Could something as simple as the way our bodies handle sugar play a bigger role in ageing and chronic disease than we realise?
In this episode, Ben Hopkins sits down with Professor Paul Reynolds for a fascinating conversation about glycation, what it is, why it happens, and why it might be something we should all know a little more about.
Glycation is essentially what happens when sugar sticks to things in our bodies that it shouldn't. While some of this happens naturally, Paul explains why frequent blood sugar spikes may increase the amount of damage over time.
They explore how this could affect different parts of the body, including the **heart, brain, eyes, skin and kidneys**, and why glycation may be an important part of the bigger picture when it comes to ageing and chronic disease.
The good news is that there are things we can do.
Paul shares some practical ideas around food, movement, fasting, exercise and supporting the body's natural clean-up systems**. They also discuss blood sugar monitoring, HbA1c, continuous glucose monitors and what the future of tracking our metabolic health could look like.
This is a really interesting conversation for anyone who wants to understand more about **healthy ageing, blood sugar, metabolic health and how small changes might help us stay healthier for longer.**
In this episode, we talk about:
• What glycation actually is and why it matters
• Why blood sugar spikes may be more important than we think
• How glycation could affect the heart and blood vessels
• What it might mean for brain health and Alzheimer's
• Why our eyes and skin can show signs of ageing
• The connection between glycation and kidney health
• How food and lifestyle can influence glycation
• Why movement after meals could be helpful
• The potential benefits of fasting and giving the body time to recover
• How the body naturally deals with some of the damage
• What HbA1c can tell us about blood sugar
• Why continuous glucose monitors could be useful
• What the future of health and ageing monitoring might look like
• Simple ways to think about keeping blood sugar under control
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Glycation and Its Impact on Health
02:02 Inflammation as a Central Cause of Disease
03:26 What is Glycation and How Does It Occur?
06:05 The Connection Between Glycation and Metabolic Diseases
09:05 Managing Glycation Through Lifestyle and Diet
12:14 Glycation's Role in Heart Disease and Vascular Damage
17:58 Glycation and Its Effects on Brain Health and Alzheimer's
23:11 Early Signs and Measurement of Glycation
29:09 Strategies to Slow Down Glycation and Aging
34:03 The Role of Autophagy and Fasting in Glycation Prevention
40:02 Future Technologies and Monitoring for Glycation
Glycation is something that happens naturally, so the goal isn't to completely eliminate it. As Paul explains, the focus is really on slowing things down, reducing unnecessary blood sugar spikes and giving the body the best chance to keep up with the damage and repair process.
Ben and Paul also discuss the idea that what we do consistently over many years may matter far more than what we do occasionally.
#Glycation #MetabolicHealth #HealthyAgeing #Longevity #BloodSugar #Healthspan #Fasting #Glucose #Inflammation #aging
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
🌈 Exploring the benefits of red and infra light therapy? Our community receive 10% off the FlexBeam from Recharge Health via this link: ⬇️
https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/DyJ3mn (learn more about the benefits of healing with light in our 'Light as Medicine' Playlist).
🤝 Join the community - by subscribing, you are self-selecting as a health nerd. We like you. We applaud you. You are shaping in real time the future of health information. As a thank you, we pledge to bring you the best we can, where we are, with the tools we have.
🎧 Listen to us on-the-go! Available wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. New episode every Wednesday!