Inflammation

We hear this word a lot in the health and wellness space- inflammation. Maybe you’ve seen a headline or two about Inflammation being at the root of many disorders, or the cause behind deadly diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), chronic inflammatory diseases are the greatest threat to human health. In 2014 the RAND Corporation, a non-partisan American nonprofit global policy think tank and research institute, estimated that 60% of Americans had at least one chronic condition and that worldwide 3 out of 5 people die from chronic inflammatory conditions such as diabetes, heart disorders, stroke, cancer, and obesity. Research in this area has been accelerating at such a fast pace, that an entire journal was created, The Journal of Inflammation, to be able to dedicate and focus on all things inflammation. In this article, we break down the definition of inflammation, who may be more susceptible to increased levels of inflammation, and how to decrease your overall inflammatory burden.

Inflammation is what happens when the body defends itself against tissue damage and/or invading bacteria and viruses. This response comes primarily from the body’s immune system in which it releases inflammatory cells that will then attack the invading bacteria or virus and/or begin to heal the damaged tissue. Externally, we can sometimes see or feel this inflammation by ways of redness, swelling, or fever. Internally, inflammatory injuries or damage can often be in places like our gut, blood vessels, joints, or muscles. This type of response from the body is part of our body’s defense system and therefore, a very normal response that can last for a few days or so. Chronic inflammation, however, is usually referred to as a slow, long-term inflammation lasting from a few months to years. The cause of the chronic inflammation depends on the type of injury and the body’s ability to try to heal itself. There are a number of ways the body can end up in a chronic inflammatory state, including:

  • Failing to eliminate an acute injury or agent that has resisted your body’s defense system
  • By being exposed to low level irritants the body cannot eliminate such as silica dust
  • By increasing the load of free radicals, oxidized lipoproteins, advanced glycation end products, increasing homocysteine, etc…which can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and increase oxidative stress, again increasing the inflammatory burden. Some examples of this would be poor diet, lack of physical activity, sleep deprivation, chronic stress, smoking, social isolation, and increased exposure to environmental toxins.

Unfortunately, chronic inflammation can lead to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, autoimmune issues, neurological diseases, and diabetes. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to decrease your inflammatory burden and decrease the risks of developing some of these disorders or diseases.

Although we certainly have the ability to decrease inflammation, many of us can have a genetic make-up that may play a role in our ability to handle inflammation on a cellular level. Have you ever wondered why two people can live nearly identical lives, be equally as active, share the same weight, same levels of stress, and have the same diet, yet one of them develops heart disease or cancer while the other doesn’t? We may not know for sure why this happens, but we do know that some people have SNPs in their genetic make-up that increases, or decreases their risks for developing disease. A SNP, a single nucleotide polymorphism, is a variation at a single base position in a DNA sequence that is different from more than 1% of the general population. Knowing if you have specific SNPs can help you determine if you are perhaps at more or less risk than others in developing certain health issues. For example, certain SNPs in the following genes APOE, CRP, CYP1A1, CYP1B1, DAO, ENOS, FADS1, IL-1, IL-6, MNSOD, TNFA (-238 G>A), etc…have been shown to have an impact on the development of chronic inflammation, among other impacts. Aside from genetics, certain variables may put you at an increased risk for inflammation, such as aging, obesity, smoking, stress, sleep disorders, and a diet rich in saturated fats and refined sugars. In order to know if you may have some chronic inflammation, you can look for symptoms and/or test to see if any inflammatory markers are out of normal lab ranges. Common symptoms include consistent muscle or joint aching, chronic fatigue and insomnia, depression or anxiety, weight gain or loss, weakened immunity or recurring infections, and/or gastrointestinal issues. If you’re unsure, it may be helpful to ask your practitioner about blood testing that includes hsCRP, fibrinogen, and serum protein electrophoresis (SPE). Some functional testing (not likely to be done by your traditional practitioner) could also include IL-6, IL-8, TNFA, stool testing, urine organic acids, and perhaps a fatty acid profile (all of these would be more expensive than your typical blood tests).

There are many ways to decrease your overall inflammatory burden through lifestyle modifications. Although you should always ask your practitioner first prior to making changes to your diet and lifestyle, here is a list of some general recommendations:

  • Moderate intensity exercise.
  • Low glycemic diet
  • The inclusion of fruits and vegetables high in phytonutrients/antiinflammatory properties, herbs and spices. For example, berries, walnuts, wild-caught fatty fish, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, olives, cocoa, turmeric, cherries, nuts, avocados.
  • Green and black tea polyphenols
  • Favor unsaturated fats (cold pressed olive and avocado oil, salmon,
    sardines)
  • Include more fiber your diet as a whole, as well as prebiotic fibers (garlic,
    onions)
  • Eliminate trans fats.
  • Ideally, at least 7-8 hours of sleep
  • Minimize stress by including yoga, meditation, QiGong, massage, etc…
  • Intermittent fasting

While many inflammatory conditions can be prevented, there are also many chronic inflammatory conditions that do not have a cure. Some of you may have a condition that can only be treated by life long anti-inflammatory medications. Inflammation and its relation to disease is a rapidly growing field of research. Whether you are coming from a stance of prevention or looking to manage an already existing chronic inflammatory condition, keep investigating this field as it is accelerating in areas of prevention, natural treatments and prescription medications.