One of the best aspects of having a Health Savings Account
is that you can control your medical care. If you want to
have a medical test or procedure done that is not covered
by your health insurance, you pay for it with pre-tax money
from your health savings account. One of the processes of
aging that scientists have been learning more about in
recent years is glycation, and the formation of Advanced
Glycation Endproducts, or AGEs. Here's how to reduce this
harmful process, and a simple test you can pay for from
your Health Savings Account to see how you're doing.
What is "Glycation" and what are AGEs?
When we take a piece of bread and put it in the toaster, it
slowly turns brown. This is the result of a natural process
called the "Maillard reaction", in which sugars react with
proteins. It is this process that gives flavor to beer,
pizza crust, and roasted coffee.
The same process naturally happens in the human body. (So
in a sense, we all slowly "brown" as we age). When a
protein in your body is "glycated", it has a sugar molecule
attached to it, and can then bond to another protein in
your body in a process called "cross-linking". These
damaged proteins result in the formation of Advanced
Glycation Endproducts.
Exposure to AGEs in the body contributes to inflammation
and to a large variety of age-related diseases, including
cataracts, joint stiffness, Alzheimer's disease, and
cardiovascular diseases. Some AGEs increase the risk of
auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and
others increase the risk of cancer.
Reduce AGEs in your Food
When experimental mice are fed a low-AGE diet, they have
better cardiovascular health, better kidney health, better
blood sugar management, and they live longer. AGE formation
is increased when foods are cooked at high temperatures,
and for longer periods of time. You can significantly
reduce AGEs created in food preparation by using boiling,
poaching, or stewing rather than frying or grilling.
So one strategy is to simply reduce your consumption of
"browned" foods. So for instance, fried shrimp will have
way more harmful AGE compounds than boiled shrimp.
How to Reduce AGE Formation in your Body
AGE formation is particularly high in diabetics, due to
uncontrolled sugar levels in the body. This is one of the
reasons why they suffer from increased rates kidney
disease, vision loss, and cardiovascular disease. Millions
of Americans who have not been diagnosed as diabetic still
have glucose handling difficulties, typically diagnosed as
"metabolic syndrome". It is becoming more and more evident
that a diet low in foods that raise blood sugar rapidly
(typically the "white" foods like bread, pasta, rice, and
sugar) will reduce a person's risk of diabetes or metabolic
syndrome. This in turn will also reduce your body's AGE
formation.
Supplements You Can Take
Numerous dietary supplements have now been shown to reduce
glycation, cross-linking, and AGE formation. Some experts
recommend the following supplements, typically 500 mg to 1
gram of each, per day: Carnosine, Benfotiamine,
Alpha-lipoic acid, Acetyl-l-carnitine, and Curcumin.
If your health care practitioner recommends supplements for
the prevention or treatment of a specific health condition,
you can pay for them from your HSA.
A common blood test that diabetics have done is Glycated
Hemoglobin A1c. This measures how much the red blood cells
have become glycated over the past one to three months, and
is seen as an indicator of average blood sugar levels.
Stay Healthy, Grow Your Health Savings Account
So be proactive - fund your HSA to the max, do what you can
to optimize your health, and let your Health Savings
Account grow.
----------------------------------------------------
By Wiley Long - President, HSA for America (
http://www.health--savings--accounts.com ) - The nation's
leading independent health insurance firm specializing in
individual and family coverage that work with Health
Savings Accounts.
No comments:
Post a Comment