Toxins in the Cooking Process

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Toxins in the Cooking Process

JoAnn Guest

Mar 08, 2007 15:57 PST

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Toxins in the Cooking Process

http://www.bastyrce nter.org/ content/view/ 976/ & page= 4

 

A group of chemical compounds that form during cooking are believed

to accelerate the aging process and to contribute to heart disease,

Alzheimer's disease, and the organ damage caused by diabetes and

kidney disease.

 

Now, researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine have

measured the concentration of these toxic compounds in 250 commonly

consumed foods and published their findings in the Journal of

American Dietetic Association (2004;104:1287– 91). This information

will allow

people to make relatively simple changes in their diet that have the

potential to greatly improve their health.

 

The chemicals in question, advanced glycation end products (AGEs),

are created when a sugar molecule hooks onto one of the amino acids

of a

protein or when a sugar combines with certain fats or other

compounds in food.

 

AGEs also form within the human body when glucose fuses to

proteins, fats, or DNA. There is strong evidence that AGEs produced

within the body contribute to the aging process and to organ damage

in

people with diabetes.

 

Research performed over the past several years by the Mount Sinai

group has shown that about 10% of the AGEs in food are absorbed into

the body

and remain in various tissues for considerable periods of time.

 

Food-derived AGEs have some of the same adverse effects as the AGEs

manufactured in the body. In animal studies, restriction of dietary

AGEs slowed the progression of atherosclerosis and diabetes.

 

A study in

humans found that a low-AGE diet reduced blood levels of C-reactive

protein, which is a measure of inflammation and a known risk factor

for

heart disease.

 

AGEs form as food browns during cooking, primarily when foods high

in protein or fat are subjected to high temperatures. Cooking at a

higher temperature for a shorter period of time creates more AGEs

than cooking

at lower temperatures for longer periods of time.

 

Also, exposure to

dry heat produces more AGEs than cooking in liquid. Thus, broiling,

frying,

or grilling of meats creates more AGEs than boiling, poaching, or

stewing. For example, a chicken breast broiled for 15 minutes

contains more than five times as many AGEs as the same food boiled

for one hour.

 

A typical American diet contains an average daily AGE intake of

approximately 16,000 kilounits. Some of the foods evaluated in the

study include (kilounits and serving size in parentheses) : pizza

(6,825

for 3.5 ounces), toasted cheese sandwich (4,333 per 3.5 ounces),

hamburger

fried for 6 minutes (2,375 per 3 ounces), fast food hamburger (4,876

for

3 ounces), chicken broiled for 15 minutes (5,245 for 3 ounces),

chicken

boiled for one hour (1,011), hot dog broiled for 5 minutes (10,143),

hot

dog boiled for 7 minutes (6,736), homemade french fries (694 per 3.5

ounces), fast food French fries (1,522 per 3.5 ounces), potato chips

(3,028 per 3.5 ounces), and baked potato (218 per 3.5 ounces).

 

Cream cheese (3,265 for 1 ounce), butter (1,324 per teaspoon), and

margarine (876 per teaspoon) contain fairly large amounts of AGEs.

Most fruits

and vegetables, on the other hand, are low in AGEs (for example, 18

for an

apple, 10 for 3.5 ounces of canned carrots), unless they are grilled

or subjected to other harsh processing methods.

 

This study makes it possible for people to deliberately reduce their

daily intake of toxic AGEs by choosing particular foods and altering

the

way they prepare their food. The Mount Sinai researchers have shown

previously that it is possible to vary the AGE content of the diet

by as much as five-fold, by varying the cooking time and

temperature.

 

While additional research is needed to determine how much value

there is

in decreasing AGE intake, the evidence so far suggests that the

benefit could be substantial.

 

Alan R. Gaby, MD, an expert in nutritional therapies, testified to

the

White House Commission on CAM upon request in December 2001. Dr.

Gaby

served as a member of the Ad-Hoc Advisory Panel of the National

Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine. He is the

author of

Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis (Prima, 1994), and co-author

of

The Natural Pharmacy, 2nd Edition (Healthnotes, Three Rivers Press,

1999), the A–Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions (Healthnotes,

Three Rivers Press, 1999), Clinical Essentials Volume 1 and 2

(Healthnotes, 2000), and The Patient's Book of Natural Healing

(Prima,

1999). A former professor at Bastyr University of Natural Health

Sciences, in Kenmore, WA, where he served as the Endowed Professor

of

Nutrition, Dr. Gaby is the Chief Medical Editor for Healthnotes, Inc.

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo- (AT) speakeasy (DOT) net

www.geocities. com/mrsjoguest/ Diets