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You ever wonder to yourself--say, when you're about to take a bite out of a savory burger or crispy chicken finger--"did people always eat this good?"

Well, scientists (and everyone else on the planet) seem to believe we should modify the "good" in that statement to "bad," since nowadays eating anything can give you cancer, a stroke, a heart attack, salmonella, brain disease and SARS.

Now, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a common compound in the modern diet that could play a major role in the development of abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.

The study, which is published in the August 20, 2012 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that mice with sustained exposure to the compound, methyl-glyoxal (MG),--a type of advanced glycation endproduct (AGEs) produced when food is cooked with dry heat-- developed significant abdominal weight gain, early insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.

"The study demonstrates how the prolonged ingestion of seemingly innocuous substances common in human food, such as MG, can reduce defenses and compromise native resistance to metabolic and other diseases," said Dr. Vlassara in a statement to the press. "The mouse findings are also quite exciting because they provide us with new tools, not only to study, but to begin taking measures to prevent diabetes, either by suppressing their formation or by blocking their absorption with our food."

The research team recommends that clinical guidelines be revised to eliminate foods cooked using dry heat and replace them with methods that use lower heat or lots of moisture (water) as in stewing, poaching or steaming. Examples from the AGE-less diet include stewed beef, chicken and fish instead of grilled meats. Dr. Vlassara and her colleagues' new guidelines for an AGE-less diet can be found here.