Chennai: Ultra-processed and fried foods which are rich in advanced glycation end products (AGEs) lead to chronic inflammation in the body, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, showed a government funded study.
The first of its kind study in India, by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, an ICMR Centre for Advanced Research in Diabetes, revealed that low AGE diets could be a potential strategy to reduce diabetes risk. The study funded by the Department of Biotechnology which was published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition last week advocated consuming foods which are healthier and low in AGE.
Dr V Mohan, Chairman of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre explained that the AGEs is formed in the blood.
“But now we know that diet can also play a role in this. So, there are diets which have high AGEs and diets which have low AGEs,” Dr Mohan said. Diets with high AGEs include red meat, french fries and other fried foods, bakery products, paratha, samosa, sugary foods. The low AGEs food include green leafy vegetables, fruits, fish, boiled items and brown rice, Dr Mohan said.
The study also pointed out that cooking methods like frying, roasting and grilling elevate AGE levels, while boiling keeps them in check. The study included 38 overweight and obese adults, aged 25 – 45 years, all of whom had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 23 and above.
The study which observed the participants for several months found that those who followed a low-AGEs diet, their glucose levels and inflammatory markers were lower, Dr Mookambika Ramya Bai, a research scientist at Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and the first author of the study said.
In contrast, those who ate high AGEs foods had higher glucose levels, greater insulin resistance and more inflammatory markers in the blood. The rapid nutrition transition that has occurred in developing countries like India, led to higher intakes of refined carbohydrates, fats, and animal products. This combined with sedentary lifestyle, further increases the prevalence of obesity, diabetes and associated disorders, the study stated.
“The rise in the Diabetes epidemic in India is primarily driven by obesity, physical inactivity and eating of unhealthy diets which are rich in AGEs,” said Dr Mohan.
Prevalence of diabetes, pre-diabetes and obesity is on the rise globally and in India there are currently 101 million individuals with diabetes, the study stated.
Obesity is linked to insulin-resistance, oxidative-stress and inflammation, and thus promotes the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like type 2 diabetes. The prevalence of obesity in India is 40 per cent and overweight/obesity has been linked with higher mortality. Diverse conditions such as diabetes, coronary artery disease and ageing in association with hyperlipidaemia, hyperglycaemia and oxidative stress can augment the levels of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which are invariably seen in those with obesity, the study said.
