Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are the glycosylated products of organic macromolecules, such as longevity protein, nucleic acid, and so on, which are involved in the occurrence and development of the chronic complications of diabetes, atherosclerosis, uremia, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts and other diseases as well as senescence. It is important to detect the level of AGEs for study and intervention of the diseases mentioned above. This paper briefly summarizes the AGEs' formation, property, pathogenic mechanism and the methods for AGEs detection.