Inflammation. Inflammation. Inflammation. Another one of those words you hear repeatedly, following “wellness,” and “plant-based!” Quite honestly, I never gave it much thought. I remember learning about inflammatory diets and how they affected your body in my culinary program, but that was 20 years ago and I can’t say I’ve given it much thought since that last test! (Which I passed with flying colors, by the way!) But as you get older and your body starts to malfunction, you might start to wonder why that is. I mean, you hear about it all the time. “When you get old……” You are taught to believe that aging just means falling apart and feeling poorly. Well I know for me, and perhaps for many of you, the reason you might feel like crap could be due to what is called chronic inflammation. Based on my research it’s quite common. And as you read this post, you’ll understand why.
So, what exactly is inflammation? And is it all bad? Nope. It’s not all bad. Inflammation serves a purpose UNTIL it doesn’t!
Chronic Inflammation: What It Is and How to Manage It
Inflammation is part of the immune response that helps heal infections and injuries. When you are infected with a pathogen, (bacteria, viruses, other microbes) or you encounter some harmful substance, (like pollutants or toxins) or suffer an injury, the immune system sends an army of inflammatory cells to fight the invader or to heal the injured tissue. These cells release various pro-inflammatory chemicals that help in dilating blood vessels, allowing more blood (and hence more immune cells) to reach the damaged tissue. This causes the area to feel hot, red, swollen, painful, or inflamed.
Inflammation – acute or chronic?
The most familiar type of inflammation that we all experience from time to time (Like when you get a cold or cut your finger.) is acute inflammation. It has short-lived symptoms, such as redness, fever, pain, swelling, and will usually subside within a few hours or days.
Now on the other hand, chronic inflammation – a condition of persistent low-grade inflammation is a silent killer that can go on undiagnosed for years, slowly damaging and decaying your cells. It has much more subtle symptoms that are often overlooked or mistaken for something else, like “UH, JUST GETTING OLD!” Some of its common signs include frequent aches, physical and mental fatigue, stiff joints, and recurring skin rashes. News flash, it’s not just that your black is cracking, or whatever color you happen to be!
What causes chronic inflammation?
While inflammation is a critical part of the healing process, sometimes the body keeps sending pro-inflammatory cells even when there are no invaders to fight off. For example, in autoimmune diseases like arthritis, the immune system mistakenly perceives its own tissues as harmful and keeps attacking healthy joints, causing serious long-term damage. Sometimes, inflammation produced by an injury can linger in the body even after it has been dealt with, leaving your system in a constant state of stress.
Too much exposure to environmental toxins, an untreated infection, obesity, smoking, and chronic stress are some other well-known factors that cause systematic inflammation. Ding! Ding! Ding! Chronic stress. How many of us deal with that?
How does inflammation affect your wellbeing?
If left untreated, inflammation over time can cause rapid aging of cells and contribute to existing long-term conditions. It is known to cause various types of chronic diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, bronchitis, asthma, eczema, type-2 diabetes, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease. Inflammation also promotes the growth of plaque in arteries, hardening them and restricting blood flow a/k/a Heart Disease – which can put your heart at risk even if you have perfectly normal levels of cholesterol.
Chronic inflammatory diseases account for about 50% of deaths globally. Research suggests that systematic low-grade inflammation may increase the risk of stroke, diabetes, high cholesterol, cancer, chronic kidney diseases, and various heart diseases.
Although there is no accurate way to diagnose systematic inflammation, it can be interpreted by some blood tests for C-reactive proteins (CRP) – an important biomarker for inflammation. But many people do not know that they have lingering inflammation until they are diagnosed with some connected condition, such as arthritis or heart disease.
So, what can we do to reduce inflammation in the body? #1 – Diet! Diet! Diet! We become what we eat. No getting around that.
Anti-inflammatory foods
A nourishing and well-balanced diet is key to restoring the body’s natural equilibrium. Studies have shown that dietary adaptations, such as eating a low glycemic diet, increasing the intake of anti-inflammatory foods, ELIMINATING or significantly reducing sugar, can help reduce inflammation triggers.
Foods that are high in omega-3 (like fatty fish, olive oil, flax seeds, sesame seeds) green leafy vegetables, and some spices (turmeric, black pepper, garlic, ginger) are known to have anti-inflammatory properties. I often make a pitcher of ginger water to keep in the fridge and drink throughout the day. Berries and fruits that are high in antioxidants also help prevent inflammation by fighting free radicals and oxidative stress. Whereas a diet high in carbs, sugars, dairy products, processed meat, and fried foods can increase inflammation. I repeat for my peeps….FRIED FOOD. Get yourself an airfryler ya’ll. I absolutely love it. A good crunch without the bad oil!
A 2018 study has shown that the Mediterranean diet – which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, legumes, fruits, and nuts and low in dairy and meat – is a perfect example of an anti-inflammatory diet, and people who follow this diet have lower markers of systematic inflammation.
Manage stress levels
Psychological stress is identified as a major risk factor of chronic inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis, lupus, and autoimmune diseases. Chronic stress weakens the body’s natural defense mechanism, as well as its ability to shut down its own inflammatory response after the infection has subsided. Under normal circumstances, when you catch a bacteria or a virus, the white blood cells produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, (to fight the infection) which then disappear afterward.
Chronic stress disrupts this natural shut down mechanism, causing these inflammatory chemicals to linger and damage healthy cells. Yoga, meditation, massage, reading, spending time with your loved ones are some time-honored relaxation techniques that can help prevent stress buildup.
Don’t lose your sleep! GO TO BED!!!!
Sleep plays a central role in the management of various chronic conditions. Numerous studies have shown that restful sleep for 7-8 hours a day can help maintain a well-functioning immune system and reduce oxidative stress. While it is not clear whether improved sleep reduces inflammation, its deficiency is clearly linked with higher levels of systematic inflammation. According to a 2020 study, poor sleep practices, such as inconsistent timing, fragmented sleep, decreased REM duration, prolonged sleep loss, are associated with higher inflammation biomarkers. Moreover, this association was more profound in women.
Watch your weight – Preferably watch it decrease!
Research suggests that losing weight and maintaining an optimal body mass index is by far the most effective way to manage chronic inflammation. Adipose tissues (fatty cells) in obese individuals can induce low-grade, persistent inflammation while also reducing the production of adiponectin – an anti-inflammatory agent that is involved in fat breakdown and sugar metabolism. This sets up a vicious cycle where various chronic problems keep reinforcing each other. Sustained weight loss not only prevents systematic inflammation but also reduces the risk of developing type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and stroke.
Exercise regularly
Regular exercise of mild-moderate intensity (such as brisk walking) for as little as 20 minutes can significantly reduce low-grade inflammation. Physical activity improves metabolism, reduces stress levels, lifts mood, supports immune function, and helps in weight management – and when combined, help your body fight inflammation.
Okay. So have you noticed a pattern here? Almost every issue that I have researched, and some that I have experienced, have a few things in common! They can be improved up or even eliminated by the same lifestyle changes.
- Moving your ass.
- Watching what you consume and not just food, but thoughts and other folks’ mess.
- De-compressing and de-stressing!
- And going to sleep. Put the phone down. Turn off the devices and go to SLEEP.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-019-0675-0
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16904534/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2020.01042/full
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5507106/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16904534/