Reading Comprehension

Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions below.

There is a drugless and side-effect-free way to reduce inflammation in the body, restore the body's natural defence system, lose weight, possibly increase lifespan and improve or prevent diabetes, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. What is more, you can benefit from this natural health strategy no matter your age or whether you already have a severe disease. So who is behind these 'wild' health declarations? It is not a supplement maker or natural health group. Instead, the claims come from mainstream science researchers from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, to be exact.

Their findings conclude a simple, inexpensive dietary intervention that could control weight even without changing caloric intake and help make people healthier in a host of ways. The key? Stop eating processed and fried foods.

According to the study, these foods, which are abundant in Western diets, are loaded with harmful toxins called Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs). AGEs are produced when foods are heated, pasteurized, dried, smoked, fried or grilled. Then, once consumed and inside the body, AGEs adhere to tissues and oxidize them, causing inflammation, resulting in numerous diseases. In fact, a long list of animal studies has previously shown the dangers of AGEs. The oxidative stress from high oxidant levels and inflammation increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and other chronic diseases.

The new clinical study, conducted in collaboration with the National Institute on Ageing (NIA), built on this earlier animal research but this time looked at what people ate and how it affected their bodies. The researchers studied 325 healthy adults and 66 with chronic kidney disease. A subset of 40 healthy participants and another 9 with kidney disease were randomly assigned to follow a regular Western diet full of AGEs or follow a diet with only one-half the amount of AGEs typically found in the American eating style. Research subjects in the 'AGE-less diet' group were advised to avoid grilling, frying or baking their food. Instead, they were told to eat food that was poached, stewed or steamed. There was no change in calories or nutrient intake during the time of the study.

After four months on the low-AGEs eating plan, the scientists checked the blood of the healthy research subjects. They found that AGE levels, inflammatory markers, and biomarkers of vascular function declined by as much as 60 per cent. What is more, a similar reduction was found in the kidney patients after only one month on the AGE-less diet.

In addition, the research team found a positive effect on a cellular receptor for AGEs called AGER1. That is a critical finding because the AGER1 receptor is needed for removing toxic AGEs from the body. On the other hand, the participants with kidney disease had severely suppressed AGER1 receptors. The Mount Sinai scientists speculate that this vital defence mechanism is 'exhausted' due to persistently elevated AGEs.

Nevertheless, there is good news. After a short period of not eating AGEs loaded fried and processed foods, the number of AGER1 gene copies was restored to normal levels among patients with kidney disease. By simply adjusting the diet to avoid processed and fried foods, the body was rebuilding its healthy defence system.

"What is noteworthy about our findings is that reduced AGE consumption proved to be effective in all study participants, including healthy persons and persons who have a chronic condition such as kidney disease," said Dr Vlassara, the study's lead author, in a press statement.

"This suggests that oxidants may play a more active role than genetics in overwhelming our body's defences, which we need to fight off disease. It has been said that nature holds power, but the environment pulls the trigger. The good news is that, unlike genetics, we can control oxidant levels, which may not be an accompaniment to disease and ageing, but instead due to the cumulative toxic influence of AGEs."