Reference values of skin autofluorescence as an estimation of tissue accumulation of advanced glycation end products in a general Slovak population

Abstract

Reference ranges of skin autofluorescence in Slovak Caucasians, detailed for paediatric age groups, are provided. Our data show that, in healthy adults, regular physical exercise associates with lower skin autofluorescence. Infants fed or weaned from infant formulas (advanced glycation end product-rich diet) have higher skin autofluorescence than their breast milk-consuming counterparts. It is unclear why Slovaks have lower skin autofluorescence compared with a Dutch population with lower cardiovascular mortality rates. Reference data on skin autofluorescence from diverse populations are needed for the precise clinical interpretation of skin autofluorescence measurements.

Advanced glycation end‐products (AGEs) and associations with cardio‐metabolic, lifestyle, and dietary factors in a general population: the NQplus study

“…More studies should confirm a possible association between skin AF and body fat percentage. In contrast to our results, Klenovics and colleagues found an association with frequency of exercise per week . Participants with an exercise frequency of ≥3 had a lower skin AF than those who excised 1 to 2 per week.…”

“…The observed relationship of skin AF with age was expected; this was documented before in healthy participants by several other studies . Cigarette smoking, an exogenous source of AGEs, has been previously associated with skin AF .…”

“…Another cross‐sectional study by Yue et al in 1265 healthy Chinese participants did not find gender differences in skin AF levels . Klenovics et al conducted a cross‐sectional study in 1385 Slovak participants; a higher skin AF in women was observed only in the age category of 40 to 49 years . In a cross‐sectional study in 973 diabetic participants and 231 controls, Lutgers et al observed that female gender was positively associated with skin AF in diabetic participants only …”

“…The observed relationship of skin AF with age was expected; this was documented before in healthy participants by several other studies. 3,[19][20][21]36,37 Cigarette smoking, an exogenous source of AGEs, has been previously associated with skin AF. 3,[19][20][21]37 In the total population, a significant association between skin AF and smoking status "current" was observed; however, in sex-specific analysis, this association was not significant anymore.…”

“…The aim of this study is to investigate associations between skin AF and a broad range of cardio‐metabolic and lifestyle factors, including age, diabetes, food intake, and cardiovascular mediators within a general, mostly healthy, population. Up till now, most research has focused on associations of AGEs in patient populations, eg, in diabetic participants or participants with CVD, while only a few studies have focused on associations in a general population …”