The College of Glycation with Dr. Paul Reynolds

In this episode of the College of Glycation, Dr. Paul Reynolds—Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology—shifts from explaining the science of glycation to exploring practical strategies for fighting it. Glycation and the buildup of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) contribute to aging, inflammation, and many chronic diseases, but there are evidence-based ways to slow this process. Dr. Reynolds breaks down the research behind several powerful tools that may help reduce glycation damage and improve metabolic health.

This episode highlights supplements and dietary strategies that target glycation at multiple stages, including L-carnosine, pyridoxamine, GlyNAC (glycine + NAC), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), and the polyphenols found in yerba mate. Dr. Reynolds also discusses the potential role of allulose as a lower-glycation sugar alternative and explains why improving insulin sensitivity and reducing blood glucose are foundational for protecting long-term cellular health. If you’re interested in slowing the molecular processes that contribute to aging and chronic disease, this episode provides practical, science-backed insights you can start applying today.

Paul’s favorite yerba mate: https://ufeelgreat.com/usa/en/c/C63EE3

Paul’s favorite source for clean, earth-sourced essentials such as salt, elecrolytes, 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)

In this episode of the College of Glycation, Dr. Paul Reynolds examines one of the most debated questions in metabolic health: do ketogenic and carnivore diets worsen glycation—or help prevent it? Breaking down the biochemistry, he explains how glycation forms advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that drive inflammation, oxidative stress, and accelerated aging, and why chronically elevated blood glucose is the primary trigger behind this damage.

Dr. Reynolds explores how carbohydrate restriction lowers HbA1c and reduces endogenous AGE formation, while addressing concerns about dietary AGEs from cooked meat and methylglyoxal production during ketosis. He also highlights the protective role of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), the body’s glyoxalase detoxification system, and the often-overlooked impact of fructose in accelerating glycation. The result is a clear, evidence-based look at how ketogenic and carnivore diets intersect with metabolic chemistry—and what that means for long-term health.

Paul’s favorite yerba mate: https://ufeelgreat.com/usa/en/c/C63EE3  

Paul’s favorite source for clean, earth-sourced essentials such as salt, elecrolytes, 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) 

In this episode of the College of Glycation, Dr. Paul Reynolds explores how glycation impacts one of the most metabolically sensitive systems in the body: the reproductive system. From PCOS and ovarian dysfunction to erectile dysfunction and impaired nitric oxide signaling, this episode connects advanced glycation end products (AGEs) to hormonal imbalance, vascular damage, and chronic inflammation. Dr. Reynolds also examines gestational diabetes, placental dysfunction, and the emerging science of transgenerational metabolic programming—revealing how a mother’s metabolic health may influence not only her child, but potentially future generations.

Grounded in peer-reviewed research, this conversation makes a compelling case that fertility and sexual health are not isolated issues—they are reflections of metabolic integrity. If you care about hormones, pregnancy, longevity, or preventing chronic disease, this episode underscores a powerful principle: protecting your metabolism protects everything downstream.

Paul’s favorite yerba mate: https://ufeelgreat.com/usa/en/c/C63EE3  

Paul’s favorite source for clean, earth-sourced essentials such as salt, elecrolytes, 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) 

In this episode of the College of Glycation, Dr. Paul Reynolds—Professor of Cell Biology—dives into the integumentary system and explains why your skin is one of the most revealing indicators of metabolic health. Unlike internal organs you can’t see, the effects of glycation and chronic inflammation show up directly on your face, hands, and body. Dr. Reynolds breaks down how advanced glycation end products (AGEs) form when sugars bind to proteins, and why long-lived structural proteins like collagen and elastin are especially vulnerable to becoming stiff, cross-linked, and dysfunctional over time.

This lecture connects the biochemistry of glycation to real-world outcomes like wrinkles, sagging, dull or yellowed skin tone, barrier breakdown, increased infection risk, and delayed wound healing—especially in diabetes. You’ll also learn why skin autofluorescence is emerging as a powerful marker of AGE burden, even in non-diabetics, and how daily lifestyle choices can reduce glycation load and protect skin integrity as you age.

Paul’s favorite yerba mate: https://ufeelgreat.com/usa/en/c/C63EE3  

Paul’s favorite source for clean, earth-sourced essentials such as salt, elecrolytes, 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) 

In this episode of the College of Glycation, Dr. Paul Reynolds—Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology—explores how glycation quietly damages two of the body’s most delicate and essential systems: the eyes and the ears. While most people associate diabetes-related damage with the heart or kidneys, this lecture shows how advanced glycation end products (AGEs) progressively harm the retina, lens, and cochlea through microvascular breakdown, oxidative stress, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction—often long before someone is formally diagnosed with diabetes.

You’ll learn why sensory organs are uniquely vulnerable due to their extreme metabolic demand, fragile end-artery circulation, and limited regenerative capacity. From pericyte loss and blood-retinal barrier failure in diabetic retinopathy, to crystallin protein cross-linking in cataracts, to the underrecognized connection between rising A1c and hearing loss, this episode connects molecular biochemistry to real-world outcomes—and highlights why reducing glycation through metabolic health is one of the most powerful strategies for protecting vision and hearing over a lifetime.

Paul’s favorite yerba mate: https://ufeelgreat.com/usa/en/c/C63EE3  

Paul’s favorite source for clean, earth-sourced essentials such as salt, elecrolytes, 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) 

In this episode of the College of Glycation, Dr. Paul Reynolds—Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology—explores how glycation and metabolic dysfunction silently damage the nervous system. From neurons and myelin to the blood-brain barrier, Dr. Reynolds explains how advanced glycation end products (AGEs) disrupt electrical signaling, trigger inflammation through the AGE–RAGE pathway, impair mitochondrial function, and accelerate both peripheral neuropathy and cognitive decline. The nervous system’s high energy demands, limited antioxidant defenses, and irreplaceable neurons make it uniquely vulnerable to sugar-driven damage.

