Why do people age - Part Two - Damage Caused by glycosylation

First of all, we can learn about the metabolic process of sugar and what insulin antagonism is. One of the reasons is that the human body takes in excessive high-fat diets and sugary foods. Take sugar as an example. After sugar is absorbed by the human body, it enters the bloodstream and causes an increase in blood sugar levels. This then triggers the pancreas to respond to insulin secretion and release insulin. Insulin transports sugar to where it is needed. If sugar substances are consumed in excessive amounts over a long period of time, This is to cause the pancreas to secrete a large amount of insulin for a long time. Over time, the pancreas's response to sugar will become numb, and the correlation between its response sensitivity and blood sugar concentration will deteriorate. Apart from secreting a large amount of insulin, the pancreas will not make any other responses. This phenomenon is called insulin antagonism.

After insulin resistance occurs, it will bring some harms, such as severe arterial inflammation, elevated blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, increased blood viscosity, and uncontrollable obesity. Obesity, in turn, will cause an increase in plasma free fatty acid levels, thereby further deepening insulin resistance. This forms a vicious cycle. After several years, the beta cells in the pancreas have been exhausted and can no longer produce such a large amount of insulin. At this point, insulin will start to drop, while blood sugar concentration will start to rise, and diabetes will begin.

Of course, any process is a single reaction but the result of a combination of multiple reactions. Just like the process of insulin antagonism, other causes include age, pregnancy, racial factors, genetic factors, and bad living habits such as smoking, etc. However, what it brings is not only changes in insulin. Insulin antagonism and the metabolic disorders it causes are coronary heart disease, diabetes, Soil for diseases such as hypertension.

All the sugars we consume daily can be hydrolyzed to form corresponding reducing monosaccharides. These reducing sugars can undergo a series of reactions with large molecules such as proteins, amino acids, lipids or nucleic acids in our bodies, generating advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The accumulation of AGEs in the body is closely related to the pathogenesis of geriatric diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and aging.

Many complications of diabetes are the result of glycosylation. Proteins on the inner walls of blood vessels, such as collagen and elastin, harden due to glycosylation reactions with sugars, leading to high blood pressure and circulatory disorders. Similarly, the skin of the human body also contains a large amount of elastin and collagen, which can also undergo glycosylation reactions, causing the skin to lose elasticity. Produce wrinkles. The lens proteins inside glasses combine with sugars and undergo glycosylation reactions, making the proteins sensitive to oxidative damage and eventually leading to cataracts. This is also one of the typical complications of diabetes.

There are two sources of AGEs: endogenous (produced within the body) and exogenous (produced outside the body). Endogenous AGEs are generated when reducing sugars and proteins are consumed by the human body and undergo glycation reactions. Exogenous ages are ingested from outside the body, such as smoking, fried, and grilled products.

To reduce AGEs in the body, the first step is, of course, to control sugar intake. If you consume a large amount of sugar, it will naturally lead to an excessively high level of AGEs in the body. Secondly, through scientific research, it has been found that the components of foods with antioxidant effects can all inhibit the formation of AGEs. Therefore, a scientific and reasonable dietary structure is also very important. Natural foods are also rich in many antioxidant components, such as vitamin C, flavonoids, and polyphenols, all of which can inhibit the formation of AGEs.

Studies have shown that physical exercise can also effectively reduce the content of AGEs in the body. Yoshikawa et al. studied the effect of slow walking on the formation of AGEs in the body and found that slow walking can reduce the level of AGEs in the body.

Generally speaking, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that daily sugar intake should not exceed 25 grams. The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents published in China, referring to the 2015 recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), propose to limit the intake of added sugar to no more than 50 grams per day, and it is best to keep it within 25 grams. The actual situation is that our average daily intake far exceeds this standard.