013: Wait a Second, Is Glycation Actually GOOD For You?
Mastering Nutrition Episode 13
Introduction
In this episode, I wrap up glycation week by discussing why glycation may play essential physiological roles in the body.
In the early days of methylglyoxal research, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, who won the 1937 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of vitamin C and critical steps in energy metabolism, saw the molecule as part of a regulatory system. In the early research into glycolysis, the system that converts methylglyoxal to pyruvate was seen as part of energy metabolism. Only later did glycation become synonymous with toxicity.
Current science can be used to make a compelling case that methylglyoxal is normally produced as part of glycolysis to prevent a dangerous buildup of glyceraldehyde and that it rises during carbohydrate restriction to help preserve much-needed glucose and to enable the conversion of fat to additional glucose. This could be seen as an elegant system of regulation and a key part of energy metabolism.
Nevertheless, it is unclear where the dividing line between physiology and pathology lies, and I see the apparent rise of methylglyoxal during carbohydrate restriction as part of a stress response that should not be chronically activated.
Show Notes
In this episode, I wrap up glycation week by discussing why glycation may play essential physiological roles in the body.
In the early days of methylglyoxal research, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, who won the 1937 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of vitamin C and critical steps in energy metabolism, saw the molecule as part of a regulatory system. In the early research into glycolysis, the system that converts methylglyoxal to pyruvate was seen as part of energy metabolism. Only later did glycation become synonymous with toxicity.
Current science can be used to make a compelling case that methylglyoxal is normally produced as part of glycolysis to prevent a dangerous buildup of glyceraldehyde and that it rises during carbohydrate restriction to help preserve much-needed glucose and to enable the conversion of fat to additional glucose. This could be seen as an elegant system of regulation and a key part of energy metabolism.
Nevertheless, it is unclear where the dividing line between physiology and pathology lies, and I see the apparent rise of methylglyoxal during carbohydrate restriction as part of a stress response that should not be chronically activated.
This episode, while not terribly long, is pretty rich in biochemistry. If you don’t want to listen to the whole thing, use this to navigate:
1:00 Follow me on Snapchat (chrismasterjohn) for sneak peaks of PUFA report and other things I’m working on
1:15 I’ll be LIVE on Facebook this Saturday, June 11, 2:00 PM Eastern time
1:50 Cliff notes
5:00 Diversify your work positions! I recorded this standing.
5:20 Like reactive oxygen species or inflammation, whether glycation contributes to health or disease depends on context
8:00 The early days of research attributed roles in cellular regulation and energy metabolism to methylglyoxal
11:05 Methylglyoxal glycates a glycolytic enzyme in a way that prevents dangerous glycolytic intermediates from accumulating.
20:00 Methylglyoxal increases when carbohydrate is limiting, and its inhibition of glycolysis helps preserve glucose for the tissues that most need it.
23:50 During carbohydrate restriction, methylglyoxal allows the conversion of fat to much-needed glucose, with the help of glutathione.
25:08 Practical strategies to boost glutathione
27:40 Back to methylglyoxal as a source of glucose.
34:00 Is the rise of methylglyoxal during carbohydrate contraction physiological, pathological, or both? Is it a stress response that is good but should not be chronically elevated?
36:40 Insulin plays too many critical roles for it to be chronically maximally suppressed, so I err on the side of believing this is a stress response that we do not want to be consistently activated.
All of this is extensively documented in my doctoral dissertation and to a large degree in my other writings linked to in my Start Here for Glycation and AGEs post.
Has this episode changed your view of glycation at all? What do you think of the study showing an increase in methylglyoxal on the Atkins diet? Does this episode change how you would view that study at all?
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