Specific toxic byproduct of heat-processed food may lead to
increased body weight and diabetes Researchers at Mount Sinai
School of Medicine have identified a common compound in the
modern diet that could play a major role in the development of
abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. The
findings are published in the August 20, 2012 issue of the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research
team, led by Helen Vlassara, MD, Professor and Director of the
Division of Experimental Diabetes and Aging, found that mice
with sustained exposure to the compound, methyl-glyoxal (MG),
developed significant abdominal weight gain, early insulin
resistance, and type 2 diabetes. MG is a type of advanced
glycation endproduct (AGEs), which is produced when food is
cooked with dry heat. AGEs have been found to lower the body's
protective mechanisms that control inflammation. In the study,
one group of mice was fed a diet high in MG over four
generations, while the control group was fed a diet