High temperature cooking could up Alzheimer’s risk

A researcher funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions has found that cooking food at high temperature could increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are produced naturally in the body and are compounds comprising sugars, proteins and other large molecules. Assessing AGEs in national diets compared with total AGEs rates in Alzheimer’s disease, Lorena Perrone of the University of Poitiers, France, found that AGEs were formed when food is cooked at high temperature. An increased number of AGEs escalates the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, through increased inflammation and oxidative stress.

The scientists found that meat contributed to the largest increase to AGEs, followed by vegetable oils, cheese and fish. Cereals, eggs, milk, nuts and vegetables contribute the least to AGEs due to their typical preparation at a low temperature or are eaten in smaller portions.

The investigation was undertaken with William B Grant of the Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center in San Francisco, California in the United States. The research is published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.