AGEs are known to be involved in hardening of the arteries, Alzheimer's disease, ageing of the skin and kidney disease. Basically, they contribute to the ageing process, slowly "caramelizing" us through time, Prof Thomas says. They cause tissue to become stiffer - the same process as what makes mutton tougher than lamb. Although AGEs are present in everybody, they accumulate much more quickly when sugar concentration is high, one of the reasons why strong sugar control is so important for those with diabetes.

The process means people with diabetes are at increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and blindness at an earlier age.

Already Baker scientists have successfully trialed a "crude" test for AGEs on more than 1,000 patients with diabetes, finding it to be an accurate predictor of the likelihood of complications.

But Prof Thomas said much more work needed to be done before general practitioners could use it." We need to refine it, make it even more precise," he said."

Prof Thomas said if doctors could reduce AGEs levels in the body, along with current strategies to control sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure, then it may be possible to avoid the complications of diabetes, including damage to the kidneys, eyes and heart vessels.

"What we're wanting to do with AGEs is the same thing that's been done with cholesterol," Prof Thomas said in an interview. "We want to establish what increases AGEs in the body and what is the best way to reduce them." Some medications to treat AGEs already exist.

But others are being developed, including international human trials of a novel drug, known as alagebrium, which aims to break down pre-existing AGEs and make hardened tissue supple again.