Does Cooking AGE your Skin?

As a follow up to my post Eat Your Way to Fewer Wrinkles, below is information related to glycation, the process that causes premature aging and wrinkles.

According to Your Skin, Younger, written by Alan Logan, et. al, eating a diet high in sugars (from fruit juices, sodas, candy, and simple carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, potatoes, bread products, and cereal) is not the only contributor to glycation, which causes premature aging and wrinkles!

The way we cook our foods is also wreaking havoc on our skin, reversing the positive effects of eating right—and every chemical peel you’ve done. If you already know that you can't possibly change your diet or cooking methods, anti-glycations serums are available.

When we cook foods with high and/or dry heat, such as grilling, frying, sautéing, and roasting, we are creating advanced glycation end-products, or aptly named AGEs. These AGEs bind with collagen and cause cross-linking; the result is the loss of elasticity and the creation of wrinkles.

AGEs breakfast foods

So that browning on my sautéed onions and peppers is really a bad thing, even though it tastes sooooo good. Any time you see brown on something you’ve cooked, you are looking at AGEs. Some foods high in AGEs mentioned in the book are roasted meats, such as chicken and vegetables, sautéed vegetables, grilled meats and vegetables, pan- and deep-fried meats and vegetables.

AGEs in snacks

The authors suggest steaming, boiling, simmering, and/or stewing meats and vegetables to reduce AGEs.

They also suggest replacing all refined grains with whole grain products. If you’d like a list of the most common, see my post Eat Your Way to Fewer Wrinkles. The authors also provide a list of foods for comparison:

AGEs in meats

Again, if you can't change your diet or cooking methods, anti-glycation serums are available.  Here are a couple of options:

Life Extension Anti-glycation serum 1 oz: $18.00

Dr. Brandt Lineless Anti-glycation Serum 1.5 oz: $90.00