Proteins found in fried or barbecued meat and other fatty foods could be linked to Alzheimer’s, say researchers.
US scientists found that compounds produced when meat is cooked at high temperatures could speed up the development of dementia by suppressing an enzyme that slows the effects of ageing.
The chemicals, advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), are typically found in foods with high sugar and fat content such as cheese, white bread, pasta and cakes. They form when a protein or fat bonds to a carbohydrate, such as glucose, without the intervention of an enzyme, and have been associated with diabetes in previous studies.
Often added to food as flavour enhancers or produced by “browning” meat at high temperatures, AGEs can curb the production of Sirt1, an