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Las Vegas -- When glucose combines non-enzymatically with protein, the result is a "glycated end product" that makes skin and muscle stiff--even dysfunctional --because the glycated product cross-links with tissue proteins.
According to Peter T. Pugliese, M.D., if a patient is not protected from glycation, aging effects "keep coming on" and a facelift performed by even the most skilled surgeon cannot stop them.
"(In glycation), glucose binds to nitrogen on a protein through either a hydroxyl or carbonyl group," he says. "Rearrangement produces an 'Amadori product' with two ketone groups on the second or third carbon of the glucose ring. The Amadori product goes through other rearrangements and ends up in the (non-enzymatic) Maillard reaction, which makes diabetics have atherosclerosis, cataracts and other problems."
The Maillard reaction is also the so-called "browning" reaction, (which occurs outside the body) when meat becomes brown while heated, he adds. Dr. Pugliese described glycation at The International Esthetics, Cosmetics and Spa Conference (IECSC) here.
Glycation occurs in all parts of the body, according to Dr. Pugliese.
"We think muscle weaknesses and many diseases in the brain are associated with glycation," he says. "And glucose is not the only sugar involved. The worst one is fructose, which glycates four or five times faster than glucose. So honey is not good for you."
Glucose can combine to lipids as well as proteins to form a glycated product, he adds.
Cooking is the culprit
Dr. Pugliese says patients need to learn that it's not just what they eat, but how they cook the food, especially if they cook at temperatures higher than 100 degrees C.
"Most biological reactions take place at 90 degrees to 100 degrees C if enzymes are not present," he says. "Above 140 degrees C (284 degrees F), many of these reactions go like mad, such as when you bake, broil or fit food. If you boil an egg and heat soup, you don't get over 100 degrees C. Even microwaving produces steam, which is over 100 degrees C. Milk at room temperature has a low level of glycation, but heating it in a pan or microwave oven greatly increases glycation."
According to Dr. Pugliese, people in China use little heat when they cook food.
"They cook at low temperatures and for shorter times," he says, "and they outlive us by a long time. Their skin doesn't wrinkle as much as ours and women don't get breast cancer nearly as often as American women do."
Carnosine may help
It might be possible to reverse glycation with carnosine, a dipeptide (not carnitine, an amino acid), according to Dr. Pugliese.
"A 1 percent carnosine solution for the eyes seems to prevent glycation and actually reverses cataracts, according to European studies," Dr. Pugliese says.
"Formed from histidine and alanine, carnosine seems to fit into and attach to the dialdehyde or diketone groups in the Amadori product, preventing it from entering the Maillard reaction," he adds.
What to do
Dr. Pugliese recommends that cosmetic surgeons evaluate the skin color and texture of their patients prior to surgery as skin color can be an index of the extent of glycation.
"If the skin is yellow to gray, it has a lot of glycation," he says.
For patients, he suggests they:
* Cook food at temperatures below 140 degrees C to minimize glycation.
* Heat fresh fruits and vegetables in water rather than a microwave oven (although vegetables have little protein, which is necessary for glycation).
* Consume 1,000 mg of carnosine daily, especially when eating sugar, to prevent the internal formation of glycated products.
Dr. Pugliese is the author of "Physiology of the Skin II" (currently available) and "Advanced Professional Skincare," Second Edition (available in October 2004), both published by Allured Publishing Corporation. He is president of Circadia, a marketer of professional skincare products.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Advanstar Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group |
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©2006, 2007
Dr. Peter T. Pugliese
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