Plant-based diet leads to greater reduction in harmful dietary advanced glycation end-products than diet with meat and dairy
Eating a plant-based diet reduces inflammatory dietary advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) by 79%, compared to a 15% reduction for a diet that includes meat and dairy products, according to a new study by researchers with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine published in Obesity Science & Practice. The decrease in AGEs was associated with an average weight loss of 14 pounds and improved insulin sensitivity.?Simply swapping fatty meat and dairy products for a low-fat plant-based diet led to a significant decrease in advanced glycation end-products?inflammatory compounds found to a greater degree in animal products than plants,? says lead study author Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. ?The decrease in AGEs was also associated with weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity.?AGEs are compounds that are formed in the bloodstream when proteins or fats combine with glucose. AGEs cause inflammation and oxidative stress, which eventually lead to chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.AGEs may be ingested through the diet, and animal products are generally higher in AGEs than plant foods. AGEs are also formed during normal metabolism but are formed at an increased rate when a person has metabolic syndrome?high blood sugar, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance.In the study, 244 participants who were overweight we...
