Dear Reader,
Maybe you’re like me and you like your steak bloody or at least still pink in the middle. Let me put your mind at ease. The idea that it’s “healthier” to cook meat until it’s dry and tasteless is not backed by real scientific fact. In fact, cooking your food that way can cause arthritis, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Overcooking denatures protein, breaks down vitamins and removes nutrients. And, new research studies have linked eating these foods to premature aging by a process called glycation. Glycation is what happens to the proteins in our body as we age. The same process turns a turkey’s skin brown and crispy when it’s cooked.
Glycation is really the binding of protein and glucose molecules. The result is glycotoxins. As the glycotoxins accumulate in your cells, they send out chemical signals. The body responds by producing sites of inflammation. In addition, the abnormal protein structures do not regenerate. They remain damaged. This is the process of aging and disease.
When we overcook foods, large amounts of glycotoxins collect in the food. A new study demonstrated that if we eat these foods, the glycotoxins transfer to our tissues.
Researchers at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine evaluated 24 diabetic participants. Scientists split the subjects into two groups. One group ate a diet low in glycotoxins. The other group ate a diet high in glycotoxins.
After only 2 weeks, the group eating the high-glycotoxin diet had up to 100% more glycotoxins present in their blood and urine that those who ate the low-glycotoxin diet1.
This is clear evidence that the glycotoxins from your food transfer into your body.
Overcooking has another negative consequence. It denatures many important nutrients in food. One of the best examples is CoQ10. You need CoQ10 for proper functioning of all of the major organs in your body. The best source of CoQ10 is red meat. Overcooking meat destroys CoQ10.
The good news is that by changing a few cooking habits you can enjoy good food, without glcotoxins. You can also add a supplement to your routine that helps fight glycation.
High-heat cooking methods usually cause food to change color or consistency. But if you want to avoid premature aging, try some different techniques.
You can reduce the number of glycotoxins in your food by cooking it at a lower heat. But low heat doesn’t have to be low in taste. You can use spices and fresh herbs to boost the taste of meals cooked at lower heat. Marinating your meat before you cook it is another good way to prevent or slow glycation.
The only supplement proven to prevent glycation is carnosine. A recent laboratory study shows that carnosine plays a direct role in disposing of glycated proteins in your tissues2. About 1000-mg of carnosine daily should protect your body from being cooked from the inside, out. Carnosine also protects your muscles from degenerating.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
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1 Vlassara H., et al. Inflammatory mediators are induced by dietary glycotoxins, a major risk factor for diabetic angiopathy. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2003 Jan 21; 100(2): 763.
2 Yeargans G., et al. Carnosine promotes the heat denaturation of glycated protein. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2003 Jan 3; 300(1): 75-80