This Causes So Much Disease

Some people go to great lengths to stay healthy. They will put themselves through intense workout regimens, they’ll get regular checkups at the doctor, they’ll do advanced skin care routines every single night, but none of these things will get the same results as one simple thing: reducing the AGEs in your diet. AGE is an acronym that stands for advanced glycation end products, and just like the acronym might imply nothing is more responsible for speeding up the aging process than this compound. Yet more than that, it is also responsible for greatly contributing to neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, and as you might expect, autoimmune disorders. Let’s briefly dive into what these AGEs are and how to make sure you’re avoiding them.

What Are AGEs?

AGEs are sticky, highly oxidized compounds that form when sugars in your bloodstream react with proteins or fats, and they collect in our tissues over time and cause significant, often irreversible damage. Due to our modern, highly processed, and meat-rich diet we have been getting a massive excess of AGEs from our food products but it can also be found in plant-based foods as well. Foods that are high in fat and protein, even plant based foods like nuts, are prone to new AGE formation especially while cooking in dry heat. Over time, AGEs will accumulate in your tissues and organs, accelerating the aging process and greatly contributing to chronic illness.

For example, we have numerous studies that show many who have died from Alzheimer’s disease had very high accumulations of AGEs in their brain plaques as well as their cerebrospinal fluid. This is far from the only case as we see this regularly in other neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s as well. Something that may be very relevant to my readers is also how AGEs are now being used as primary biomarkers in autoimmune conditions such as Lupus. AGEs play a major role in inducing the chronic inflammatory pathways that lead to major malfunctions and disease of the immune system. These need to be avoided at all costs.

Removing AGEs is Simple

Now that we know that AGEs are toxic substances that form from ultra processed foods or cooking foods high in fat or protein in dry heat, we have a good idea of how to structure our diet to minimize them.

1) Abstain from animal products which are already inflammatory and high in both protein and fat.

2) Abstain from all highly processed and ultra processed packaged foods, fast foods, as well as obvious bad habits such as drinking and smoking (this contributes as well).

3) Plant-based foods that are high in proteins and fats such as nuts should not be roasted, grilled, or otherwise cooked in dry heat. These will also form AGEs.

If you adopt a balanced, whole-food, plant-based diet and are careful to not cook your proteins and fats in dry heat, you'll be cutting out this silent killer at the source.

God Bless,

Mercy Ballard