Dietary AGEs as Exogenous Boosters of Inflammation?

Dear Colleagues,
Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) are a heterogeneous family of compounds derived from the heat-catalyzed nonenzymatic reaction of reducing sugars with amino groups belonging to proteins. This set of chemical rearrangements comprises the so-called Maillard reaction. This reaction is essential for food chemistry, increasing palatability and rendering specific organoleptic properties to food, being part of the browning process. The same reaction also takes place, at a slower pace, in our bodies, controlled by glycemia and protein turnover. The accumulation of endogenous AGEs has been involved in several health problems, ranging from aging to the chronic complications of diabetes, some of them linked to inflammation.

Interestingly, exogenously produced AGEs employ the same transducers as endogenous AGEs, thereby stimulating the above-referenced processes’ pathogenesis. Significantly, though, these exogenous insult agents can be modulated by culinary and dietary practices, diminishing the inflammation burden. In this review, the authors will present scientific evidence for AGE-rich diets’ potential involvement as modifiable risk factors in non-communicable, highly prevalent diseases. This involvement is based on the pathogenic point of view, on the stimulation of inflammatory pathways. Therefore, the knowledge of this phenomenon constitutes novel leverage for better dietary advice to control non-communicable diseases.

Dr. Manuel Portero-Otín
Guest Editor

Dr. Jaime Uribarri

Co-Guest Editor

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