04 November 2020

Is There an Anti-inflammation Diet?

Not really. There just is no magic diet that will drastically reduce the chronic cellular inflammation that is at the root of much of the cancer, heart disease, diabetes, allergies and arthritis that cause us so much suffering. But that does not mean that diet and lifestyle have no effect - for good or ill.

In a study conducted at Emory University, a diet consisting of diverse fruits and vegetables (surprise, right?) was associated with lower levels of inflammation, while a more typical diet high in processed foods was associated with higher levels. Regular physical activity (who would have thought it!) was also associated with lower levels, while obesity, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption (more than 1 drink a day according to the latest guidelines) was associated with higher inflammation levels.

The study concluded that adding or removing any one component of the healthier diet and lifestyle did not have any major impact on the results, suggesting that it is the broad pattern of diet and lifestyle that was important rather than trying to focus on any one food or activity. (Which is how we got this way in the first place.) The best approach is to eat more anti-iflammatory foods while reducing those that tend to cause inflammation (they actually paid people to conclude that!).

In order to help people make those adjustments, the study authors developed a scoring system to rate various foods and activities according to their impact on raising or lowering inflammation.

The bottom line is that there is really not any special diet or routine that you can try for a while that will seriously reverse years of poor eating and limited physical activity. It is a lifestyle problem, and creating a healthy lifestyle is the solution to this, as it is to so many other health problems.


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