Can "anti-glycation" really delay aging? A dietitian helps you avoid pitfalls

In recent years, the concept of "anti-glycation" has gradually become popular, especially by some beauty lovers. It sounds like a high-tech method to slow down aging that has emerged after skin care secrets such as "antioxidant", "collagen supplementation", and "inhibition of melanin production". In order to meet this demand, the merchants in the market have launched a variety of products that are known to be resistant to sugarization, including oral health care products, as well as cosmetics such as facial cleansers, lotions, and masks for external use. There are even those who understand the extension of anti-glycation as a "sugar-off" or "carb-breaking" diet in pursuit of a more comprehensive and thorough anti-glycation effect.

Courtesy of Visual China

So, what exactly is anti-glycation? Can anti-glycation products really delay aging? Let's listen to what Yu Yongchao, a nutritionist at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, said.

(1) The saccharification reaction may induce a variety of chronic diseases

Saccharification, commonly referred to as "glycation", refers to a non-enzymatic chemical reaction between a reducing sugar (such as glucose) and a protein, lipid, or nucleic acid.

This concept may seem obscure, but its phenomenon is very common in life, that is, the chemical principle of food producing browning and enticing aroma during high-temperature cooking processes such as toasting bread and toasting steamed buns. This phenomenon was first discovered by the French chemist Maillard in 1912, so this chemical reaction process is also known as the "Maillard reaction".

Many people may ask, if this is saccharification, then saccharification is very good, with saccharification, food is more fragrant and more delicious. But as mentioned earlier, the glycation reaction is a non-enzymatic chemical reaction. Pay special attention to the condition of "non-enzymatic", under normal circumstances, the organism can combine sugar and protein in an orderly manner under the catalysis of specific enzymes, carry out glycosylation modification of proteins, and generate more functionally rich glycoproteins necessary for life activities, which belongs to the glycosylation modification effects involved in enzymes, which is a good thing. And what we call "glycation", which is not involved in the enzyme, is a bad thing.

The glycation reaction occurs not only quickly during cooking at high temperatures, but also slowly under body temperature conditions. Glucose, proteins and other molecules in the blood, tissue fluid, and cells undergo a series of complex chemical reactions that eventually produce a large class of substances called advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs).

The term "terminal product of late glycation" sounds strange, but it is not unknown, because the earliest discovery of such substances is glycosylated hemoglobin in diabetics. Studies have shown that advanced glycosylated end products are one of the pathogenesis of a variety of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and its complications, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease.

It accumulates extensively in tissues, accumulating more in proteins with longer renewal cycles, such as collagen in bones and skin, which can then affect the normal physiological function of proteins, such as causing mechanical support strength to decrease. In addition, it is not only directly harmful because of its own biological characteristics, but also can indirectly play a harmful role by binding to specific receptors on the cell surface, generating regulatory signals, continuously promoting inflammation or inducing oxidative stress.

In fact, in the human body, the terminal products of late glycation are generated all the time, and are mainly excreted through the kidneys with the degradation of glycated proteins, objectively maintaining a dynamic balance. When the human body ages or suffers from diabetes, its excretion will slow down or its production will be accelerated, and then gradually accumulate in the body. Scientific studies have shown that glycated collagen, one of the end products of late glycation, is generally first observed at the age of 20 and accumulates at a rate of about 3.7% per year, with an increase of up to 30%-50% at the age of 80.

(2) The accumulation of glycation is also a feature of skin aging

The skin is easier to observe than other internal organ tissues, so there is a general concern about the relationship between skin problems and glycation reactions. Studies have also confirmed that whether it is aging or diabetes factors, the content of advanced glycosylation end products in the skin has been significantly increased, in other words, the accumulation of advanced glycosylation terminal products in the skin is a typical feature of skin aging.

When the accumulation of terminal products of late glycosylation in the skin increases, on the one hand, it can lead to functional disorders such as collagen and elastin between cells, such as decreased toughness and elasticity; on the other hand, it can reduce the proliferation of dermal cells and promote their apoptosis, and induce premature aging of keratinocytes, resulting in darker and rougher skin.

However, although the accumulation of late glycosylated end products is associated with skin aging, the causal relationship has not been clarified. In fact, factors such as sun exposure, smoking, and diet may be involved in the correlation between the glycation reaction and skin aging through mechanisms such as oxidative stress or inflammation.

Ultraviolet rays in sunlight mainly damage the skin by promoting inflammation, apoptosis, oxidative damage and other mechanisms. Studies have pointed out that in young people, the skin did not observe significant accumulation of late glycosylation end products when doing sun protection, while areas of skin exposed to sunlight showed a significant increase in deposition, indicating that ultraviolet radiation can promote the formation of advanced glycosylation terminal products in the body.

