How water-based cooking supports longevity and metabolic health

Originally published on May 28, 2025

Water-based cooking may be one of the simplest ways to reduce food compounds linked to aging, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction. In Episode 325 of the WHOOP Podcast, Global Head of Human Performance, Principal Scientist at WHOOP Kristen Holmes speaks with nutrition scientist and registered dietitian Dr. Michelle Davenport about why steaming, simmering, poaching, and broth-based meals deserve more attention.

Davenport brings together cultural food knowledge, clinical nutrition training, and research on advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, to make a practical case: how you cook food can change what ends up in that food. This article breaks down the mechanisms behind AGEs, the link between ultra-processed foods and aging, and the easiest ways to shift your meals toward better metabolic health.

To listen to episode 325 in full, head to the WHOOP Podcast on Spotify.

What is water-based cooking, and why is it linked to healthy aging?

Water-based cooking means using moisture as the main cooking medium, including steaming, simmering, poaching, boiling, and broth-based cooking. Davenport's central point is simple: these methods consistently produce fewer dietary AGEs than dry, high-heat methods such as grilling, broiling, roasting, and frying.

That argument is partly scientific, and partly cultural. Davenport grew up in a Vietnamese American family where broths and water-cooked dishes centered everyday meals and major life events. She connects that lived experience to later research, including work from nephrologist Dr. Jaime Uribarri at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, whose lab helped build a dietary AGE database comparing how different cooking methods change AGE content in food.

Her practical observation is that water changes the chemistry of cooking. Chefs chasing a browned crust are usually chasing the Maillard reaction, the set of reactions that creates color and flavor on foods cooked with dry heat. Davenport's point is that the same browning many people prize also marks higher AGE formation. In her framing, the problem is not a single food. The problem is repeated exposure to a cooking pattern.

That is also why this conversation is broader than one cuisine or one diet trend. Davenport notes that many older food traditions relied on clay pots, ceramic cookware, soups, braises, porridges, and stews. Those methods were not built around modern longevity language, but they often aligned with lower AGE cooking by default. A similar idea shows up in How to Cook for Longevity with Dr. Michelle Davenport, where broth-based meals and moist-heat cooking are presented as durable everyday habits rather than a short-term protocol.

If you want to hear Davenport unpack why moist-heat cooking shows up across traditional cuisines, listen to the full episode on Spotify

Davenport distills the mechanism clearly:

"Across the board, cooking with water inhibits the formation of these compounds."

What you should take away

• Water-based cooking includes steaming, poaching, simmering, boiling, and broth-based meals.
• The main benefit Davenport highlights is lower AGE formation compared with dry, high-heat cooking methods.
• Traditional food cultures often arrived at lower AGE cooking patterns through soups, stews, and slow, moist heat.
• A cooking method can change the biological profile of a meal even when the ingredient list stays the same.

How do AGEs form, and why are they linked to aging and disease?

Once cooking method is on the table, the next question is what exactly these compounds are. AGEs, short for advanced glycation end products, form when a reducing sugar such as glucose or fructose binds to proteins, fats, or other molecules and then moves through a series of chemical rearrangements.

Davenport walks through that pathway in unusual detail for a podcast conversation. She describes an early Schiff base, then an Amadori product, and then the more stable compounds grouped under the AGE label. Her shorthand is memorable: AGEs act like molecular super glue. They are sticky, they cross-link with tissues, and they can make structures in the body stiffer over time.

That matters in two main ways. First, AGEs can physically bind to proteins such as collagen, contributing to stiffening in tissues. Davenport uses wrinkling skin as an easy example, but the same logic extends to blood vessels and other tissues. Second, AGEs can bind to a receptor called RAGE, short for receptor for advanced glycation end products. When that happens, the body can shift into a more inflammatory, oxidative state.

Davenport ties those mechanisms to the broader metabolic story. She notes that AGEs come from two places: outside the body through food, and inside the body through normal metabolism. Everyone forms some AGEs with age, but chronic high blood sugar can speed that process. That is part of why she keeps returning to metabolic health, and why related WHOOP conversations such as Understanding metabolic health keep circling back to blood sugar regulation, sleep, stress, and daily behavior.

She also connects this chemistry to brain health. In the discussion, Davenport points to older research framing Alzheimer's disease as deeply connected to insulin resistance, sometimes informally described as type 3 diabetes. Her explanation is that AGE-driven inflammation, oxidative stress, plaque formation, and blood-brain barrier disruption may all help create a worse environment for neurons.

For Davenport's full take on AGE chemistry and why RAGE matters, watch the full episode on Spotify.

Her definition earns attention because it gives both mechanism and scope:

"AGEs are short for advanced glycation end products. It's an umbrella term for the hundreds of compounds that are formed when a reducing sugar like glucose or fructose attach to an amino acid, protein, lipid, or nucleic acid."

What you should take away

• AGEs are a large family of compounds formed through glycation reactions involving sugars and other molecules.
• Davenport highlights two major concerns: tissue cross-linking and inflammation triggered through the RAGE receptor.
• The body makes some AGEs naturally, but chronic high blood sugar can accelerate that process.
• AGE biology helps explain why cooking method and metabolic health belong in the same conversation.

