“You are what you eat” has been a catch phrase since I was a child… but new research from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City suggests it’s not only what you eat but how hot you cook it that matters. Subjecting certain foods to prolonged high heat — not only for frying, but also for grilling, roasting, broiling or baking — creates toxic, inflammatory particles. These, in turn, cause the oxidation and inflammation in the body that are associated with such diseases as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease and others.

Called advanced glycation end products (AGEs), these toxic particles adhere to the arteries, kidneys, brain and joints, where they heighten inflammation. Our typical Western diet, heavy on meat and processed foods and light on plant-based foods, is believed by many scientists to contain at least three times more AGEs than is considered safe.

Good News from this Study

It’s always exciting when research reveals a way to avoid a common health problem — and this new study does just that. According to the researchers, you can achieve dramatic and quick benefit — within just days — by reducing your intake of AGE-containing foods. Doing this decreases the body’s level of inflammation and helps restore its defenses against disease.

The study divided 350-plus participants into three groups — healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 45… an older healthy group, all past age 60… and nine patients with chronic kidney disease (the kidneys are believed to be especially sensitive to AGEs). Participants were randomly assigned to eat either a regular Western diet in which foods were grilled, fried or baked (in other words, loaded with AGEs) or what the researchers called “the AGE-less diet,” which included the same foods, only poached, boiled or steamed so that they contained only about half as many AGEs. The two diets were similar in calories and nutrients. After four months, all participants on the AGE-less diet showed a 60% decline in blood levels of AGEs as well as in several other inflammation markers. According to the study’s lead author, Helen Vlassara, MD, professor and director of the division of experimental diabetes and aging at Mount Sinai, this indicates that your actual chronological age may not be as significant a factor in aging and health as the AGEs in your food. A finding that’s even more impressive: The patients with kidney disease had a similarly substantial reduction after just one month on the AGE-less diet.

The Heat Is On…

I asked Dr. Vlassara to explain to me how the AGEs get into foods. They develop as a chemical reaction when heat is combined with protein and different sugars, she said — and she noted that meat-rich diets are especially bad, since meats contain high levels of easily oxidizable fat and protein.

There is a third point that is crucial to understand — which is that removing all visible fat when you cook meats doesn’t solve the problem. All cells in meats contain not only fat and proteins, but also sugars — some more reactive than others. Therefore, exposure to high heat will still cause AGEs to form in meat at much higher levels than in starch even if you cut away the visible fat. In fact, Dr. Vlassara told me that when you see meat brown while cooking, what you’re witnessing is the rapid reaction among proteins, fats and those reactive sugars to the heat. And, since they are also animal products, when they are cooked, full-fat milk and cheese also develop high levels of AGEs.

Even worse, manufacturers often add AGE-containing flavor-enhancers or coloring (such as caramel) to processed and packaged foods. You may be surprised to learn that a major offender in this category is dark-colored soda. Generally speaking, fast foods and processed/packaged foods also tend to be high in AGEs, which gives us yet another reason to avoid them.

Avoiding AGEs

The good news is, it’s not all that difficult to reduce the amount of AGEs in your diet, Dr. Vlassara said. It just requires making some modest changes in the way you prepare food. Her suggestions…

Meats

• Marinate in an acid-based mixture (such as vinegar or lemon juice) before cooking, which helps reduce the amount of AGEs produced by heat. Note: Avoid marinades containing sugar, such as most barbecue and teriyaki sauces.

• Aim to serve meats rare to medium rare if possible — for instance, cooking pork to just beyond pink. This is admittedly a balancing act — you want to cook as briefly as possible to minimize development of AGEs, but undercooking carries its own set of dangers.

• To achieve a brown finish to meats, Dr. Vlassara suggests cooking on your stovetop with a cover to conserve moisture, and then placing the meat under the broiler for just a few minutes at the end.

• Use as little fat as possible — as Dr. Vlassara points out, even healthy olive oil oxidizes at high heat.

