Plant-based diets reduce the amount of harmful dietary advanced glycosylation end products compared to diets that include meat and dairy products.
According to a recent study published in Obesity Science and Practice by researchers from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, eating a plant-based diet reduced inflammatory dietary advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) by 79 percent, while consuming a plant-based diet reduced diets containing meat and dairy products by 15 percent. An average weight loss of 14 pounds and better insulin sensitivity were associated with a decrease in AGEs.
Lead study author Hana Kahleova said, “Simply swapping fatty meats and dairy products for a low-fat plant-based diet significantly reduced late-stage glycosylation end products – inflammatory compounds found more in animal products than in plants.” M.D., Ph.D., director of clinical research for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “A reduction in AGEs is also associated with weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity.”
AGEs are compounds that form in the blood when proteins or fats combine with glucose. AGEs cause inflammation and oxidative stress, which can lead to chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
AGEs can be ingested through food, and animal products contain more AGEs than plant foods. AGEs are also produced during normal metabolic processes, but it is produced at a faster rate when a person has metabolic syndrome – high blood sugar, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and insulin resistance.
Over a 16-week period, 244 overweight individuals were randomly assigned to either an intervention group with a low-fat plant-based diet or a control group with no dietary modifications.
Body composition was measured and insulin sensitivity was assessed at the beginning and end of the study. Dietary AGEs were calculated from self-reported dietary intake records. A database of dietary AGEs was used to estimate dietary AGEs intake.
Dietary AGEs were reduced by 79% in the plant-based group compared to 15% in the control group. Approximately 55% of the reduction in dietary AGEs in the plant-based group was attributed to a reduction in meat intake, 26% to a reduction in dairy intake, and 15% to a reduction in added fat consumption. The reduction in white meat consumption resulted in the largest difference in dietary AGEs from meat (59%), followed by processed meat (27%).
The plant-based group lost about 14 pounds (6.4 kg) compared to about 1 pound (0.5 kg) in the control group, primarily due to a reduction in fat mass, especially visceral fat. Insulin sensitivity was improved in the intervention group.
These findings support the previously observed beneficial effects of a diet low in AGEs on body weight, body fat, and insulin resistance, the authors said.
