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Reduce Inflammation Cheat Sheet by

Inflammation plays a central role in healing, but left to run wild, this process can lead to arthritis, heart disease, and Alzheimer's.

Keep inflam­mation in check

Inflam­mation is like a fire in your body you cannot see or feel. "It's a smoldering process that injures your tissues, joints, and blood vessels, and you often do not notice it until signif­icant damage is done," says Dr. Andrew Luster, of the Center for Immunology and Inflam­matory Diseases at Harvar­d-a­ffi­liated Massac­husetts General Hospital.

Good versus evil

There are two types of inflam­mation
Acute
This is the redness, heat, and swelling around tissues and joints that happens when you cut your finger or bang your knee.
 
How your body fights invaders that may cause infection, as well as being
 
A part of the healing process
Chronic
A chronic low-grade inflam­mation can turn into a silent killer that contri­butes to cardio­vas­­cular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and other conditions
 
The same reaction as in acute inflam­mation takes place, except now the flame persists.
 
White blood cells flood the problem area and end up attacking nearby healthy tissues and organs.

Reduce inflam­mation through behaviour

Losing extra pounds
Especially around the belly
Fighting gum disease
Step up your oral hygiene
Treating high choles­terol
Get your levels tested, and speak with your doctor about taking statins to keep lipids under control if they are deemed too high.
Quitting smoking
Specif­ically, the toxins from smoking have a direct link to inflam­mation.
 

Alter your diet - cut out

Soda
Candy
Anything that contains high-f­ructose corn syrup
White bread
Pasta
Bagels
White flour
Waffles
Pastries
Breakfast cereals
White rice
Pizza
Cookies
Cakes
Ice cream
Milk chocolate / White chocolate

Effects of chronic inflam­mation

Arthritis
Heart disease
Type 2 Diabetes
Injures tissues, joints, and blood vessels
Stroke
Alzhei­mer's disease
Cancers
Autoimmune diseases
Neurod­ege­ner­ative conditions
Heart and metabolic diseases
Memory impair­ments (destr­oying synapses)
Rheumatoid arthritis
Depression
Inflam­matory bowel disease
Dementia
Inflam­mation can travel throughout the body and cause problems all over
  

Alter your diet - add in

Whole carbs
-
Vegetables
-
Legumes
-
Potato's (not fried)
-
Whole grains
-
Oats
-
Beans
Foods high in polyph­enols
-
Berries (all types)
-
Tumeric
-
Onion
-
Red grapes
-
Green tea
-
Cherries
-
Plums
-
Spinach
-
Kale
-
Collards
You want to add foods rich in the antiox­idants known as polyph­enols. Studies have shown that these antiox­idants have many anti-i­nfl­amm­atory proper­ties.

Causes of chronic inflam­mation

Being overwe­ight, Means more visceral fat cells - fat that builds up in your abdomen & surrounds organs—the immune system sees those fat cells as a threat and pumps out more white blood cells
Abdominal fat produces pro-in­fla­mmatory chemicals
Not sleeping enough elevates inflam­mation
Smoking
Chronic stress
Too much exercise can provoke inflam­matory response
Gum disease. If gums bleed when brush or floss, that's inflam­mation
High choles­terol
                   
 

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  • Published: 19th September, 2022

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