A single high-advanced glycation end product (AGE) meal containing 5.0 mg of Nε-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) increases postprandial plasma CML, urinary CML and MG-H1, urinary F2-isoprostanes, and blood glucose levels in healthy overweight adults compared to a low-AGE meal containing 2.8 mg CML.

When a person eats food cooked at high heat, special compounds called AGEs enter the bloodstream from the gut. These compounds bind to receptors on cells, which causes the cells to produce harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species. These molecules damage fats in cell membranes, and this damage signals the body to release more stress markers. At the same time, the reactive oxygen species interfere with how insulin works in muscles and fat tissue, so the body cannot take sugar out of the blood efficiently, causing blood sugar to stay high after eating.