Scientists have discovered that compounds known as ‘glycotoxins’, which form when we brown or blacken certain foods, may actually increase the risk of age-related dementia.

So, when it comes to ordering your steak, it would be advisable to have it rare.

The new discovery is based on findings by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine in the US, who found that mice raised on a diet rich in glycotoxins were more likely to develop dementia-like cognitive and movement problems than mice who were led on a low-glycotoxin diet.



Those with the high-glycotoxin diet also had increased amounts of amyloid beta proteins in their brains, which are the same proteins that form plaque in the brains of Alzheimer’s sufferers.

The researchers then monitored the amount of glycotoxins in the blood of 93 New Yorkers aged over 60 for nine months.

They discovered that the participants with high levels of AGE Glycotoxins in their blood experienced greater decline than those who didn’t.

But dementia experts have said that, while the results are interesting, they are not necessarily conclusive pending further investigation.