CRUSTY FOODS WORSENS HEART PROBLEMS IN DIABETICS

 Eating crusty foods may worsen heart problems in diabetics. 

There is evidence that cooking methods that create a crust—

think the edge of a brownie or the crispy borders of meats 

prepared at very high temperatures—produce advanced 

glycation end products (AGEs). And AGEs are associated with 

plaque formation, the kind that is seen in cardiovascular 

disease.



For years nutrition experts have advised people with diabetes 

to bake, boil, or grill their food instead of frying it.


That’s still true, but if you have diabetes, you should know that 

AGEs— by-products of food preparation methods that feature 

very high, intense, dry heat—tend to end up on other tissues in 

the body, causing long-term damage.


If you’re fighting this vascular build up anyway, that consuming 

products containing AGEs could worsen the cardiovascular 

complications of diabetes.


In the study, the scientists compared the 10-day food intake of 

65 study participants in two ethnic groups: Mexicans (who have 

higher rates of diabetes and a greater risk of complications 

from the disease) and non-Hispanic whites.


It was found that people with higher rates of cardiovascular 

complications ate more of these glycated products. For each 

unit increase in AGEs intake, a study participant was 3.7 times 

more likely to have moderate to high risk for cardiovascular 

disease.


The study showed that non-Hispanic whites had a higher intake 

of AGEs, and they consumed more saturated fats. However, 

the association between AGEs and cardiovascular disease 

was stronger than for saturated fats and heart disease.


Eating less saturated fat and more fruits, vegetables, and fibre 

are important for people with diabetes, but this study shows 

that food preparation may be important too.


AGEs are higher in any kind of meat, but especially in ground 

meat. If you put hamburgers or brats on the grill, you’ll likely 

have a higher AGEs content than if you chose a whole cut of 

meat, say round steak or chicken.


Boiling or stewing meat would reduce your AGEs intake further. 

And scrambling an egg with cooking spray instead of frying it 

leads to a significant reduction in AGEs.


The scientists said more research is needed before definite 

recommendations can be made. They are planning another 

study in which they’ll examine past AGEs intake of diabetes 

patients.


These findings are preliminary, but they give us ample reason 

to further explore the association between AGEs and 

cardiovascular risk among people with diabetes.