Comparison of Free and Bound Advanced Glycation End Products in Food: A Review on the Possible Influence on Human Health

Debate on the hazards of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in food has continued for many years as a result of their uncertain bioavailability and ability to bind to their receptors (RAGEs) in vivo. There are increasing evidence that free and bound AGEs have many differences in gastrointestinal digestion, intestinal absorption, binding with RAGEs, in vivo circulation, and renal clearance. Therefore, this paper compares these aspects between free and bound AGEs by summarizing the available knowledge. On the basis of the current knowledge, we conclude that it is time to differentiate free AGEs from bound AGEs in food in future studies, because they vary in many aspects that are closely related to their influence on human health. Several perspectives were proposed at the end of this review for further exploring the difference between free and bound AGEs in food.