Using food to battle inflammation

[Celebration]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-tc-healthkey-inflammation-0916sep17,0,414138.story

If you want to live longer -- and avoid heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and cancer -- then pick your foods with care to quiet down parts of your immune system.

That's the principle promoted by the founders and followers of anti-inflammatory diets, designed to reduce chronic inflammation in the body.

.......................

The theory goes that long after the invading bacteria or viruses from some infection are gone, the body's defenses remain active. The activated immune cells and hormones then turn on the body itself, damaging tissues. The process continues indefinitely, occurring at low enough levels that a person doesn't feel pain or realize anything is wrong. Years later, proponents say, the damage contributes to illnesses such as heart disease, neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease and cancer.

..............

Studies suggest specific foods play a role in inflammation.

[Warpy]

1. "Studies suggest"

Watch those weasel words!

Eating a variety of foods and a well balanced diet will help everybody feel one hell of a lot better.

However, the "food as medicine" movement is based on anecdote and very preliminary research.

If your immune system is out of whack to the point you need drugs, the best idea is to keep taking the drugs. The same goes if you have cancer or early Alzheimer's.

A good diet won't hurt any of those conditions.

[rosesaylavee]

4. Ongoing studies at UCLA and UC Irvine suggest...

Would that have been better phrased? I like that they are providing information as to where their tests are pointing. Providing facts and data several years down the road when all is said and done may not be as helpful to some suffering from these conditions now. The list does include what most consider a healthy diet...people suffering from those conditions or fear that they are heading that way may change their diet accordingly if they felt that it may make a difference.

Not meant to snark ... just my point of view.

[FormerDittoHead]

5. Weasel words? Their claim was outright BOLD compared to what I'm used to reading

"Studies suggest specific foods play a role in inflammation."

WOW!

I'm more used to reading:

SOME studies MAY suggest some specific foods CAN SOMETIMES play a role in SOME FORMS of inflammation IN SOME PEOPLE.

This is after the headline:

"A CURE FOR ARTHRITIS?"

[HysteryDiagnosis]

19. ...

1: Nutr Hosp. 2009 May-Jun;24(3):273-81.Click here to read Links
Plant-derived health: the effects of turmeric and curcuminoids.
Bengmark S, Mesa MD, Gil A.

Institute of Hepatology, University College London Medical School, London.

Plants contain numerous polyphenols, which have been shown to reduce inflammation and hereby to increase resistance to disease. Examples of such polyphenols are isothiocyanates in cabbage and broccoli, epigallocatechin in green tee, capsaicin in chili peppers, chalones, rutin and naringenin in apples, resveratrol in red wine and fresh peanuts and curcumin/curcuminoids in turmeric. Most diseases are maintained by a sustained discreet but obvious increased systemic inflammation. Many studies suggest that the effect of treatment can be improved by a combination of restriction in intake of proinflammatory molecules such as advanced glycation end products (AGE), advanced lipoperoxidation end products (ALE), and rich supply of antiinflammatory molecules such as plant polyphenols. To the polyphenols with a bulk of experimental documentation belong the curcuminoid family and especially its main ingredient, curcumin.

This review summarizes the present knowledge about these turmericderived ingredients, which have proven to be strong antioxidants and inhibitors of cyclooxigenase-2 (COX-2), lipoxygenase (LOX) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) but also AGE. A plethora of clinical effects are reported in various experimental diseases, but clinical studies in humans are few. It is suggested that supply of polyphenols and particularly curcuminoids might be value as complement to pharmaceutical treatment, but also prebiotic treatment, in conditions proven to be rather therapy-resistant such as Crohn's, long-stayed patients in intensive care units, but also in conditions such as cancer, liver cirrhosis, chronic renal disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease

[Celebration]

8. eating a variety of foods

It could definitely work, but only IF

"Foods that promote inflammation -- saturated fats, trans fats, corn and soybean oil, refined carbohydrates, sugars, red meat and dairy -- are reduced or eliminated."

AND

fish oil, turmeric, garlic, pomegranate juice, blueberries, and tomato paste and the like are included in liberal amounts.

For some people, eating a variety of foods means going to Pizza Hut instead of Burger King every night.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. You've got to eat the foods that are right for you

as an individual. The food pyramid we learned in grade school isn't very specific--it says we should eat foods giving us vitamins, proteins, and fats, but was never really very specific.

