The low-grade in?ammation/premature aging link

How we age results from the environmental, dietary and lifestyle events that we control and the genetics we inherit. A common feature of older tissues and most if not all age-related illnesses is long-term low-grade inflammation. Because it increases with aging, it is known as “inflammaging.”

WHAT IS INFLAMMATION?

As an essential part of the body’s healing process, inflammation occurs at the cellular level when the immune system tries to fight off disease-causing germs or debris from an injury and repair the injured tissue.1 Once the fight is over, the inflammation-triggering substances are supposed to retreat. When they don’t, it destroys the balance in your body and makes you more susceptible to aging and disease.

WHAT CAN CAUSE INFLAMMATION? The lifestyle of the western world bombards us with more inflammatory triggers than our bodies can handle. This includes:  A convenience diet – Processed foods, refined sugar, simple carbs, and refined grains. Simple sugars and starches elevate insulin levels, triggering inflammation.

High omega-6 fatty acids intake – This comes from popular processed oils like vegetable, safflower, canola,  corn oil, or margarine. Omega-6 sets off inflammatory precursors, which encourage your system to overreact  to normal stimuli.  Smoking (or inhaling second hand smoke) – Smoking creates free radicals that lead to atherosclerosis. Free radicals also create more inflammation, which increases plaque formation in arteries.

 Too little or too much exercise – Just as lack of exercise promotes low-grade inflammation, over-exercising puts your body in a chronic state of inflammation because your tissues can’t properly rest and recover.  Stress or lack of sleep – Both situations release the hormone cortisol, creating inflammation. The longer you’re under stress or get fewer than 8 hours of sleep each night, the more inflammation you create.  Excess bodyweight – Fat cells release cytokines. And excess fat cells create a constant, low-grade inflammation throughout the body.

FOODS THAT INFLAME

•  Refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and pastries

•  French fries and other fried foods

•  Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages

•  Red meat (burgers, steaks) and processed meat  (hot dogs, sausage)

•  Margarine, shortening, and lard

FOODS THAT COMBAT INFLAMMATION

•  Tomatoes

•  Olive oil

•  Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, and collards

•  Nuts like almonds and walnuts

•  Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines

•  Fruits such as strawberries,  blueberries, cherries,  and oranges
 

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