makeup of the animals' cell membranes, reducing how efficiently glucose could move from their
blood into their cells. Likewise, in humans, high-fat diets generally result in insulin resistance,^117
which is one of the first steps on the road to developing type 2 diabetes.
Fried foods, meats, and baked sugary or starchy foods (like bread, crackers, cookies, muffins, cold
cereals, etc.) also contain damaging compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs).^118
Once inside the body, these dietary AGEs contribute to increased oxidative stress and promote
inflammation, both of which have been linked to the development of diabetes.^119
AGEs are not just found in our diets, though; they are also produced as a normal byproduct of
metabolism. AGEs are formed when sugars react with proteins or fats in the body’s tissues,
especially the blood vessels. While these AGEs are not normally an issue, the excessively high level
produced by diabetics as a result of high blood sugar levels contributes to the development of
diabetes complications such as impaired wound healing, diabetic nephropathy and
atherosclerosis.^120
While meats and other animal products contribute to the development of diabetes, plant foods have
been shown to be highly protective. Based on a recent review of diabetes studies, having just 1.15
servings a day of green leafy vegetables in your diet could help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes
by at least 14%.^121 Increasing your intake of other plant foods like fruits, nuts and whole grains has
also been associated with lowering the incidence of diabetes.^122
(^117) Lichtenstein AH, Schwab US. Relationship of dietary fat to glucose metabolism. Atherosclerosis. 2000;150(2):227-243.
(^118) Goldberg T, Cai W, Peppa M, et al. Advanced glycoxidation end products in commonly consumed foods. J Am Diet Assoc.
2004;104:1287-1291.
Pruser KN, Flynn NE. Acrylamide in health and disease. Front Biosci. 2011;3:41-51.
(^119) Uribarri J, Woodruff S, Goodman S, et al. Advanced glycation end products in foods and a practical guide to their
reduction in the diet. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110:911-916.
(^120) Peppa M, Raptis SA. Glycoxidation and wound healing in diabetes: An interesting relationship. Curr Diabetes Rev. 2011.
[Epub ahead of print]
Peppa M, Stavroulakis P, Raptis SA. Advanced glycoxidation products and impaired diabetic wound healing. Wound Repair
Regen. 2009;17:461-472.
Goldin A, Beckman JA, Schmidt AM, et al. Advanced glycation end products: sparking the development of diabetic vascular
injury. Circulation. 2006;114:597-605.
Yamagishi S, Matsui T. Advanced glycation end products, oxidative stress and diabetic nephropathy. Oxid Med Cell Longev.
2010;3:101-108.
(^121) Carter P, Gray LJ, Troughton J, Khunti K, Davies MJ. Fruit and vegetable intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes
mellitus: systematic review and meta-analysis. Br Med J. 2010; 341:c4229.
(^122) Jiang R, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, et al. Nut and peanut butter consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. J Am
Med Assoc. 2002;288:2554-2560.