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 The glycocalyx is your blood vessels’ invisible protective sugar coat that controls leakage, senses flow, prevents clotting, and blocks inflammation—yet the same glycation chemistry that damages proteins can destroy it in just hours, making its breakdown one of the earliest steps in vascular and kidney disease. Summary Paul Reynolds, biomedical scientist and Professor of Cell Biology, flips the usual narrative on sugar. While glycation and AGEs damage tissues throughout the body, the glycocalyx is a life-saving sugar forest coating nearly every cell—especially the endothelium lining all blood vessels. This dynamic layer, built from proteoglycans (syndecans and glypicans) and glycosaminoglycans (heparan sulfate and hyaluronan), can be thicker than the cells it covers. It performs four critical jobs at once: acting as a selective filter that prevents fluid leakage and edema, serving as the antenna that senses blood-flow shear stress and triggers nitric oxide release for healthy vessel relaxation, physically and electrostatically repelling platelets and white blood cells to reduce clotting and inflammation, and enabling smooth, frictionless blood flow through negative charge repulsion. High blood sugar rapidly dismantles this protective coat. In a landmark 2006 human study, just six hours of acute hyperglycemia halved systemic glycocalyx volume, accompanied by increased clotting tendency and endothelial dysfunction—largely prevented by antioxidants. Glycation adds a direct intracellular attack: AGEs activate the RAGE receptor on endothelial cells, which upregulates heparanase, the enzyme that specifically cuts heparan sulfate chains. Inflammatory cytokines activate additional shedding enzymes (heparanases, hyaluronidases, metalloproteinases). Once the coat is gone, the vessel wall is exposed, white blood cells adhere, and atherosclerosis gains its foothold. This breakdown appears to be the earliest measurable event in vascular dysfunction—preceding plaque, arterial stiffening, and even microalbuminuria in diabetic kidney disease. The same process occurs in the gut glycocalyx, contributing to leaky gut and systemic inflammation that feeds back into vascular damage. Glucose is paradoxically both the brickmaker (used inside cells to build the coat) and the demolition crew (when elevated in the bloodstream). 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 Timestamps 0:35 Hero & villain are same chemistry 1:51 Endothelial glycocalyx in vessels 2:31 Structure: proteoglycans & GAGs 4:30 Thickness & body’s investment 5:46 Job 1: Gatekeeper & filter 7:04 Job 2: Shear stress & nitric oxide 8:31 Anti-clotting & charge repulsion 9:50 High blood sugar destroys it fast 11:51 AGE-RAGE → heparanase shredding 12:29 Brick maker vs demolition crew 14:37 Earliest event in vascular disease 18:05 Gut glycocalyx & leaky gut 20:05 Protect it: stable low glucose 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. 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. #Glycocalyx #EndothelialGlycocalyx #Glycation #AGEs #VascularHealth #NitricOxide #HeartHealth #GutHealth #BloodSugar #LowCarb #Ketogenic #MetabolicHealth #Inflammation #OxidativeStress #HealthyAging Paul’s favorite yerba mate: https://unicity.link/121f260bfe Yerbe mate with a special formulated Balance fiber: https://ufeelgreat.com/c/PaulReynolds For the 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)