In this article, we will talk about glycation. What is glycation and how does it occur in the body? What is the difference between glycation and oxidation? I will explain the difference between glycation and oxidation.

What is "sugar"?

First of all, let's think about "sugar".

When we eat carbohydrates such as rice and bread, they are broken down into small molecules called glucose by digestive enzymes before being absorbed in the small intestine.

The absorbed glucose enters the bloodstream and is transported to various organs, where it is mainly used as energy to run the body.

It is the only substance that can be used as energy for the brain, so it can be said to be a very important substance.

However, although it is an important substance, excessive intake of it can have negative effects on the human body.

What is glycation?

Excess glucose is what we call a "high blood sugar level".

Normally, glucose is broken down into water and carbon dioxide when it is used for energy, and then discharged to the outside.

However, when blood glucose levels are high and there is an excess of glucose, the glucose gets stuck in the spaces between the cells in the body and becomes AGEs (end-glycation products) that cannot be discharged because they are bound to proteins by the heat of the body.

The Problem of AGEs

In our bodies, old cells that are no longer needed are replaced by new cells through metabolism, but the problem with AGEs is that they remain in place even after they have become old, making it impossible to replace them with new cells.

To use an analogy, AGEs are like bulky trash that cannot be taken away. However, if there is no place to put them and they are still in the room, it is impossible to buy new furniture.

Also, if you have a lot of bulky garbage in your room, it will be difficult to use the room. This is what happens to the cells of the body.

The mixing of unwanted AGEs in healthy cells causes various adverse effects, such as brittleness of blood vessels resulting in arteriosclerosis, fibrosis of internal organ cells resulting in reduced function, osteoporosis when accumulated in bones, and skin aging. The burden placed on the body by glycation is called "glycation stress.

Relationship between Glycation Stress and Oxidative Stress

Now, in my previous article, "Mitochondria Skipping?", I talked about how high blood sugar levels lead to "high oxidative stress".

The mitochondria in our cells use the nutrients we consume from our diet and oxygen to produce the energy needed for cellular activities. However, when blood sugar levels are high and there is a lot of sugar in the body, the sugar, which is easier to turn into energy, is used more than the oxygen, resulting in a surplus of oxygen.

This excess oxygen becomes reactive oxygen species and causes oxidation, which leads to inflammation in the body. We talked about how oxidative stress, the burden on the body caused by oxidation, increases. This oxidative stress can also cause various diseases.

In other words, a high blood sugar level raises both "glycation stress" and "oxidative stress".

In conclusion, although "glycation" and "oxidation" are two different things, they both work in parallel. In other words, if you have high oxidative stress, your body's oxidative stress will increase.

In other words, if oxidative stress is high, naturally, glycation stress caused by high blood glucose levels would be elevated, and if glycation stress is high, it is natural that oxidative stress would be high.

Therefore, patients with diabetes above a certain level of high blood sugar are in a state where both glycation stress and oxidative stress are elevated.