Plant-Based Approaches for Inhibition of Advanced Glycation End Products Formation: Dietary Polyphenols

Advanced glycation end products arise during thermal processing and endogenous metabolism, contributing to oxidative stress, inflammation, and the progression of chronic diseases. Dietary polyphenols have emerged as promising advanced glycation end product (AGE) inhibitors through antioxidant activity, carbonyl trapping, metal chelation, and modulation of inflammatory pathways. This review summarizes current evidence on the effects of polyphenols in food systems and highlights how different polyphenol subclasses vary in their antiglycation potential depending on chemical structure, food matrix, and cooking conditions. Although experimental studies consistently demonstrate inhibitory effects, the translation to humans remains limited by low bioavailability, metabolic transformation, and heterogeneous analytical methods. Standardized AGE measurements are needed to improve mechanistic insight, and evaluations of dose-response relationships are needed to clarify their relevance in real-world diets. Future research should prioritize long-term human studies and practical culinary strategies to determine whether polyphenol-rich foods can meaningfully reduce dietary AGE exposure and support chronic disease prevention.