The AGE-Blocking Secret to Strong Bones and Flexible Joints

by VRP Staff

Ask anyone in the know for the secret behind healthy bones for life and you’ll probably hear the following solutions: ample amounts of bioavailable calcium, strontium, vitamin K and vitamin D3 along with a regular routine of weight-bearing exercise. While these form the foundation of any bone-saving regimen, emerging research has introduced another element to the quest for a stronger skeleton—one that, until recently, has gone largely unrecognized.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are chemicals that are formed when sugar interacts with fats, proteins and nucleic acids.^1-2 You encounter them every day—both as a natural byproduct of your body’s metabolism, eating a diet high in processed foods plus grilling or barbecuing meats and baking pastries made with refined sugar—and as a result of this near-constant exposure, AGEs accumulate in your body’s tissues over time.^3-4 Unfortunately, they can cause some serious damage if left unchecked, increasing oxidation and unhealthy inflammatory responses wherever they reside—and as recent studies reveal, your bone density and joint function may suffer the consequences, just like your other organs and tissues.^5-7

Evidence suggests that tissues with slow cellular turnover—such as bone, cartilage, tendon and skin—are especially prone to high AGE accumulation.^8-9 Research shows that increased presence of certain AGEs can alter your bones’ strength and interfere with bone cell regeneration and development.^10-12 And while the connection isn’t completely understood yet, scientists speculate that elevated AGE levels may be one reason why fractures remain such a major concern for people who struggle with blood sugar control.^13-15

Research also indicates that the accumulation of AGEs and increased activity of the receptors for AGEs (RAGEs) can leave your cartilage vulnerable, too, contributing to impaired function and stiff joints.^16-18 In fact, one study revealed significantly slower walking speeds among subjects with the highest serum AGE levels.¹⁹

The bottom line: If you want strong, healthy bones and maximum mobility as you age, limiting AGE exposure is absolutely essential. And since it’s impossible to avoid AGEs entirely, you’ll be relieved to hear that just a few daily nutrients can assist your body in keeping these trouble-making molecules at bay.

N-acetyl-cysteine, for example, supports the production of the potent antioxidant glutathione, buffering your body’s nervous system, retinal cells, platelets and LDL cholesterol stores from the effects of AGE exposure.^20-22 Benfotiamine (vitamin B1) and lipoic acid have both been shown to block post-meal AGE formation, while carnosine can inhibit the AGE mediated glycation of LDL, leading to healthier arteries, as well as reduce the production of AGE byproducts.^23-26 Natural substances like guava can also block the glycation of LDL, which is increased in the presence of AGEs—and studies show that yerba maté has similarly powerful AGE-blocking abilities.^27-28

Each of these critical AGE-fighting nutrients can play a vital role in maintaining bone strength and joint flexibility through the years—and you can find them all combined in a single daily formula called AGEBlock®, available now through Vitamin Research Products®.

References:

1. Koschinsky T, He CJ, Mitsuhashi T, et al. Orally absorbed reactive glycation products (glycotoxins): an environmental risk factor in diabetic nephropathy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Jun 10;94(12):6474-9.

2. Uribarri J, Cai W, Sandu O, et al. Diet-derived advanced glycation end products are major contributors to the body’s AGE pool and induce inflammation in healthy subjects. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2005 Jun;1043:461-6.

3. Uribarri J, Woodruff S, Goodman S, et al. Advanced glycation end products in foods and a practical guide to their reduction in the diet. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Jun;110(6):911-16.e12.

4. Goldberg T, Cai W, Peppa M, et al. Advanced glycoxidation end products in commonly consumed foods. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004 Aug;104(8):1287-91.

5. Stitt AW. AGEs and diabetic retinopathy. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Oct;51(10):4867-74.

6. Yamagishi S, Matsui T. Advanced glycation end products, oxidative stress and diabetic nephropathy. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2010 Mar-Apr;3(2):101-8.

7. Willemsen S, Hartog JW, Hummel YM, et al. Tissue advanced glycation end products are associated with diastolic function and aerobic exercise capacity in diabetic heart failure patients. Eur J Heart Fail. 2010 Sep 22.

8. Verzijl N, DeGroot J, Thorpe SR, et al. Effect of collagen turnover on the accumulation of advanced glycation end products. J Biol Chem. 2000 Dec 15;275(50):39027-31.