What does water-based cooking do better than grilling, roasting, or frying?

After the mechanism comes the practical comparison. Davenport's case is that water-based cooking lowers AGE exposure at the point of preparation, before food ever reaches the plate.

Her most vivid example is steak. The brown, flavorful crust produced by dry heat is also where AGE formation climbs. That does not mean a grilled meal can never fit into a healthy life. It means the cooking tradeoff should be understood clearly. In her view, people often talk about nutrients, calories, protein, and ingredients while skipping the chemistry created during cooking itself.

The same logic applies to common Western breakfast foods and restaurant meals. Davenport notes that bacon is exceptionally high in AGE content, citing about 91,000 AGE kilounits per 100 grams in the database she references. She also gives a striking chicken example: broiled chicken thighs may reach around 10,000 AGE kilounits, while poached chicken thighs can come in below 1,000. Her larger point is that the same food can change dramatically depending on how it is prepared.

For people who still want grilled food, Davenport offers a useful middle ground. Acid-based marinades can blunt AGE formation before dry-heat cooking. She suggests balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and herbs, which matches the kind of marinade many people already enjoy. The value here is not punishment or restriction. It is lowering exposure without removing the meal from your life.

When people are eating out, Davenport's own fallback strategy is to look for stews, soups, plant-based dishes, or other lower AGE options when she cannot control the kitchen. She is explicit that joy still matters. The goal is a pattern that is sustainable, not rigid.

If you want to hear Davenport go deeper on marinades, grilling, and restaurant tradeoffs, listen to the full episode on Spotify

Holmes asks for the most practical workaround, and Davenport gives a number that is easy to remember:

"If you marinate a protein about 10 to 15 minutes before cooking it with high dry heat, you can, depending on the cut of meat, decreased the amount of AGEs that form in that meat by almost 50%."

What you should take away

• Dry, high-heat cooking methods create more dietary AGEs than moist-heat methods.
• The same ingredient can have very different AGE levels depending on whether it is broiled, grilled, fried, or poached.
• Acid marinades used for 10 to 15 minutes before grilling may cut AGE formation by close to 50%, depending on the protein.
• A lower AGE eating pattern can still include grilled food, provided that dry-heat meals are occasional rather than constant.

Why are ultra-processed foods and food culture part of the same longevity conversation?

From there, Davenport zooms out from the kitchen to the modern food environment. Her argument is that longevity is shaped by more than isolated meals. It is shaped by the food systems, habits, and social patterns that determine what people eat most of the time.

She points to data suggesting that more than 60% of calories in the average American diet come from ultra-processed foods. She also cites an NHANES-based study on ultra-processed food intake and biological aging that found roughly a quarter-year increase in phenotypic age for every 10% increase in calories from ultra-processed foods. Davenport is careful to note that biological age measurement is still evolving, but she treats the directional message as hard to ignore.

Her chemical explanation is that ultra-processed foods often combine several AGE-promoting features at once. They are frequently produced with high heat, can be rich in fat and protein, and often contain high amounts of fructose. In the podcast, she notes that fructose is 7 to 10 times more reactive than glucose when it comes to forming AGEs.

Just as important, Davenport thinks the United States has lost part of its food culture. She defines food culture as a shared understanding of meals and health passed down through recipes, family cooking, and eating together. In her view, long-lived populations can eat very different foods, yet still share a pattern of home cooking, social meals, and less dependence on convenience products. That perspective complements earlier WHOOP nutrition conversations such as The surprising link between diet and lifespan and Food as medicine with Dr. Julie Foucher, both of which frame food quality as part of long-term disease prevention.

Davenport also mentions two large observational cohorts that extend the concern beyond day-to-day metabolic markers. She cites the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial where women with the highest AGE intake had a 30% higher breast cancer risk, and the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, where men in the highest AGE intake group had a 43% higher pancreatic cancer risk. Those studies do not prove that AGEs alone cause disease, but they show why the field has drawn growing attention.

If you want to hear Davenport unpack ultra-processed foods and the loss of food culture, watch the full episode on Spotify.

She summarizes one chemical reason ultra-processed foods worry her:

"Fructose actually is 7 to 10 times more reactive than glucose in creating AGEs."

What you should take away

• Davenport links ultra-processed foods to aging through both food chemistry and eating patterns.
• She cites NHANES-based research suggesting higher ultra-processed food intake tracks with older phenotypic age.
• Fructose may accelerate AGE formation more aggressively than glucose.
• Food culture matters because home cooking, shared meals, and traditional recipes often support lower AGE eating patterns without formal dieting.

What can you do today to cook for metabolic health and longevity?

After the broader public health argument, Davenport brings the conversation back to ordinary life. Her advice is grounded, and much less complicated than most longevity content.

First, use water more often. That can mean oatmeal, soups, hot pot, poached proteins, simmered vegetables, broth-based grain bowls, or a one-pot meal that carries cooking liquid from start to finish. Davenport gives Hainan chicken as an example of how one broth can cook the chicken, rice, vegetables, sauces, and soup while keeping a meal flavorful.

