Purpose: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formed in food during high-heat cooking may induce overeating and inflammation. We investigated whether AGE contents in a single meal affect postprandial appetite and markers of inflammation, endothelial activation, and oxidative stress.
Methods: In total, 19 healthy overweight individuals completed a crossover meal test with two meals of identical ingredients prepared by roasting (H-AGE) or steaming (L-AGE), respectively. Postprandial blood samples were analysed for N(ε)-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), appetite-regulating gut hormones, glucose, insulin, triacylglycerol, and markers of inflammation and endothelial activation. Subjective appetite ratings and subsequent food intake were also assessed, and urine was analysed for CML, methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone (MG-H1), and F2-isoprostanes.
Results: CML content of the H- and L-AGE meals was 5.0 and 2.8 mg, respectively. Plasma CML and urinary CML and MG-H1 tended to be higher after the H-AGE meal. There was no change in subsequent food intake, appetite sensations, or appetite hormone responses between meals, except for the overall ghrelin response, which was higher after the H-AGE meal compared with the L-AGE meal (p = 0.016). There was an increased glycaemic response to the H-AGE meal (p = 0.027) compared with the L-AGE meal. Inflammatory and endothelial activation markers did not differ between meals, but there was an overall effect on endothelial activation (p = 0.021) and on the oxidative marker, F2-isoprostanes, in urine (p = 0.013).
Conclusion: The present study did not show any pronounced effects of AGEs on appetite and markers of inflammation, but did indicate that AGEs may affect postprandial ghrelin, oxidative stress, and glucose responses.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01434407.