Restriction of Dietary AGEs to Prevent Diabetes in Overweight Individuals

Inclusion criteria

• Abdominal obesity: waist circumference for men ≥ 102 cm, and for women ≥ 88 cm.
• Aged 18 years and older
• Caucasian (because of skin fluorescence and capillary microscopy measurements)

Exclusion criteria

• Diabetes (i.e. using anti-diabetic medication, fasting glucose >7.0 mmol/L, HbA1c >6.5%).
• Active or history of cardiovascular disease (e.g. stroke, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, congestive heart failure, cardiac shunts, cardiac surgery, pulmonary hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, family history of cardiac arrhythmias or sudden cardiac death)
• Hyperlipidemia (defined as serum total cholesterol > 8 mmol/L or TG > 4 mmol/L)
• Lipid lowering medication (e.g. statins)
• Use of medication known to influence glucose metabolism, vascular function and/or lipid metabolism (e.g. statins, glucocorticosteroids, NSAID's)
• Inability to stop antihypertensive medication for 13 weeks. Exclusion of higher grade hypertension (> 179 mmHg SBP and/or > 109 mmHg DBP) in order not to expose subjects to unnecessary risks)
• Pulmonary or inflammatory disease
• Kidney failure or electrolyte disorders
• Pregnancy or lactation
• No change in use of oral anticonceptiva or IUD (12 weeks prior of during the intervention)
• Known allergic reaction to ultrasound contrast-agent
• Smoking (active or cessation <1 year prior to screening date).
• High alcohol usage (>4 U/day) or drug abuse
• Use of dietary supplements or an investigation product within the previous month
• Significant food allergies/intolerance
• Vegetarianism
• Subjects who intend to donate blood during the intervention or subjects who have donated blood less than three months before the start of the intervention.
• Participation in another biomedical trial during the past 30 days.