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 Glycation and mitochondrial dysfunction: how methylglyoxal and advanced glycation end-products damage the proteins and DNA inside your energy factories, collapse ATP production, amplify oxidative stress, and create a self-reinforcing energy crisis that drives aging and disease. Summary Paul Reynolds, biomedical scientist and Professor of Cell Biology, explains why glycation hits mitochondria hardest in this episode of the College of Glycation. Methylglyoxal, the highly reactive byproduct of sugar metabolism, preferentially modifies mitochondrial proteins and the mitochondrial genome itself. The damaged respiratory chain produces less ATP while leaking more reactive oxygen species; those radicals then accelerate further glycation, creating a closed loop. Quality-control systems fail as well: fusion declines, fission rises, and mitophagy becomes defective, so broken, ROS-leaking mitochondria accumulate instead of being cleared. High-energy organs feel the shortfall first — brain, heart, kidney, and endothelium — linking this single mechanism to cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic dysfunction. Animal work shows that a high-AGE diet impairs mitochondrial respiration and memory, while scavenging mitochondrial ROS can reduce AGE accumulation and restore ATP. Practical steps attack the loop at multiple points: lower dietary AGE load through gentler cooking methods, control glucose and insulin swings to limit methylglyoxal formation, and support the mitochondria directly with CoQ10 (ubiquinol) paired with sensible exercise. Breaking enough links turns a self-reinforcing spiral back into a manageable process. 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: Glycation damages mitochondria 1:14 Glycation basics & AGEs 1:52 Methylglyoxal targets mito proteins/DNA 4:41 Respiratory chain leak & ROS 5:26 MGO cripples complex III & ATP 7:38 Fusion, fission & mitophagy failure 8:22 Defective mitophagy in diabetes 11:11 High AGE diet harms brain mitochondria 12:30 Aging brain: AGEs + mito decline 13:13 ROS scavenger breaks glycation loop 13:53 AGE-RAGE + mito dysfunction in heart 15:14 Lower dietary AGEs (cooking) 15:55 Control glucose & insulin (main lever) 16:37 CoQ10 + exercise support mitochondria 19:59 Attack the energy crisis loop 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. #Mitochondria #ATP #OXPHOS #Mitophagy #CoQ10 #insulinresistance #Glycation #AGEs #inflammation #OxidativeStress #ROS #Redox #CollegeOfGlycation #Ketodiet #LowCarb #InsulinResistance #HealthyAging #SugarDamage #HealthyLiving #KetoDiet #LowCarb #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)