Smoking is a typical aggravating factor in skin aging. Smoking accelerates the formation of terminal products of late glycation in the skin and increases their deposition in various tissues, including the skin.

Another important factor in aging is diet. The content of the end products of late glycation in foods depends heavily on processing methods such as cooking time and temperature. In general, fried foods contain more late glycosylated end products than boiled or steamed foods. Studies have shown that about 10%-30% of the late glycosylated end products ingested from food are absorbed by the body and enter the blood circulation.

(3) Do health care products claim that anti-glycation is reliable?

From the perspective of the mechanism of anti-glycation, reducing the generation of late glycosylation end products or promoting their degradation, or antagonizing the receptors of late glycosylation end products, are all intervention directions worth exploring. However, whether limited by efficacy or safety, there is currently no specific drug available with sufficient evidence in clinical studies.

However, in terms of nutrition, we have some ideas that may be effective in anti-glycation, mainly through antioxidant or anti-inflammatory to achieve indirectly.

Some of these ingredients are antioxidants, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, α-lipoic acid, N-acetylcysteine, selenium, flavonoids, blueberry extracts, quercetin and rutin; some can maintain normal skin metabolism, such as niacinamide, pyridoxine, zinc and manganese; some flavors and herbs containing phenols have also been shown in in vitro experiments to inhibit the glycosylation of albumin, including ginger, cinnamon, cloves, marjoram, rosemary and tarragon.

Although the vast majority of the above nutrients or functional ingredients are still in the stage of in vitro experiments or animal experiments, the safety is more guaranteed, so some merchants are guided by anti-glycation effects and "creatively" arrange and combine various formula products.

For example, a brand of anti-sugar capsules, the main ingredients are α - lipoic acid, chromium, cinnamon, copper, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C, biotin and so on. Merchants claim that α-lipoic acid and cinnamon can accelerate glucose metabolism, thereby reducing sugar-collagen binding; vitamin C and copper can promote collagen synthesis; and zinc, vitamin A and biotin can help antioxidants.

At first glance, this is a multi-faceted joint anti-glycation, but it is not difficult to think carefully, is this not equivalent to encouraging people to eat some of each food, do not be picky eaters? At most, an additional daily supplement is given as a supplementary supplement of one additional microvitamin tablet. This scene is similar to putting milk, eggs, and tofu instead of eating, but keen to choose "tall" protein powder.

Therefore, the actual effect of such products is difficult to clarify the anti-aging effect due to the lack of sufficient clinical research evidence, and it is difficult to fully convince people that it is "anti-aging through anti-glycation" due to the mixture of multiple interfering factors.

As for whether it is worth spending a high price to buy such goods, it can only be frugal and frugal, according to their own spending power.

(4) "Low carbon water" and "broken carbon water" are not advisable

So, is there a relatively feasible anti-glycation method that costs less money? We can analyze the analysis.

First of all, it should be understood that the so-called "sugar abstinence" refers to abstaining from free sugar, such as white sugar, glucose, fructose, etc. In the diet, it is necessary to minimize the consumption of added sugar, that is, eat less sweets or drink less sugary drinks. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016), it is advisable to limit the intake of added sugars daily, not more than 50 grams per day, preferably within 25 grams.

In order to reduce glucose in the body, some people adopt a low-carb water diet, or even a carbless water diet, which has a great health risk. More than half of the body's daily energy needs are provided by carbohydrates. And less waste is produced in carbohydrate metabolism than proteins and fats, and the metabolic burden on the liver and kidneys is lighter. If there are almost no carbohydrates in food, then skin cells are not only facing insufficient energy and causing collagen to renew slowly, but also more prone to apoptosis due to too many harmful metabolites such as ketone bodies and ammonia in the body. Maybe after tossing and turning, the skin is worse.

We recommend choosing more suitable carbohydrates and replacing refined grain staples such as rice and white noodles with staple foods such as whole grains, coarse grains or potatoes to reduce the production of late glycosylated end products by stabilizing blood sugar fluctuations.

Second, try to use healthy cooking or food processing methods, avoid high temperature frying, choose steaming stew, etc. In this way, it can reduce the late glycosylation end products in food, and can also reduce some harmful substances produced by high temperatures, which helps to delay aging from the inside out and protect health.

In addition, you should also develop some well-known healthy living habits, such as sun protection, avoid smoking or second-hand smoke, maintain adequate sleep and a healthy weight, which are conducive to reducing the level of late glycosylation end products in the body.

While we all want aging to come more slowly, scientifically speaking, aging is a natural process, at least not at the moment. Moreover, excessive anxiety and anxiety for this reason may accelerate aging. Therefore, from the root cause, it is also necessary to correctly understand aging and coexist with aging.

Source Beijing Daily Client | Reporter Wang Dan

Edited by Wang Haiping

Process Editor Wu Yue