Diet and Inflammation

 

 

Diet is only one factor influencing the level of cellular inflammation your body experiences. Adequate sleep, stress level and physical activity all strongly influence inflammation levels. But much recent research suggests the the biggest impact - positive or negative - comes from diet. Many of the foods that are most common in the American diet - the Standard American Diet (SAD) - are the exact foods that fuel unhealthy and chronic levels of inflammation. These include red and processed meat products, saturated fats, sugars and refined carbohydrates.

One study of 210,000 people and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology concluded that "after controlling for other risk factors such as BMI, physical activity, family history of heart disease and multivitamin use, the participants consuming pro-inflammatory diets had a 46% higher risk of heart disease and 28% higher risk of stroke, compared to those consuming anti-inflammatory diets." This and similar studies have allowed researchers to identify foods with high potential for reducing inflammation.

Unsurprisingly, these foods include leafy greens (the darker the better), dark yellow vegetables, fatty fish like tuna and salmon, olive oil, whole fruits (especially berries), whole grains, coffee (yes, coffee) and tea. But experts caution against focusing on just a few specific foods. "If you aim for an overall healthy  dietary pattern that is mostly plant-based, you will get anti-inflammatory benefits," according to Penny Kris-Etherton, a professor of nutrition science at Penn State University.

"Eat a wide variety of healthy foods, especially fruits and vegetables," says Simin Meydani, lead scientist on the nutritional immunology team at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center, "and you will get all the components that have anti-inflammatory properties." Following a Mediterranean-style diet - including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, potatoes, whole grains, breads, herbs, spices, fish, seafood and extra virgin olive oil and avoiding sugar, refined grains, trans fats and processed foods - will put you on the right path.

Equally important, cut back on foods the promote inflammation.

The bottom line? There is a lot you can do yourself to lower inflammation levels in your body. But you have to actually do it.

 

Inflammation Explained

 

Unless you are living an off-the-grid hermit lifestyle, you've heard plenty about inflammation. Researchers and healthcare providers are increasingly pointing the finger at inflammation as an underlying cause of a long list of serious health problems. These include cancer, diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and even dementia. And for older people, the issue of inflammation grows more serious with the passing years. "As we age," says Simin Meydani, lead researcher at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University, "our ability to control the inflammatory response goes down, leaving us with gradual, accumulating inflammation."

So what then is inflammation? According to Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, "It is a strong defense mechanism that is triggered whenever the immune system activated to fight off a bacterial or viral infection." It also comes into play when the body works to repair any sort of damage, from a pulled muscle to a toxin to a cut. The damaged or infected area of the body releases proteins called cytokines that make blood vessels more permeable and draws white blood cells to the area to enter the tissues and destroy the threat. These white cells, or leucoytes, are our first line of defense against infection or injury.

So inflammation is not always a bad thing. But there are two kinds of inflammation.

Acute inflammation is the way our body defends itself and initiates healing. It does its job and subsides in a fairly short time. Without it infections would linger on and on and wounds would fester.

Chronic inflammation endures long term and is the source of the negative health outcomes we associate with inflammation. 

Acute inflammation often causes noticeable symptoms, such as pain, redness, or swelling. But chronic inflammation symptoms are usually subtler, making them them easy to overlook. These can include fatigue, fever, rashes, abdominal pain and chest pain. Or you may feel no symptoms at all. When you have chronic inflammation, your body’s inflammatory response can eventually start damaging healthy cells, tissues, and organs. Over time, this can lead to DNA damage, tissue death, and internal scarring. It can also set the stage for a host of serious illnesses and conditions. Diseases that seem to have little in common may all be caused, or made worse, by elevated chronic inflammation. It plays a role in allowing cancer cells to grow and multiply, in the buildup of the amyloid plaques thought to be a cause of Altzheimer's and in the buildup of LDL cholesterol particles in the vascular system. It also contributes to the development and severity of respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. In fact, any condition ending in -itis has inflammation at its root.

Check back tomorrow and I will talk about the many things that we can do to manage chronic inflammation, especially as we age.

Three Immune Boosters You haven't Heard Of

As a rule, I am not a big fan of supplements that claim to "boost" or "support" your immune system. Eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, drinking enough water and getting plenty of rest strike me as the things that actually work. But here are three little known supplements recommended by Mark Stengler, NMD, that seem like they could be helpful.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC)

NAC is an amino acid that is well tolerated and inexpensive. In one study of elderly men and women in Italy only 25% of those taking 600mg twice daily throughout flu season exhibited any flu symptoms, vs nearly 80% of those in the placebo group. Of the 25% who did show symptoms, they were significantly less severe.

The recommended dose is 1,200mg per day taken in two 600mg doses. At the first sign of the onset of cold or flu symptoms, the dose can be increased to 3,600mg (1,800mg twice) until the symptoms subside.

Glutathione

Glutathione is an extremely powerful antioxidant. It is produced naturally by the liver in response to viral or bacterial infection. It is especially beneficial to those with compromised immune systems. A 2014 study published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that subjects taking 1,000mg of glutathione a day for six months were producing twice as many natural killer-cells as those taking a placebo. Production of glutathione decreases with age and is also reduced in individuals who are obese, have type-2 diabetes and those who smoke.

Glutathione is found in small amounts in foods, particularly cruciferous vegetables, avocado, cucumber, green beans, spinach and apples. But most Americans get maybe 150mg daily from food. Taking 250mg per day in supplement form is recommended, and 250mg twice per day if you already have symptoms of cold or flu.

