The College of Glycation is an educational video series dedicated to helping viewers understand one of the most critical and often overlooked processes in human biology: glycation. Led by Dr. Paul Reynolds, Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology at Brigham Young University, this series explores how sugar interacts with proteins and fats in the body, forming harmful compounds called Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs). These compounds accelerate aging, contribute to chronic diseases, and play a key role in metabolic dysfunction. Each video is designed to break down complex topics into clear, practical insights. Whether you’re a healthcare professional, student, or simply someone seeking to improve your health, this series will give you a deeper understanding of the biological roots of inflammation, insulin resistance, and cellular damage—and what you can do to address them.
Curated by: PaulReynoldsPhD (74 videos)
Topic Leaky gut meets RAGE: how glycation primes your immune system to overreact when bacterial LPS leaks from an AGE-weakened gut barrier — turning two danger signals into a multiplying storm of inflammation and insulin resistance. Summary Paul Reynolds, biomedical scientist and Professor of Cell Biology, connects the gut and glycation in this essential episode of the College of Glycation. He explains how the intestinal lining — protected by tight junctions, glycocalyx, and mucus — becomes leaky when dietary AGEs from high-heat cooking (searing, grilling, frying) reshape the microbiome, deplete butyrate-producing bacteria, and increase permeability. This allows lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria to enter the blood in a state of metabolic endotoxemia. Landmark research shows LPS directly drives insulin resistance (Cani 2007), while dietary AGEs worsen the leak (Qu 2017; Snelson & Coughlan 2019). The real power comes from RAGE–TLR4 crosstalk: these sister receptors physically interact, upregulate each other in a feed-forward loop via HMGB1, and converge on NF-κB. High glucose dramatically amplifies the inflammatory cytokine response to LPS (Yan 2023). Human clinical data proves that simply changing cooking methods to lower dietary AGEs reduces insulin resistance and NF-κB activation without altering calories or macros (Uribarri 2011). Practical takeaways with clear mechanisms: lower dietary AGE load by shifting from dry high-heat methods to braising, stewing, steaming, poaching, and slow-cooking with moisture; rebuild the gut barrier with butyrate (from fermentable fiber and butter/dairy fats) that strengthens tight junctions via AMPK; control blood glucose and insulin to disengage RAGE and raise the threshold at which leaked LPS triggers fire instead of a spark. Glycation isn’t just damage to tissues — it recalibrates immune judgment. The same dietary pattern loads both barrels and connects the triggers. References and more For complete show notes and references, we invite you to become an Insider subscriber. You'll enjoy a weekly newsletter, premier early access to College of Glycation episodes with full reprints of cited publications, a dedicated College of Glycation question portal with live recorded answers, Paul's Weekly Research Review Podcasts, and more. Learn more: paulreynoldsphd.com Translation Notes You can click the gear icon at the bottom of this video to auto-translate captions. For example, to translate into French, select Subtitles, choose Auto-Translate, then first choose English, then choose Auto-Translate again, then choose French. Timestamps 0:00 Intro: gut leak + glycation trains immune overreaction 0:36 Glycation & RAGE/NF-κB refresher 2:34 Gut barrier: tight junctions & glycocalyx 3:56 Leaky gut & LPS leakage 5:20 Metabolic endotoxemia (Cani 2007) 6:44 Dietary AGEs from high-heat cooking 8:06 AGEs reshape microbiome & permeability 10:22 RAGE & TLR4 sister receptors 11:08 Crosstalk & feed-forward amplification 14:04 High glucose turbocharges LPS response 16:59 Human study: lower AGE cooking helps insulin sensitivity 18:59 Practical: moist cooking & butyrate 20:22 Control glucose to raise LPS threshold 21:42 Glycation recalibrates immune judgment NOTE The information presented is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Paul Reynolds is a biomedical scientist and professor of cell biology, not a licensed clinician. Always seek the advice of your own qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions. #LeakyGut #GutHealth #Endotoxemia #RAGE #TLR4 #Microbiome #insulinresistance #Glycation #AGEs #inflammation #OxidativeStress #ROS #Redox #CollegeOfGlycation #Ketodiet #LowCarb #HealthyAging #SugarDamage #HealthyLiving #KetoDiet #HealthPodcast #AntiAging #Nutrition #BiomedicalScience #BloodSugar #Wellness #HealthTips #SciencePodcast #HealthyEating #CellularHealth #Keto #KetoCommunity #HealthEducation Paul’s favorite yerba mate: https://unicity.link/121f260bfe Yerbe mate with a special formulated Balance fiber: https://ufeelgreat.com/c/PaulReynolds Full Metabolic System storefront: https://shop.unicity.com/paulreynolds Paul’s favorite source for clean, earth-sourced essentials such as salt, electrolytes, hydration, pre-workout and more. Go to https://redmond.life and use PAULSALT for 15% discount. Paul’s favorite exogenous ketones: A high-quality option is the NSF-certified goBHB from Clean Form Nutrition, where you can use the code Paul10 for a 10% discount: https://cleanformnutrition.com/products/go-bhb Paul’s favorite allulose source: https://rxsugar.com (discount: PAUL20) Paul’s favorite health check-up for men or women: https://blokes.co/DRPAUL (discount: DRPAUL for 50% off of labs and smart supplements and 15% off all other products)