What is anti-glycation? Are anti-glycation products a waste of money?

I don’t know when it started, but anti-sugar has become a big trend, blowing from the skin care industry to the health care industry.

Anti-sugar products have also emerged. Various anti-sugar pills and anti-sugar drinks have become the new favorites of "anti-sugar people", and this type of good-selling items have also been added to the shopping lists of purchasing agents.

Not for specific products, pictures are only for examples

But do these so-called anti-sugar products really work?

Let’s first understand what “saccharification” is.

1. What is glycation? The full name of “glycation” is “non-enzymatic glycosylation reaction”, which was discovered by scientist Maillard in 1912.

It was first found in food and later in aging skin and in the bodies of diabetics.

Therefore, "glycation" has another name in food, called "Maillard reaction", which means that sugars and proteins undergo a series of reactions and finally produce brown/black macromolecular products.

Braised pork, toast and fried steak, which are common in our daily life, are typical examples of glycation.

The "Maillard reaction" occurs in the human body and forms advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The continuous accumulation of AGEs can indeed lead to skin aging and some health problems.

Some scientists believe that AGEs may be one of the causes of arteriosclerosis, hypertension and arterial aneurysms. Some studies also believe that Alzheimer's disease and osteoporosis are also related to it.

The skin is the organ that most directly reflects the accumulation of AGEs in the body:

After the collagen in the dermis is saccharified, the elasticity of the collagen fibers decreases, causing the skin to sag and wrinkles to form;

Too much sugar can easily increase the body's male hormones, causing oil secretion and causing acne.

Image source: BBC documentary "The Truth About Beauty"

So the concept of "human glycation" does exist, but extreme anti-glycation is not necessary.

There are several reasons for this:

2. Extreme anti-sugar is unnecessary 1. Glycation is irreversible

AGEs are produced in the body as long as a person is alive. Even if a person does not eat sugar or even carbohydrates, the glycogen stored in the body will be broken down into glucose, and protein and fat will be converted into glucose to maintain blood sugar balance.

Because sugar is a core nutrient necessary for the human body, it produces energy for the human body and helps the body's various functions to function.

2. AGEs can be metabolized by the human body

In fact, the human body has its own mechanism to deal with AGEs, and healthy people can metabolize some AGEs on their own.

People like diabetics and the elderly are prone to increase the synthesis of AGEs and have reduced metabolic capacity, so the people who really need to resist sugar are diabetics and the elderly.

3. There is currently a lack of evidence to support the efficacy of anti-sugar products

The so-called anti-glycation products on the market are basically ordinary cosmetics and health foods, and most of their ingredients are antioxidants.

The anti-sugar effects advertised by merchants are neither supported by medical evidence nor verified by clinical effects.

Although studies have found that certain chemical ingredients can reduce the synthesis of AGEs, there are currently no officially approved health products or drugs for "anti-glycation".

So don’t be too superstitious about the anti-sugar products on the market.

3. How to deal with glycation: Although glycation is irreversible and sugar is an essential component of our human body, we can reduce the synthesis of AGEs by improving our lifestyle.

1. Eat less or no high-sugar foods

The less sugar you eat, the less AGEs you synthesize.

WHO (World Health Organization) recommends that adults should not consume more than 50 grams of free sugars per day, and preferably no more than 25 grams.

However, the high-sugar foods on the market, such as sugary drinks and desserts, can easily exceed this intake once consumed, and can also cause people to gradually become overweight.

In order to maintain beautiful skin, some female celebrities have been strictly controlling their diet and controlling their intake of desserts for many years.

2. Choose more low GI foods

GI stands for glycemic index (the ratio of food converted into sugar in the body).

Generally speaking, foods with a GI value below 55 are considered low GI foods, and foods with a GI value above 70 are considered high GI foods.

In our daily life, we can try to choose some low GI foods. Low GI foods are generally whole grains, lean meat, vegetables, nuts and so on.

Try changing your staple food from single refined white flour to some whole grains. Eating more omnivorous foods can also improve your ability to regulate blood sugar.

3. Proper exercise

Studies have shown that proper aerobic exercise can also effectively inhibit the harm of AGEs to the body.

Exercise can also improve the body's metabolism and enhance the body's resistance. Why not do it?

4. Take good sun protection

Ultraviolet radiation can stimulate the skin's oxidative stress response, thereby producing AGEs and causing oxidative damage to the skin.

Take good sun protection in daily life, remember to apply sunscreen or wear a hat when going out to prevent photoaging.

Image source: BBC documentary "The Truth About Beauty"

Nowadays, many celebrity bloggers’ recommendations and various marketing campaigns by businesses have gradually demonized the concept of "sugarization", and everyone has begun to resist and quit sugar.

However, the glycation reaction is irreversible, and sugar is also necessary for our human body. We need to face up to glycation and treat it scientifically, rather than blindly cutting off sugar, quitting carbohydrates, and buying anti-sugar products. This will not only make the body unbearable, but also empty the wallet.

References:

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[4] Zhou Mengting, Xu Jun, Ye Liangwei, Zhang Yong. Research progress on the formation, harm, inhibition and effective raw materials of advanced glycation end products (AGEs)[J]. Modern Food, 2019(24):57-59+71.

[5] Lu Shumin. From anti-oxidation to anti-glycation: the next milestone in human anti-aging efforts[J]. Drugs and Humans, 2012, 25(11): 28-30.

[6] Shui Xidi. “The truth about sugar-induced skin glycation”[J]. Medical Aesthetics and Cosmetology, 2018(Z5):73-75.

[7] Liu Xu. We must not let healthy lifestyle become a means for businesses to “deceive” [J]. Food Industry, 2019(12):24-25.

[8] Qian Cheng. Are anti-glycation products really that magical? [J]. Health Expo, 2019(12):62-63.

[9] Taozi. What does anti-glycation mean? [J]. Family Medicine. Happy Health, 2019(07):84-85.