New study finds this specific way of cooking could actually be shortening your life

The way you cook could be hindering your longevity, a new study has revealed.

We all know by now that 'we are what we eat' when it comes to health.

Yet, the US is currently battling an obesity crisis, accelerated by the typical 'American diet' made up of foods high in sugar and saturated fat.

While doctors have long been stressing the importance of a balanced diet with whole foods, a new study has revealed how we cook could also be adversely influencing our health.

Researchers found it all comes down to the high-heat methods that we use to add flavor, color and aromas to some of our favorite foods, like smoked meat, crispy chicken and golden fries.

The research suggests temperature plays a huge part (Getty Images)

While the phenomenon known as the Maillard reaction occurs due to chemical reactions in the food, with natural sugars reacting with proteins at a dry, high heat, experts are warning that the process also gives off harmful compounds - including advanced glycation end products (AGEs).

They commonly appear in charred or browned foods, brought on through grilling, roasting, frying and searing.

However, they can also form naturally in the body. And when AGEs build-up in the human body, they have been associated with inflammation and a raft of other health issues, like tissue stiffness, cellular dysfunction, diabetes, heart disease and adverse effects on memory.

At the more extreme end, high AGE levels can lead to cardiovascular diseases, kidney disease and even Alzheimer's, according to the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke amongst others.

Ed McCormick, a food science consultant from New Jersey, explained to the New York Post: "Eating more from very browned foods will add to the collective load of oxidative and inflammatory stress overall."

The National Cancer Institute warns that charred meat, or burning it at high temperatures, can also lead to a higher risk of cancer.

Frying food can also impact the process (Getty)

McCormick added that AGE formation is prone in some other popular dishes with bacon and cheese toppings, or skin-on chicken and other marbled meat.

Meanwhile, cooking with sauces that have added sugars, like a glaze or barbecue taste, can hike the levels even higher.

Fortunately, there's a way to dodge the effects - by using water.

Steaming, poaching, simmering and boiling not only help preserve the nutrients of the produce but also decrease the risk of AGE formations, with a 2013 study reporting these methods can reduce levels by around 50 per cent.

Interestingly, marinating meat in vinegar or a citrus juice for an hour before cooking can also halve AGE formation.