Food Preparation May Play A Bigger Role In Chronic Disease Than Was Previously Thought

[FarCenter]

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/68865.php - Published in 2007

How your food is cooked may be as important to your health as the food itself. Researchers now know more about a new class of toxins that might soon become as important a risk factor for heart disease and metabolic disorders as trans fats.

This class of toxins, called advanced glycation end products (AGEs), are absorbed into the body through the consumption of grilled, fried, or broiled animal products, such as meats and cheeses. AGEs, which are also produced when food products are sterilized and pasteurized, have been linked to inflammation, insulin resistance, diabetes, vascular and kidney disease, and Alzheimer's disease.

A new study at Mount Sinai School of Medicine reveals that AGE levels are elevated in the blood of healthy people, and even more so in older individuals than in younger people. Of particular interest was the finding that a major determinant of the blood levels of AGEs is the amount of AGEs in the diet, not dietary calories, sugar, or fat. The study, which was done in collaboration with, and supported by, the National Institute on Aging (NIA), is published in the April issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

"AGEs are quite deceptive, since they also give our food desirable tastes and smells," says Helen Vlassara, MD, senior study author, Director of the Division of Experimental Diabetes and Aging, and Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "So, consuming high amounts of grilled, broiled, or fried food means consuming significant amounts of AGEs, and AGEs in excess are toxic. People should be given information about their AGE intake and be advised to consider their intake in the same way they would think about their trans fats and salt intake. They should be warned about their AGE levels the way they are about their cholesterol levels or cigarette smoking."

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See also http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6949649 for a more recent story.

[SoCalNative]

1. OK

so if we don't grill, fry or broil animal products, how the hell are we supposed to cook them? You can't really bake a steak or a hamburger.

[imdjh]

2. Stop murdering animals for your pleasure.

kidding

[MattBaggins]

3. Steam them

These fuckers won't be happy until we are all eating steamed beetle shit for dinner.

[FarCenter]

4. Braise, roast, stew, boil, steam, or poach

Depending on the animal and the cut.

[FarCenter]

7. And baked or boiled potatoes are better for you than french fries or hash browns

Potatoe chips and other fried crackers and chips are probably also not so good.

[MattBaggins]

14. Potatoes are disgusting

[tandot]

6. Baking is apparently also bad. They recommend poaching, steaming, or stewing

Have fun eating that steamed rib-eye ... :evilgrin:

[FarCenter]

10. That rib-eye is probably OK

So long as you avoid eating the charred fat. The interior of the cut has never been heated enough to develop AGEs.

And of course, there is always steak tartare.

[SoCalDem]

12. Old-timey cooking, one-pot meals cooked in a fireplace

soups, ragouts, casseroles, stews..

[tandot]

13. We'll have spaghetti bolognese tonight - I guess that would qualify

I love soups and stews

[eShirl]

15. how about a big pot roast w/ taters and carrots in a slow cooker on low for 10 hours

num

[charlie]

8. Answer's in the article

and it's too horrible to bear:

Steam, boil, or stew.

[pipi_k]

9. I have a friend who used to say...

"Pull off the horns, wipe its ass, and throw it on the platter"



Although she's since changed her tune and doesn't really eat a lot of beef now, from what I hear.

[pansypoo53219]

11. i found grilling a pain.

so i tried frying my hambergers in BUTTER in a cast iron frying pan, and it was good. same goes for steak. tho i don't eat them much. pork chops in butter good. but yes. baking not so good. i suppose frying in butter is bad too.

[Dreamer Tatum]

5. Obligatory "I've been steaming my food since 1973" post coming in 5...4...3...2...

[Blue_In_AK]

16. We're all going to die from something...

[donheld]

17. Explain my Father's family then

They fried EVERYTHING. Yea they mostly died of Vascular disease in their 90's.