9. Hein G, Weiss C, Lehmann G, et al. Advanced glycation end product modification of bone proteins and bone remodeling: hypothesis and preliminary immunohistochemical findings. Ann Rheum Dis. 2006 Jan;65(1):101-4.

10. Vashishth D, Gibson GJ, Khoury JI, et al. Influence of nonenzymatic glycation on biomechanical properties of cortical bone. Bone. 2001 Feb;28(2):195-201.

11. Kume, S., Kato, S., Yamagishi, S., et al. Advanced glycation end-products attenuate human mesenchymal stem cells and prevent cognate differentiation into adipose tissue, cartilage, and bone. J Bone Miner Res. 2005 Sep;20(9):1647-58. Epub 2005 May 23.

12. Ji JD, Woo JH, Choi SJ, et al. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs): a novel therapeutic target for osteoporosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Med Hypotheses. 2009 Aug;73(2):201-2.

13. Saito M. Poor bone quality in diabetes and arteriosclerosis. Clin Calcium. 2009 Sep;19(9):1257-68.

14. Yamamoto M, Yamaguchi T, Yamauchi M, Sugimoto T. Low serum level of the endogenous secretory receptor for advanced glycation end products (esRAGE) is a risk factor for prevalent vertebral fractures independent of bone mineral density in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2009 Dec;32(12):2263-8. Epub 2009 Sep 14.

15. Yamamoto M, Yamaguchi T, Yamauchi M, et al. Serum pentosidine levels are positively associated with the presence of vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Mar;93(3):1013-9. Epub 2007 Dec 26.

16. Verzijl, N., DeGroot, J., Ben, Z. et al. Crosslinking by advanced glycation end products increases the stiffness of the collagen network in human articular cartilage: a possible mechanism through which age is a risk factor for osteoarthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2002 Jan;46(1):114-23.

17. DeGroot J, Verzijl N, Wenting-Van Wijk MJ. Age-related decrease in susceptibility of human articular cartilage to matrix metalloproteinase-mediated degradation: the role of advanced glycation end products. Arthritis Rheum. 2001 Nov;44(11):2562-71.

18. Hirose J, Yamabe S, Takada K, et al. Immunohistochemical distribution of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in human osteoarthritic cartilage. Acta Histochem. 2010 Jul 23.

19. Semba RD, Bandinelli S, Sun K, et al. Relationship of an advanced glycation end product, plasma carboxymethyl-lysine, with slow walking speed in older adults: the InCHIANTI study. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2010 Jan;108(1):191-5. Epub 2009 Sep 16.

20. Gasic-Milenkovic J, Loske C, Münch G. Advanced glycation endproducts cause lipid peroxidation in the human neuronal cell line SH-SY5Y. J Alzheimers Dis. 2003 Feb;5(1):25-30.

21. Cai W, He JC, Zhu L, et al. High levels of dietary advanced glycation end products transform low-density lipoprotein into a potent redox-sensitive mitogen-activated protein kinase stimulant in diabetic patients. Circulation. 2004 Jul 20;110(3):285-91.

22. Kowluru RA. Effect of advanced glycation end products on accelerated apoptosis of retinal capillary cells under in vitro conditions. Life Sci. 2005 Jan 14;76(9):1051-60.

23. Stirban A, Negrean M, Stratmann B, et al. Benfotiamine prevents macro- and microvascular endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress following a meal rich in advanced glycation end products in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2006 Sep;29(9):2064-71.

24. Thirunavukkarasu V, Anitha Nandhini AT, Anuradha CV. Lipoic acid improves glucose utilisation and prevents protein glycation and AGE formation. Pharmazie. 2005 Oct;60(10):772-5.

25. Rashid I, van Reyk DM, Davies MJ. Carnosine and its constituents inhibit glycation of low-density lipoproteins that promotes foam cell formation in vitro. FEBS Lett. 2007 Mar 6;581(5):1067-70.

26. Szwergold BS. Carnosine and anserine act as effective transglycating agents in decomposition of aldose-derived Schiff bases. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005 Oct 14;336(1):36-41.

27. Hsieh CL, Yang MH, Chyau CC, et al. Kinetic analysis on the sensitivity of glucose- or glyoxal-induced LDL glycation to the inhibitory effect of Psidium guajava extract in a physiomimic system. Biosystems. 2007 Mar;88(1-2):92-100.

28. Lunceford N, Gugliucci A. Ilex paraguariensis extracts inhibit AGE formation more efficiently than green tea. Fitoterapia. 2005 Jul;76(5):419-27.