Beta glucans

Beta glucans are naturally occurring polysaccharides - long chains of linked sugar molecules. They have the effect of stimulating the activation of macrophages - a type of white blood cell that attacks infections, cancer cells and other foreign substances in the body. A number of studies have shown that beta glucans reduce the symptoms of colds, flu and upper respiratory infections.

Aim for 250mg to 500mg for prevention.

As always, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH before taking any supplement.

Red Meat Remains a Health Concern

 

A 2019 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine created quite a stir when it concluded that red and processed meats were not a significant health concern. The observational study of 59,000 people compared the health outcomes of those who consumed large quantities of red and processed meats with those of people who consumed less. Their conclusion? “The magnitude of association between red and processed meat consumption and all-cause mortality and adverse cardiometabolic outcomes is very small.”

So is that a green light to eat all the lunchmeat and beef you want? Not so fast.

The study intentionally excluded people who ate no processed meats or were vegetarians. In studies comparing meat eaters to vegetarians, for example, the meat eaters have a higher risk of cancer, heart disease and death from all causes than those who ate little or no red or processed meats. As an example, a 2013 study published in JAMA found that vegetarians diets were associated with a 12% lower risk of death from any cause over the study period.

The best available evidence strongly suggests that reducing red meat consumption reduces the risk for both cancer and heart disease. According to Dr. Stanley Hazen, Section Head of Preventive Cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, "Regardless of the type of study, research consistently shows that the more red meat you eat, the higher your long-term risk of getting and dying from cardiovscular disease. There is a clear association. And it’s been seen over and over in both men and women in various populations in various countries."

 

Protecting Your Brain: What Works, What Doesn't.

 

Memory naturally declines with age, even as dementia risk rises. In a survey of recent studies of the brain, Nutrition Action Healthletter lists these factors as reliable ways to keep your brain healthy.

- Control your blood pressure.
- Keep your blood sugar stable and in the normal range.
- Don't smoke; if you do, quit.
- Keep your LDL cholesterol under 100mg/dL. Total cholesterol is much less of a
  concern.
- Lose, or don't gain, excess weight. If you do not know your ideal weight, you can
  use this easy ideal weight calculator to estimate it.
- Get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day.
- Eat a healthy diet. NAH recommends a DASH or Mediterranean diet. But all it
  comes down to is eating proper portions of healthy foods and not overeating
  crap.
- Stay mentally and socially active and engaged. Stop making excuses why you
  can't and just do it.
- Get enough sleep. Seven to eight hours a night is recommended for most people.
- Have your hearing checked regularly. Unresolved hearing loss is strongly
  associated with dementia.

Here are some things that have either not been well tested or have already been shown to not have any significant impact on brain health.

- Multivitmins. This is not to say that taking them is bad or that you shouldn't.
  Just don't expect any noticeable effect on your brain.
- Vitamins C, E or beta-carotene.
- DHA
- Ginko
- Prevagen
- Vinpocetine

For more information on maintaining a healthy brain, visit the National Institute on Aging at nia.nih.gov.

Want to contribute to the neuroscience of aging? You can join the University of California, San Francisco's Brain Health Registry. They are looking for anyone 18 years old or older who is willing to play online brainpower games every 3 to 6 months. The goal of the study is to track the performance of thousands of people over time. And who knows? You might enjoy the games. 

To learn more, go to brainhealthregistry.org.

Vitamin D Not Shown Effective for Macular Degeneration

 

Age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in US adults. Over 10 million Americans are affected, more than by cataracts and glaucoma combined. Macular degeneration is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, the inside back layer of the eye that records the images we see and sends them via the optic nerve from the eye to the brain. The retina’s central portion, known as the macula, is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye, and it controls our ability to read, drive a car, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail.

A 2020 study published in JAMA randomly assigned over 25,000 participants to take 2,000IU of Vitamin D, 1,000mg of W3 fatty acid (fish oil), both or a placebo every day for five years. The conclusion?

Supplementation "had no overall effect on the primary vision end point of total AMD events". In other words, don't rely on either Vitamin D or fish oil to protect your eyes from this condition.

Melatonin for Covid-19?

 

 

A new Cleveland Clinic study suggests that the over-the-counter sleep aid melatonin may be helpful in treating or preventing Covid-19. In a review of nearly 27,000 patients in Cleveland Clinic’s COVID-19 registry, the study team discovered that those patients who were taking melatonin were 28% less likely to test positive for the infection. The study adjusted for age, race, smoking history and various pre-exisiting conditions. African American patients were 58% less likely to test positive.

Other groups are also studying the relationship between melatonin and Covid-19, with eight clinical trials currently underway around the world.

The exact mechanism by which melatonin may be effective is still unclear. It may not even be the supplement itself that is effective but rather that those taking it may simply be getting better sleep. The study's lead researcher, Dr. Feixiong Cheng, suggests that the results are linked to the fact that melatonin plays a role in regulating the immune system. But, says Dr. Cheng, “It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean people should start taking melatonin without first consulting with their health care provider. We’re excited about these results and to study that connection more, but large-scale observational studies and randomized controlled trials are essential to confirm what we’ve found here.”

If further trials confirm these initial results, melatonin will instantly become the cheapest and most widely available treatment for Covid.