Meat offers protection from diabetes and has anti-aging properties

This post features a synopsis on a study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2006 May;1067:369-74 and a recipe for a quick steak.

Study title and authors:
Would carnosine or a carnivorous diet help suppress aging and associated pathologies?
Hipkiss AR.
Centre for Experimental Therapeutics, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts' and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, UK. alanandjill@lineone.net

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16804013
 
In this review of the effects of carnosine, Hipkiss notes that carnosine (an amino acid) acts as an antioxidant and is found exclusively in animal tissues.
                                                                                                                                           Books:

The review found:
(a) Carnosine suppresses the formation of advanced glycosylation end products, which therefore protects from the complications of diabetes which advanced glycosylation end products promote.
(b) Dietary carnosine has improved the behaviour of autistic children.
(c) Carnosine rich diets may help prevent alzheimers. In old age, blood levels of homocarnosine decrease by more than 10-fold and high levels of advanced glycosylation end products are associated with alzheimers. So a carnosine rich diet offers protection from alzheimers by suppressing the formation of advanced glycosylation end products.

This review found that carnosine can supress the formation of dangerous advanced glycosylation end products and may give protection from diabetes, autism and alzheimers.

The richest sources of dietary carnosine are beef, poultry and pork.

 
Carnosine may be the reason that people who include meat in their diets have lower levels of the dangerous advanced glycosylation end-products compared to vegetarians. 

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Recipe of the day

Quick Steak
 
serves 3-4
 

Ingredients:                                                                                                  Food Mall: Rib-eye steak

1 1/2-2 lbs ribeye or T-bone steak

1-2 tablespoons cracked pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
 
Instructions:
Sprinkle steaks with pepper and press in.
 
Melt butter and olive oil in a skillet.
 
Saute steaks a few minutes a side until desired doneness.