VeraLight Technology
Skin AGE as a diabetes odometer
Numerous studies over the past 25 years have shown advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) accumulate normally in skin, but are elevated in people with diabetes. Analogous to a “diabetes odometer”, AGEs are a sensitive metric for the cumulative damage the body has endured due to the effects of abnormally high blood sugar and oxidative stress. In addition, studies have consistently found strong correlations between higher levels of specific skin AGEs and increased incidence of diabetes complications. For example, at the closeout of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), the Skin Collagen Ancillary Study Group found skin AGEs, which act as an integrator of glycemic exposure, were positively associated with measures of diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy. Furthermore, this association remained significant even after adjustment of these variables for chronological age, diabetes duration, and correlation with A1C.
Source:
• See attached list.
• Diabetes Control and Complications Trials (DCCT) Skin Collagen Ancillary Study Group, “Skin collagen glycation, glycoxidation, and crosslinking are lower in subjects with long-term intensive versus conventional therapy of type 1 diabetes,” Diabetes 48: 870-880 (1999).