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AGEs and skin

What are AGEs?

Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs) are harmful molecules formed when the blood sugar attaches to certain proteins when you consume food. AGEs accumulate and damages adjacent proteins such as collagen and elastin that keeps the skin firm and elastic.

The damaging effects of AGEs

Collagen and elastin, which is usually springy and resilient, will become dry and brittle due to the damage by AGEs. This results in dry skin, wrinkles and sagging, indicators of aging skin. These effects are observed from age 35 onwards and increases rapidly after that.

Collagen exists in several forms, from types I, II and III, with I being the weakest and III the most stable and lasting. The process of Glycation transforms type III into type I, which make the skin more fragile and prone to wrinkles.

AGEs is also a culprit in deactivating the body’s antioxidant enzymes, leaving it susceptible to sun damage which leads to skin aging.

Prevention of AGE formation

1. Limit sugar intake

Reduce or eliminated additional sugar.
Watch caloric intake
Take note of hidden sugars present in foods. Some of them exist under names like corn syrup, dextrose, juice concentrate, maltose, molasses, barley malt and turbinado, etc
Avoid high fructose corn syrup which is a type of sweetener. It is thought to produce higher amounts of AGEs than other types of sugars.

2. Vitamins Supplement

1mg of Vitamins B1 and B6 daily have been shown to inhibit AGE production

3. Sun Protection

Prevent sun-exposed AGEs by wearing adequate and appropriate sunscreen.

4. Increase antioxidants intake

Antioxidants compete with sugar molecules from binding with proteins, thereby reducing AGEs
Increase intake of antioxidant rich foods to improve collagen production

5. New ingredients

New chemical compounds such as aminoguanidine and alistin have been shown to block the formation of AGEs by binding to molecules at the start of glycation, sparing the collagen and elastin.