Researchers have discovered that how you cook your food can have a major effect on whether or not you develop:
- Abdominal Obesity
- Insulin Resistance
- Type 2 Diabetes
The Bad News (aka The Science)
- The researchers found that mice who were exposed to a compound called Methyl-Glyoxal developed “significant abdominal weight gain, early insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes over the course of 4 generations”
- Methyl-Glyoxal is a type of advanced glycation endproduct (AGE),
- Which is produced when food is cooked with dry heat.
It means that all of those burgers and cookies and big greasy breakfasts that your ancestors have been eating for decades may be partially responsible for your size XXXL trackpants.
It may also mean that your “abdominal fat is now operating as a repository of fat cells producing highly inflammatory molecules called cytokines, which impair your glucose metabolism, slow down fat turnover, and may result in you being diagnosed with insulin resistance and diabetes”.
What now?
- Wait for the drug companies and Dr. Vlassara to confirm that Sevelamer Carbonate (aka Renvela) turns out to be a successful AGE blocker.
- Cut back on foods prepared with dry heat.
- Start cooking foods with moist heat cooking techniques
Dry Heat Cooking Techniques
- Baking
- Broiling
- Frying
- Grilling
- Roasting
Moist Heat Cooking Techniques
- Blanching
- Boiling
- Braising
- Poaching
- Scalding
- Simmering
- Steaming
- Stewing
For more info on how to eat to avoid nasty AGEs like Methyl-Glyoxal, you can also check out the website – The Age-Less Way
Sorry for the bad news…I love BBQ too.
Reference
- PNAS
- EurekAlert
- CJASN
- The Age-LessWay
Health Habits 
I took dry heat, as cooking without oils etc. Anyway I have read that it is still ok to cook using frying as long as you like things raw. The rule of thumb was the less you cook it the better it will be. Since I like my meat almost moo’ing I’m only too happy to oblige.
Agreed – it’s the browning/caramelization process that causes the AGE issue