Do Dietary AGEs Have an Acute Effect on Metabolism and Cognition
Abstract
A number of processed foods particularly those high in protein and based on whey protein are high in advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs are the result of a chemical reaction between mainly sugar and protein when they are heated together (known as the Maillard reaction). Whey protein is routinely derived via high temperature processing methods which produce AGEs. AGEs are absorbed during digestion and high circulating concentrations of AGEs are associated with adverse health effects such as dementia and the metabolic syndrome. In this study we aim to firstly ascertain the habitual level of AGE intake in the diet via a dietary questionnaire and equate this to both metabolic health and cognition at baseline. Volunteers will then be given a milkshake with either a high or low AGE content on either a high or low fat background. AGEs are usually ingested as part of a processed food diet which can be high in fat and it is necessary to separate the effects of these two food types. We will test these effects in a young and older group of volunteers with low and higher levels of circulating AGEs respectively. Circulating levels of hormones, glucose and lipids in the blood will be measured as indicators of metabolic health. Cognitive tests will be carried out to assess the impact of AGEs on episodic memory.
Conditions: No Conditions.
Primary outcome: Impact of Advanced Glycation End Products on Metabolism and Cognition.
Enrollment: 24 participants.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a clinical trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 24 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Diarylethenes for Memories and Switches
- Long-Term Potentiation and Memory
- Social Memory Studies: From “Collective Memory” to the Historical Sociology of Mnemonic Practices
- The Cognitive Neuroscience of Working Memory
- Memory aging and brain maintenance
- Effector and Memory CTL Differentiation
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.