Medicating Inflammation with good food

By Noralyn Onto Dudt

Watch what you eat. You eat the wrong stuff and your arteries will be clogged, your pain will be worse, and your brain will be fogged.  Blame inflammation which comes from a chemical reaction initiated by your immune system.

Inflammation is the immune system's response to injury and infection. It is the body's way of signaling the immune system to heal and repair damaged tissues as well as to defend itself against foreign invaders. The attacker could be a foreign body, such as a thorn, an irritant, or a pathogen. Pathogens include bacteria, viruses, and other organisms which cause infections. When you cut your finger, white blood cells produce chemicals to combat the invader and to protect the infected area.  These chemicals are then released into the bloodstream, increasing blood flow to the area, causing inflammation.  In cases like these, inflammation is temporary and promotes healing.

However, there are times when the immune system does not switch off, and it can mistakenly treat healthy cells as a perceived threat. This can lead to low- level chronic inflammation that over time can damage healthy tissues.

Factors that may increase the risk of chronic inflammation include: older age; obesity; smoking; a diet that is rich in unhealthy fats and added sugar; stress; sleep problems.

Experts believe inflammation may contribute to a wide range of chronic diseases. Examples of these are metabolic syndrome, which includes type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

While inflammation plays a vital role in healing, chronic inflammation may increase the risk of various diseases such as cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis (heart/coronary), and periodontitis.

The red, bumpy itch that comes from a mosquito bite is a good sign of a strong immune system. On the other hand, a weakened immune system may fail to stop the germs/bacteria of the flu or a cold.  A fever may be alarming but it is the body's natural response to inflammatory stimuli, such as virus or infection. Once the immune system recognizes the challenge—a bacterial or pathogenic infection—it triggers a change in body temperature to heal itself.

 

What can we do to reduce the risks of inflammation?

It is essential that we learn what kind of anti-inflammatory foods are locally available, and to include them in our meals. And while we're at it, we can cut back or eliminate foods that promote inflammation.  Some foods contain compounds, such as antioxidants and other phytochemicals, that reduce inflammation. Others contain substances such as refined sugars and saturated fat that trigger responses in the body that promote inflammation, including high blood sugar or build-up of plaque in the coronary arteries.

In a recent study, researchers compared the participants' intakes of 18 food groups known to have effect on inflammation and the risks of heart disease and stroke. Inflammatory foods included red and processed meat; refined carbohydrates, such as white flours and sugars; and sugary beverages. On the other hand, yellow vegetables, leafy greens, whole grains, fruits, tea, coffee and wine have the greatest anti-inflammatory properties. Nuts, olive oil, fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel are also anti-inflammatory.

Scientific studies show that sleep has a significant impact on our immune functioning.  When the sleep-deprived are exposed to the common cold virus, they have higher rates of catching a cold.

A variety of studies have shown that any form of physical exercise is beneficial. You don't need to go to a gym. I walk about an hour a day and I find that walking can be a magic cure. It not only clears up your mind and lighten your mood, but it also tones muscles and sheds calories. There's a long list of creative people who have sworn that a daily walk is a good way to get good ideas. My husband Philip tells me that his idea that he eventually developed and turned into a patent was "born" during one of his walks.  "I have walked myself to my best thoughts, " wrote the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard.

Several scientific papers indicate that prolonged stress leads to hyper physiological levels of cortisol.  A 2006 study showed that high levels can alter the effectiveness of cortisol to regulate both the inflammatory and immune response because it decreases tissue sensitivity to cortisol.  As the human body heals, inflammation becomes a response to stress.  However, when intense stress over-activates the immune system, it can lead to chronic inflammation...where the system "forgets" to switch off.

Inflammation is a serious health issue but it is manageable. And thank God, the tools to manage it are within our grasp. It is not with expensive medications from the pharmacy, nor it is with costly medical procedures.  But it is simply with the good food that we wisely choose to eat, it is with the discipline of regular walks that costs very little (just a pair of good walking shoes), and it is with a less stressful life that we choose to live.