The Common Denominator
True or false:
Chronic inflammation is linked to cancer.
The National Cancer Institute explains that chronic inflammation can cause cancer because of its long-term damage to DNA, which causes problems in the replication of cells that can lead to cancers.
These anti-inflammatory compounds are found in foods such as berries, apples, and dark leafy greens.
What are anti-oxidants?
Other than being tasty, what do these spices or seasonings have in common? Ginger, garlic, turmeric.
They have all been found to have some level of anti-inflammatory effect.
True or false:
High inflammation is tied to depression.
True.
High levels of inflammation, specifically in the brain, have been shown to be tied to depression, though it's not clear whether it's cause or effect — whether people who have depression have higher inflammation in their bodies because of their mental health, or if inflammation causes neurological symptoms that influence depression.
This type of fat, found in foods such as salmon, nuts and seeds, has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties in both animal experiments and clinical trials.
What are omega-3 fats, or omega-3 fatty acids?
You can find them in fatty fishes such as mackerel, salmon, sea bass, oysters, sardines and shrimp. You can also find them in vegetarian sources such as seaweed, hemp and flax seeds, walnuts, soybeans/edamame, kidney beans and wheat germ (one of many reasons whole grains are better choices than products made with refined white flours.)
True or false:
Reducing stress can slow or reduce chronic inflammatory processes in the body.
True.
Clinical trials have shown that reductions in perceived stress are corellated with reductions in measured inflammatory markers in the body.
True or False:
You always know if you have inflammation in your body because you can feel it.
Not always!
This is generally true with acute inflammation related to infections and injuries. It also may be true for some conditions. People with rheumatoid arthritis, for example, know when their joints are inflamed because they experience more pain, swelling, and stiffness.
But the type of chronic inflammation seen in obesity, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease, for example, causes no specific symptoms you can feel. When symptoms do occur, they can include:
These are symptoms that may have a variety of causes, however. If your healthcare professional suspects that inflammation is causing your symptoms, a blood test such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein may be recommended. These tests can identify inflammation in the body, but they don’t determine the cause of it.
Which of the following is NOT considered to be an anti-inflammatory food:
A. Broccoli,
B. potato chips
C. sardines
D. All of the above
Potato chips.
Why? High in simple carbohydrates, salt and omega-6 vegetable oils (all of which can be inflammatory).
True or false:
Taking antioxidant supplements is an guaranteed effective way to get the same healthful benefits as you would get from eating anti-oxidant foods such as berries and dark leafy greens.
False:
Most clinical research on anti-oxidant supplements did not find the hoped-for benefits. Most research teams reported that vitamin E and other antioxidant supplements didn’t protect against heart disease or cancer. It's generally believed to be best to try to get the nutrition you need from the foods you eat. If you don't feel you may be getting enough of an important nutrient, talk with your doctor about the pros and cons of supplements.
This is a question more than one person can answer. Name one health condition in which chronic inflammation plays a role
In many cases, controlling that inflammation is an important part of treatment. And it's true that unchecked inflammation contributes to long-term health problems.
But inflammation is not the direct cause of most chronic diseases. For example, blood vessel inflammation occurs with atherosclerosis. Yet we don't know whether chronic inflammation caused this, or whether the key contributors were standard risk factors (such as high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking — all of which cause inflammation).
Ongoing research is identifying the role of inflammatory processes in the following diseases and conditions:
True or false:
Replacing sugary foods and processed foods with whole-grains, fresh fruits and vegetables is a great step toward an anti-inflammatory diet.
So true!
Mediterranean diet.
True or false:
Sleep quality has nothing to do with chronic inflammation.
False:
Research has linked poor sleep to increased levels of inflammation markers in the body. Treating sleep apnea, for example, has been shown to help control chronic inflammation. The connection between sleep and inflammation can also work the other way: high inflammation levels can cause poor sleep quality.
True or false:
Inflammation is always a problem in the body.
False:
Inflammation is the body's natural way of defending itself against tissue damage, as well as against viruses and bacteria. It's governed largely by the immune system. But when factors such as genetics, aging or an inflammatory diet confuse the way your cells communicate with them, your immune system may not shut down, and inflammation may become chronic. Chronic inflammation plays a role in many common diseases and conditions.
This common way of eating is thought to be inflammatory. It is low in fruits and vegetables, and high in fat and sodium. It tends to consist of large portions, high calories, and excess sugar. This excess sugar accounts for more than 13% of the daily caloric intake with beverages constituting 47% of these added sugars.
What is the Western standard diet, or the standard American diet?
This way of eating -- it may be the way many of us grew up eating -- has been associated with increased chronic inflammation in the body, and many diseases in which chronic inflammation is a primary process, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, some types of arthritis.
Doing a moderate amount of this as little as 20 minutes per day may help reduce chronic inflammation in the body.
What is exercise?
Large population-based cohort studies consistently show an inverse association between markers of systemic inflammation and physical activity or fitness status, and data from several small-scale intervention studies support that exercise training diminishes inflammation. However, data from large, randomized, controlled trials designed to definitively test the effects of exercise training on inflammation are limited, and results are inconclusive. Future studies are needed.