Drawing from decades of peer-reviewed research, this episode connects metabolic health to brain aging, nerve degeneration, and even the emerging concept of Alzheimer’s disease as a form of metabolic dysfunction. Importantly, Dr. Reynolds emphasizes that these processes are not limited to people with diabetes—anyone with insulin resistance or high dietary AGE intake may be affected. This conversation offers a clear, science-based framework for understanding how diet, lifestyle, and glycation shape long-term neurological health—and what can be done to protect it.

Paul’s favorite yerba mate: https://ufeelgreat.com/usa/en/c/C63EE3  

Paul’s favorite source for clean, earth-sourced essentials such as salt, elecrolytes, 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) 

In this episode of the College of Glycation, Dr. Paul Reynolds, Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology, explores how glycation and chronic inflammation undermine the musculoskeletal system—one of the body’s most critical drivers of movement, strength, and metabolic health. Beginning with normal muscle and bone physiology, Dr. Reynolds explains why skeletal muscle serves as the body’s primary glucose sink and how impaired glucose handling accelerates glycation, insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction, and age-related muscle loss.

The episode also examines bone and connective tissues, highlighting how glycation of long-lived collagen degrades tissue quality rather than density, increasing fracture risk, joint degeneration, and tendon injury—especially in diabetes and aging. Drawing from mechanistic and clinical research, Dr. Reynolds reveals how AGE accumulation, oxidative stress, and inflammation create reinforcing cycles that drive sarcopenia, frailty, osteoarthritis, and metabolic decline. The discussion closes by emphasizing why exercise—particularly resistance training—is one of the most powerful tools for countering glycation, preserving musculoskeletal integrity, and maintaining long-term metabolic resilience.

Paul’s favorite yerba mate: https://ufeelgreat.com/usa/en/c/C63EE3  

Paul’s favorite source for clean, earth-sourced essentials such as salt, elecrolytes, 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) 

In this episode of the College of Glycation, Dr. Paul Reynolds—Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology—dives into the kidneys, organs that quietly perform some of the most demanding work in the body. He begins by explaining how healthy kidneys filter massive volumes of blood, maintain fluid and electrolyte balance, regulate blood pressure, and preserve essential proteins through the highly specialized structure of the nephron. With nearly a million nephrons per kidney and an intricate filtration barrier built on size and charge selectivity, the kidneys are marvels of biological engineering—but also uniquely vulnerable to metabolic stress.Dr. Reynolds then reveals how glycation and chronic hyperglycemia progressively damage this delicate system.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) alter long-lived structural proteins in the glomerular basement membrane, injure podocytes with limited regenerative capacity, and trigger inflammation and fibrosis through the AGE–RAGE axis. These processes drive hyperfiltration, albumin leakage, oxidative stress, and the vicious cycles that characterize diabetic kidney disease. The episode highlights why kidney damage is often silent until advanced stages, why early detection is critical, and how understanding these mechanisms provides a framework for preventing chronic kidney failure.

Paul’s favorite yerba mate: https://ufeelgreat.com/usa/en/c/C63EE3  

Paul’s favorite source for clean, earth-sourced essentials such as salt, elecrolytes, 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) 

In this episode of College of Glycation, Dr. Paul Reynolds—Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology—explores the liver’s central role in metabolic health and reveals how glycation and chronic inflammation quietly disrupt its vital functions. As the body’s primary metabolic hub, the liver is uniquely exposed to high concentrations of glucose and fructose, making it especially vulnerable to the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Dr. Reynolds breaks down how glycation alters liver enzymes, impairs insulin signaling, and initiates inflammatory cascades that ripple throughout the body.

You’ll learn why fructose metabolism in the liver accelerates glycation through potent intermediates like methylglyoxal, how AGE–RAGE signaling drives fatty liver disease, fibrosis, and insulin resistance, and why the liver is both a victim and a driver of metabolic dysfunction. Grounded in peer-reviewed science, this episode provides a clear mechanistic framework for understanding fatty liver disease, diabetes, and systemic inflammation—and highlights why restoring liver health is one of the most powerful strategies for reclaiming metabolic resilience and long-term health.

Paul’s favorite yerba mate: https://ufeelgreat.com/usa/en/c/C63EE3  

Paul’s favorite source for clean, earth-sourced essentials such as salt, elecrolytes, 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) 

In this episode of the College of Glycation, Dr. Paul Reynolds—Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology—explores the blood and immune system to reveal how glycation and chronic hyperglycemia disrupt immunity, oxygen delivery, and inflammation control. Moving beyond the idea of blood sugar as a passive biomarker, Dr. Reynolds explains how glycation actively alters hemoglobin, stiffens red blood cells, and accelerates cellular aging, while simultaneously impairing the metabolic flexibility of immune cells. The result is a paradoxical state of chronic inflammation paired with weakened defense against infection.

Drawing on peer-reviewed research, this episode connects metabolic dysfunction to real-world disease outcomes, including increased infection risk, atherosclerosis, kidney disease, and impaired wound healing. By unpacking how AGEs, immune cell metabolism, and inflammatory signaling intersect, Dr. Reynolds shows why metabolic health is foundational to immune resilience and healthy aging—and why reducing glycation isn’t just about improving lab numbers, but restoring the body’s capacity to defend, repair, and heal.

Paul’s favorite yerba mate: https://ufeelgreat.com/usa/en/c/C63EE3  

Paul’s favorite source for clean, earth-sourced essentials such as salt, elecrolytes, 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)