Glycation: From Roasting a Chicken to Its Impact on Our Bodies
You know how a roasted chicken turns that yummy golden brown and develops that delicious crispy skin? That tasty transformation comes from a chemical process called glycation. It’s what gives roasted and grilled foods their distinct flavor and texture. While it's amazing when it happens to a chicken in the oven, it's not something we want occuring inside our bodies - potentially causing issues like aging, inflammation, and chronic diseases, but that's what happens when we regularly experience blood sugar spikes.
What is Glycation?
In simple terms, glycation happens when sugar molecules attach themselves to proteins or fats. This can happen when we cook food at high temperatures, like roasting a chicken. The sugars react with proteins in the meat, giving it a lovely golden color and rich flavor. This reaction is called the Maillard reaction, and while it’s a culinary delight, it’s also the start of a process that produces advanced glycation end products (AGEs).
AGEs can be tasty in food, but they’re not so good for your health when too many accumulate in your body. And that’s exactly what happens when you have high blood sugar levels over time.
Blood Sugar Spikes and AGEs
Every time we eat, especially foods high in sugar or refined carbohydrates, our blood sugar rises. Normally, the body manages this with insulin, but if blood sugar spikes frequently, problems start to occur. One of these problems is an increase in internal glycation - just like the sugars in the oven reacting with chicken proteins, sugars in your bloodstream begin to attach to proteins in your body. This leads to the formation of AGEs inside your tissues.
When AGEs build up in the body, they cause damage over time. Proteins are essential to many functions - whether they’re found in skin, blood vessels, or organs. When sugars attach to these proteins, they become stiff and less functional. This contributes to wrinkles, joint stiffness, and even artery hardening. High levels of AGEs are linked to diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even Alzheimer’s.
The Connection Between Food and Health
The crispy skin on a roasted chicken is delicious, but it’s also a prime source of AGEs. When you consume these AGEs, they add to the amount already forming in your body. A diet high in sugary, processed foods and foods cooked at high temperatures—like grilled meats and fried snacks - boosts AGE levels even more. Combined with frequent blood sugar spikes, it’s a recipe for trouble.
How to Reduce AGEs and Blood Sugar Spikes
Luckily, there are ways to enjoy your food without too much glycation going on. You don’t have to give up roasted chicken, but consider cooking at lower temperatures or using gentler methods, like steaming or slow cooking, to reduce AGE formation. You can also balance your diet with more fresh vegetables (Notice we haven't mentioned fruits? Watch the video below.), which don’t cause massive blood sugar spikes. And of course, stating the seemingly obvious, limiting sugary and processed foods that flood your bloodstream with sugar would also help no end.
To wrap-up...
Glycation, whether it’s happening in the oven with your roasted chicken or inside your body due to frequent blood sugar spikes, can have lasting effects. While we all love crispy, browned foods, it’s worth being mindful of how these same processes play a role in our health. Keeping your blood sugar stable and making small changes to how you cook and eat can help protect your body from the damaging effects of AGEs.
A couple more suggestions...
- Give our Monk Cacao Superfood Wellness Blend a try. It's s not the Silver Bullet, but it can help reduce blood sugar spikes on two fronts - it contains no added processed sugar (about 0.2g of naturally occuring sugar per serve), and it inhibits sugar cravings. On top of that, it's convenient, delicious and costs less than a coffee from the shops.
- Watch this video - a converstion between Steven Bartlett and Jessie Inchauspé, a world-leading biochemist and founder of the Glucose Goddess movement. Trust us, you won't regret it.