Anti-glycation -- The new approach of anti-aging 抗糖基化 -- 新兴的抗老化

Advance glycation end products (AGEs) are the end product of a process refer to as glycation, in which a sugar molecule bonds to a protein without an enzyme to control the reaction through normal course of metabolism. An example is the skin of a grilled chicken versus a boiled chicken. The brown color on the grilled chicken skin is the evidence of AGEs, where the brown color does not present in boiled chicken skin. Glycation often involves sugar binding proteins such as collagen and elastin. Accumulation of AGEs stiffen collagen network and ultimately leads to apoptosis (death of cells). As a result, skin becomes wrinkled and dull when collagen damages and collapses. 

Glycation does not just occur in skin, it can happen in any part of the body. Formation of AGEs has been shown to contribute to the progression of age-related diseases and study had shown that the process is accelerated in the case of diabetes. Besides aging that cause AGEs to accumulate in body, diet is another significant source. Foods that are cooked till brown with high heat are likely to be the most damaging. For instance, baking, broiling, roasting and barbeque-ing. A very partial list of high AGEs food includes donuts, barbecued meats, cakes and dark colored soda.  

糖基化 (glycation) 是糖分和蛋白质在体内缺乏酵素的控制下所产生的反应，是一种老化过程，也属于正常的新陈代谢过程。而高级糖基化终产物（AGE）就是糖基化过程最后留下的物质。举个例，相比一只被烘烤的鸡和一只被蒸熟的鸡。烘烤的鸡皮是皱皮和呈现棕色，而被蒸熟鸡就不会。棕色的鸡皮就是糖基化终产物（AGE）。糖基化往往涉及与糖结合的蛋白质如胶原蛋白和弹性蛋白。AGEs  会累积在皮肤内，令胶原蛋白组织硬化和倒塌，导致细胞凋亡。因而引起皱纹和令肌肤失去光泽。

糖基化不仅使肌肤老化，它也产生在身体的任何部分。 AGEs 的形成已被证实会导致因年龄增长而引起的疾病。研究显示，糖基化的过程在糖尿病的情况下，会更加快速。除了年龄增长（老化），饮食也是糖基化另一个主要原因。用高温烹煮至深褐色的食物，是最具破坏性的。例如，烘烤和烧烤，其中的食物包括油炸圈饼，烤肉，蛋糕和深色汽水。 

Phosphorus -- the invisible additives 磷 -- 隐形的食物添加剂

Processed foods are a big part of our daily diet. We are so used to yogurts, cheeses, noodles, cereals, cakes, biscuits, deli meats, nuggets, hot dogs, sauces, fruit drinks and carbonated beverages, which are all high in phosphorus. Phosphorus has a wide function as food additives, from preserving moisture and color, anti-caking, to acidifier, leavening agent and stabilizer. Phosphorus additives can present in food in many forms and most people are not aware about it. What is the concern of having too much phosphorus? Studies have shown that dietary exposure to high levels of phosphorus could be increasing the cardiovascular disease.

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient naturally present in some food like egg yolk, dairy products and meat. It is an essential nutrient for bone and teeth, energy production and other metabolic processes. It is hard for you to know how much you are taking in since the amounts can vary between brands. Even the nutrient database is hard to trust because the data is based on food types, rather than brands. Labeling of Daily Value (DV) is based on 1000 mg while the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is set at 700 mg for adults.



加工食品已是我们饮食中的一大部分，不管是乳酪，乳酪，面类，早餐谷粮，蛋糕，饼干，熟肉制品，鸡块，热狗，调味酱，果汁饮料和碳酸饮料，都含有大量的磷。磷是一个具有广泛作用的食品添加剂。它可用于保存食品中的水分和颜色，抗结块，也可以是酸化剂，膨松剂和稳定剂。磷，以多种形式存在于食物，但大多数人都没有意识到。但摄取有过多的磷有什么问题吗？有研究表明，饮食中摄取过多的磷可能会增加患上心血管疾病。

磷是人体必需的营养素，天然的存在于食物中，如蛋黄，乳制品和肉类。是保持骨骼和牙齿健康，身体产生能源和其他代谢过程中的一种必需营养素。要知道您每天摄入多少磷是相当困难的，因为不同的品牌存在着相当的差异。恐怕连营养数据库的质料也不能提供这一方面的质料，因为数据库是根据食物种类分类，而非依据品牌。即使是每日价值（DV）标签也是基于1000毫克，而成人的每日建议摄取量（RDA）只有700毫克。

Beware of grapefruit if you are... 请避免食用西柚，如果您...

Some of us might have a habit of drinking grapefruit juice, especially among those who are on diet. Grapefruit is one of the nutraceutical food that shows benefit in reducing the risk of some disease like cancer. However, when you are on medication, you should be aware of grapefruit due to its possible interaction with drug. It is believed that furanocoumarins (a compound that is naturally present in grapefruit) is responsible for this interaction. Grapefruit blocks the enzymes in the intestines that normally break down many drugs. As a result, drug will be rushed into bloodstream, which at worst can cause toxicity, leading to serious side effects. Grapefruit effect does not happen in every drug, but it does affect some popular and widely known medications such as cholesterol drug, blood pressure drug, anti-anxiety and some other drugs.

Just one glass of grapefruit juice is enough to exhibit the maximum blocking effect. For many cases, interaction can be avoided as long as the two interacting agents are taken separately after several hours of interval. For grapefruit, this is not the case, because the effect can last for more than 24 hours, perhaps up to 72 hours. Therefore, grapefruit should be avoided throughout the whole course of medication. 

Are there other fruits that might have the same effect? 

Besides grapefruit, furanocoumarins also present naturally in pomelo and Seville oranges, citrus fruits (lemons, limes and orange) are generally safe.  

我们当中，可能有些有饮用西柚汁的习惯，尤其是用西柚减肥法的。西柚属于营养保健食物，能减少患上一些疾病的风险，如癌症。可是，如果您是需要长期服药的，您可能要特别留意了，因为西柚会产生药物反应。研究人员相信 furanocoumarins 是造成药物反应的成分。西柚阻挡肠道内的酵素，使它们不能分解药物。因而，造成血液内的药物分量提高。在最坏的情况下，可能会引起药物中毒，导致严重的副作用。虽然，西柚并不是对每一种药物都会产生药物反应，但它却影响着一些热门和家喻户晓的的药物，如降胆固醇药，降血压药，抗焦虑等等的药物。

一杯柚子汁的分量已足够造成阻挡作用。一般情况，只要避免一起服用两个有药物反应的药物和食物，将它们相隔几个小时才服用，就可以避免药物反应。但西柚却不能。因为其效果是可持续超过24小时，可能长达72小时。因此，在整个服药期间，都要避免食用西柚。

除了西柚， 还有那些水果也有着药物反应？

柚子和塞维利亚桔子也有天然的 furanocoumarins 。而柑橘类水果（柠檬，酸柑，橙）则属于安全的。