Objective: Pro-inflammatory advanced glycation end products (AGEs) found in thermally processed foods correlate with serum AGEs and promote Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in mice. Herein we assess the relationship of maternal blood, and food-AGEs to circulating glycoxidants, inflammatory markers and insulin levels in infants up to 1 year old.

Research Design: AGEs (^εN-carboxymethyl-lysine or CML, methylglyoxal-derivatives or MG) were tested in sera of healthy mothers in labor (n=60), their infants and infant foods. Plasma 8-isoprostanes, fasting glucose, insulin. leptin and adiponectin levels were assessed in 12-month old infants.

Results: Significant correlations were found between newborn and maternal serum CML (sCML, r=0.734, p=0.001) sMG (r=0.593, p=0.001) and 8-isoprostanes (r=0.644, p=0.001). Infant adiponectin at 12 mos negatively correlated with maternal sCML (r=-0.467, p=0.011), while high maternal sMG predicted higher infant insulin or HOMA (p=0.027). Infant sAGEs significantly increased with the initiation of processed infant food intake, raising daily AGE consumption by ∼7.5-fold in year 1.

Conclusions: Maternal blood and food-derived AGEs prematurely raise AGEs in children to adult norms, pre-conditioning them to abnormally high oxidant stress and inflammation, thus possibly to early disease onset, such as diabetes.