[Advanced glycation and lipoxidation end products--amplifiers of inflammation: the role of food].

Chronic diseases (CD) represent the main cause of mortality in developed countries. The increase in the prevalence of of CD is associated with changes in lifestyle habits, including those related to the consumption of processed foodstuffs. In these foods advanced glycation end products (AGE) and advanced lipoperoxydation products (ALE) are formed as a consequence of the reactivity of proteins, carbohydrates, lipid and other components. The aim of the present review is to offer a perspective of how AGE and ALE affect the physiology and development of CD. Continous intake of AGE and ALE contributes to the exccesive accumulation of these products into body tissues, which in turn negatively influence the innate immune system, inflammatory responses, and resistance to diseases. This is achieved by direct interaction of AGE and ALE with specific cell AGE receptors (RAGE) that have a key role as master switches regulating the development of CD. Long-life molecules, namely collagen and myelin, and low-turnover tissues, e.g. connective, bone and neural tissues, are the main targets of AGE and ALE. In these tissues, AGE and ALE lead to the synthesis of insoluble compounds that severely alter cellular functionality. It has been reported associations of AGE and ALE with allergic and autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer disease and other degenerative disorders, catarats, atherosclerosis, cancer, and diabetes mellitus type 2, as well as a number of endocrine, gastrointestinal, skeleton-muscle, and urogenital alterations. Controlling all those pathologies would need further dietary recommendations aiming to limit the intake of processed foods rich in AGE and ALE, as well as to reduce the formation of those products by improving technological processes applicable to foods.