• Water inhibits the formation of AGEs, so poaching, stewing, steaming or even boiling proteins is best (including fish and eggs).

Dairy and Other Foods

• Avoid bringing dairy products to high temperatures — for instance, when using milk in sauces or when melting cheese under a broiler. Dr. Vlassara said the less time these foods cook, the better. She added that lower temperatures are preferable, as is increased distance from the heat source.

• Brief microwaving produces a lower level of AGEs than broiling, grilling or stovetop cooking, so this is a great way to cook liquids.

• Plant-based proteins also create dangerous levels of AGEs when subject to very high heat for long periods — so be aware that there are dangers to even seemingly healthy foods like broiled tofu or roasted nuts.

what about restaurant food?

Fortunately, the increasingly popular Mediterranean Diet uses lots of foods with low AGEs (including fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains), so it once again ranks among the healthiest ways that you can eat. This not only provides a good framework for eating at home, it also suggests a wide variety of delicious, healthful, low-AGE dishes that you can order in restaurants. But Dr. Vlassara noted that cooking even these foods at high heat with low hydration is problematic, so there’s no way around it — cooking at high temperatures is not so hot for your health.

Source(s):

Helen Vlassara, MD, is professor of geriatrics, medicine and molecular medicine, director, division of experimental diabetes and aging, department of geriatric and palliative medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City.

There are plenty of articles out there about what to do to make your skin look young again. But what if you still have it? How do young women keep their skin looking the way it is now well into the future? The following five easy tips can help you keep your youthful glow.

1. Use Sunscreen, Never Tan. It’s hard for young women to resist the warm glow that a few hours of tanning can bring. But the damage that it does beneath the surface accumulates over time–ultimately leaving the skin dull and thin. By the time premature aging becomes evident, significant amounts of damage has taken place below the surface. Rather than a week of beauty, think of long-term beauty. If you really want to give your skin an added glow, try shimmering lotions and makeups. Or, for a darker look, try artificial tanners (but be careful, they can sometimes leave you looking more orange than tan). Don’t forget that you can experience the damaging effects of the sun even if you aren’t deliberately trying to tan. Make applying sunscreen part of your daily routine. Purchasing moisturizers with sunscreen already in them can help. Remember, only 15 minutes of sun exposure each day provides you with the vitamin D you need to stay healthy.

2. Eat the Right Foods. You’ve always heard the phrase “You are what you eat” and that is exactly right when talking about your skin! What you eat is not just relevant to your weight. It also affects the health of your skin. Clinical studies have shown that eating diets rich in fatty acids and antioxidants can help skin retain its youthful appearance. Foods good for your skin include fish, vegetables, whole grains and fruits including all kinds of berries. Antioxidants in the diet may help reduce the appearance of age
spots. Fatty acids are one of the components of metabolic processes within the body that are also integral to the maintenance of healthy skin. Making these foods a part of your daily diet can benefit you for years to come.

3. Clean and Moisturize! Don’t neglect your skin. For normal skin, a gentle daily cleanser is all you need. Using a washcloth needlessly pulls and tears at the skin. Cleanse your skin with your fingers using gentle, circular motions, paying particular attention not to stretch the delicate eye area. Moisturizing the skin is also important to protect it from the effects of the elements including wind, pollution, and sun (if it is a sunscreen moisturizure). Not only does it protect the skin from the outside, but also helps it to retain its natural moisture from the inside. Keep in mind that spending a lot of money is not necessary. If your skin is oily or you have a problem with acne, use products designed specifically for your skin type. You may want to consult a dermatologist to seek prescription treatments. Never attempt to pop your pimples. This will increase the size of your pores and possibly cause scaring.

Essentially, if your skin is young, value it! Taking simple precautionary steps can help keep it that way. Think of the benefits of having healthy skin in the future. Use sunscreen, eat healthy, and following a daily skin regimine. You don’t need alot of money to keep your skin healthy. All it takes is common sense and good lifestyles choices.

For more info on Healthy Eating visit:
http://www.bruisedonion.com/guide/healthy%20eating/