Protection against Loss of Innate Defenses in Adulthood by Low Advanced Glycation End Products (AGE) Intake: Role of the Antiinflammatory AGE Receptor-1

Context: Increased oxidant stress and inflammation (OS/infl) are linked to both aging-related diseases and advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Whereas AGE receptor-1 (AGER1) reduces OS/infl in animals, this has not been assessed in normal humans.

Objective: The objectives of the study were to determine whether AGER1 correlates with AGEs and OS/infl and a reduction of dietary AGEs (dAGEs) lowers OS/infl in healthy adults and chronic kidney disease (CKD-3) patients.

Design: This study was cross-sectional with 2-yr follow-up studies of healthy adults and CKD-3 patients, a subset of which received a reduced AGE or regular diet.

Setting: The study was conducted at general community and renal clinics.

Participants: Participants included 325 healthy adults (18–45 and >60 yr old) and 66 CKD-3 patients.

Intervention: An isocaloric low-AGE (30–50% reduction) or regular diet was given to 40 healthy subjects for 4 months and to nine CKD-3 patients for 4 wk.

Main Outcome: Relationships between age, dAGEs, serum AGEs, peripheral mononuclear cell AGE-receptors, and OS/Infl before and after reduction of dAGE intake were measured.

Results: AGEs, oxidant stress, receptor for AGE, and TNFα were reduced in normal and CKD-3 patients after the low-AGE diet, independently of age. AGER1 levels in CKD-3 patients on the low-AGE diet resembled 18- to 45-yr-old normal subjects. Dietary, serum, and urine AGEs correlated positively with peripheral mononuclear cell AGER1 levels in healthy participants. AGER1 was suppressed in CKD-3 subjects, whereas receptor for AGE and TNFα were increased.

Conclusions: Reduction of AGEs in normal diets may lower oxidant stress/inflammation and restore levels of AGER1, an antioxidant, in healthy and aging subjects and CKD-3 patients. AGE intake has implications for health outcomes and costs and warrants further testing.

Reduction of advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) in normal diets lowers oxidant stress/inflammation, and restores levels of AGE receptor-1 in healthy, aging, and chronic kidney disease-3 patients.