Second, make convenience work for you. Davenport is comfortable with microwaves for reheating and sees flash-frozen produce as a strong option for nutrient retention and cost. She says frozen vegetables are typically processed right after harvest, which helps preserve vitamin C and makes them an efficient way to build lower AGE meals. She also likes batch cooking, especially broth, rice, and leftovers that can be packed into a thermos for lunch.

Third, keep the basics in view. Holmes and Davenport agree that people often chase supplements and edge-case protocols while overlooking sleep, hydration, movement, fruits, vegetables, sunlight, and social connection. Davenport is explicit that healthy living still depends on blood sugar control, since the body can make its own AGEs internally. That philosophy lines up with how WHOOP members often use Sleep, Recovery, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability trends to see whether the basics are actually in place. It also fits the broader longevity lens in Nutrition, longevity, and women's health.

She adds a few tactical ideas. Cooling starches such as rice or potatoes can increase resistant starch, which may soften the post-meal glucose response. She also notes that lower dietary AGE intake appears to track inversely with markers such as SIRT1 and PPAR gamma in this research area, suggesting another possible link between cooking patterns and healthy aging.

If you want to hear Davenport go deeper on flash-frozen produce, resistant starch, and simple meal ideas, listen to the full episode on Spotify

Davenport's biggest reminder is that the basics still carry most of the weight:

"If you have access to a kitchen and a bed, the sun, a place to move, and your loved ones, you pretty much have everything that you need to live a healthy life."

What you should take away

• Water-based cooking is the first habit Davenport would prioritize for lower AGE meals.
• Flash-frozen vegetables, microwaves for reheating, and batch cooking can make lower AGE eating practical on busy days.
• Better metabolic health still depends on sleep, hydration, movement, and blood sugar control, not food chemistry alone.
• Simple meals built around broth, grains, vegetables, and cooked proteins can support longevity without turning food into a rigid system.

The bottom line

• Water-based cooking lowers dietary AGE formation more consistently than grilling, broiling, roasting, or frying.
• AGEs are compounds formed through glycation reactions, and Davenport links them to tissue stiffening, oxidative stress, and inflammation through the RAGE receptor.
• The same food can carry a very different AGE load depending on preparation, with poached chicken far lower than broiled chicken in Davenport's example.
• Acid marinades used before dry-heat cooking may reduce AGE formation by close to 50%, depending on the cut of meat.
• Ultra-processed foods raise concern in this episode because they often combine high heat processing, added sugars, and patterns of eating that displace home-cooked meals.
• Davenport argues that food culture matters for longevity because shared meals, traditional recipes, and cooking from scratch often support better metabolic habits.
• Flash-frozen produce and broth-based batch cooking are two of Davenport's easiest recommendations for making lower AGE meals more practical.
• Better cooking habits work best when paired with the basics Holmes emphasizes throughout WHOOP conversations, especially sleep consistency, hydration, daily movement, and recovery.

Frequently asked questions about things discussed in this episode

How does WHOOP help you spot habits that may support metabolic health?

WHOOP shows behavior-linked trends in Sleep, Recovery, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and Strain, which can help you see whether routines around meals, alcohol, stress, and late nights are lining up with better recovery.

Does WHOOP measure AGEs directly?

WHOOP does not measure AGEs directly. WHOOP is most useful here as a way to track the downstream habits that Davenport and Holmes discuss, including sleep consistency, daily strain, and recovery patterns tied to overall metabolic health.

What does WHOOP do for understanding the impact of late meals?

WHOOP can show whether late meals are associated with changes in Sleep, overnight resting heart rate, and next-day Recovery. WHOOP Journal is especially useful if you want to log meal timing and compare that behavior against recovery trends over time.

How does WHOOP measure sleep consistency, and why is that relevant in this conversation?

WHOOP tracks when you go to sleep and wake up, making sleep timing trends easy to review over time. Sleep consistency matters here because Holmes repeatedly connects stable sleep-wake timing with better metabolic regulation and lower day-to-day strain on the body.

What does WHOOP track that relates to recovery after a high-stress day?

WHOOP tracks heart rate variability, resting heart rate, respiratory rate, sleep performance, and daily Strain to show how your body is responding. Those signals can help you see whether poor sleep, heavy training, travel, or irregular eating patterns are showing up in next-day Recovery.

What does WHOOP Journal add if you are experimenting with cooking habits?

WHOOP Journal helps connect a behavior to a measurable trend. If you start cooking more meals at home, eating earlier, or reducing alcohol with dinner, Journal entries can help you compare those choices with changes in Sleep and Recovery over weeks instead of guessing.

How can WHOOP members use this episode without overcomplicating nutrition?

WHOOP members can use this episode as a reminder to start with repeatable basics. Davenport's advice is to cook with more water, rely less on ultra-processed food, and pair that with consistent sleep, movement, and hydration rather than chasing a long list of niche tactics.

Cooking more meals with steam, broth, and simmering gives WHOOP members a concrete behavior to test against real trends in sleep consistency, resting heart rate, and next-day Recovery.