22(6):973-981.
