In the battle to slow the aging process you need to take aim at Advanced Glycation End products commonly referred to in the scientific community as AGEs. This article will help you understand how AGEs are formed , what impact they have on aging, and how they contribute to degenerative diseases. To start we need to focus on proteins and sugar.

Proteins are formed from amino acids and are essential for life. They serve two critical roles.

First, they provide structure for the body. One such structural protein is collagen, which accounts for approximately one third of your body’s total protein. It’s found in skin, muscles, organs and vascular structures. And it provides elasticity and cohesion to these structures.

Second, proteins provide function in the form of enzymes that enable all life-sustaining biochemical reactions to occur within your body.

Sugar is a simple carbohydrate. It provides energy for your cells.

When properly controlled, proteins and sugars can interact without causing any damage to the body.

What are Advanced Glycation End Products?

As you age your structural proteins are damaged by a process known as glycation. This process is an uncontrolled, non-enzymatic reaction between proteins and sugars to significantly alter the structure and function of proteins.

In this process a sugar molecule attaches itself to a protein molecule resulting in the formation of a non-functioning glycated protein called Advanced Glycation End products or AGEs. Research over the last 30 years has implicated AGEs in most of the diseases associated with aging like: Read More →