One thing we encourage our patients to do (before they get a food antibody profile test) is to lay off foods they may think are causing the problem. But only stop eating them for three weeks. Then eat a lot of that food for one day and see what happens. Do symptoms reappear? If so, you don't need to eat that food. The food antibody profile test is more accurate, in that it shows which foods you must avoid and which foods may be rotated (eaten every four days or so). The lab test we use at our office tests 93 different foods. Sometimes people show no great reaction to any of the foods, which means the source of their problem is elsewhere. But most of the time we find people have a reaction to several foods, and when they change their diet their symptoms subside. (We're talking more than just arthritis here, to be clear--we see people with inflammatory bowel disease, chronic indigestion, etc, etc,)

The fact that several national labs offer food antibody tests indicates to me, at least, that this sort of testing must be fairly mainstream.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. Not necessarily

Kindly google Celiac disease.

My sister-in-law, who is very conventional and totally disagrees with my notions of health and healing, was ailing for years. Her doctors last year finally pinpointed the cause via a food antibody test (which are offered by many labs, including Quest, one of the largest labs in the country)and told her not to eat gluten any more. She is a changed woman.

So, in her case, eating a well balanced diet wasn't a good thing--in fact, eating bread was making her sick.

[Warpy]

11. Avoiding foods that cause reactions

is not the same as curing an illness through diet.

Celiacs avoid gluten, diabetics avoid refined carbohydrates, and hypertensives avoid salt. All these diets will help reduce symptoms but none provides a cure.

A well balanced diet doesn't require gluten.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

17. I agree that a balanced diet doesn't require gluten

but how many people realize this? Part of my job is to teach people how to change their eating habits. Recognizing just what products may have gluten in them is a course in and of itself because, like whey and casine, it can be hidden in processed foods. And if you live in a rural area, it might not be easy to find pasta made with rice flour--and non-wheat breads aren't necessarily gluten-free. Changing to a different diet, be it non-gluten, low glycemic, or low carb requires some study and determination.

As for "curing" a sensitivity towards a food--I don't know if that is really what is needed. What is needed is to eat foods that keep you healthy and symptom free.

[BREMPRO]

12. celiac is one of the most common chronic condition and one of the most under diagnosed

estimates are 1 in 133 have it, but only 1 in 2500 are diagnosed.http://www.celiac.com/articles/1164/1/Celiac-Disease-Statistics/Page1.html

[Richard D]

2. This isn't new news

The concept of an anti-inflammatory diet has been around for a long time, though it is good to see it getting some main-stream press.

[Celebration]

6. Exactly my point in posting it

Good idea to get it out there. Plus there were specific foods mentioned that I didn't have room to list.

[Why Syzygy]

3. Foods that promote inflammation

Foods that promote inflammation -- saturated fats, trans fats, corn and soybean oil, refined carbohydrates, sugars, red meat and dairy -- are reduced or eliminated.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. There are diseases related to food sensitivities

Celiac disease is an example. In that disease, the body treats gluten as a germ, and, in doing so, literally makes a person sick. When the gluten is removed from the diet, the symptoms go away. Lactose intolerance can be more than just getting diarrhea or sinus problems--some people have such a severe reaction that they get sores on their bodies and become so debilitated that they can't work. Again, removing the source of the inflammation makes the symptoms go away.

Our clinic often tests patients for food sensitivities--there are several food antibody profile tests offered by various labs. Another benefit for avoiding eating foods that cause inflammation is that you can lose weight. We've had weight loss clinic patients who hadn't been able to lose an ounce even while faithfully following their diet regemine. When we do a food antibody profile and find the culprit and eliminate it from their diet, the pounds start coming off really fast.

Another sensitivity that we find in a lot of people is yeast sensitivity. This means eating a fresh/frozen diet rather than relying on canned foods. Vinegar also has to be avoided, as well as supplements with B vitamins (which, with rare exceptions, are made from a yeast culture).

[BREMPRO]

13. I didn't find out i had food sensitives until i was 28 and was not helped by the mainstream

medical establishment. I found out through word of mouth and started experimenting. I eventually got food testing and found i was sensitive to eggs, wheat, dairy (the most common), but also an odd list of foods that are personal to me and change based on how much of them i eat and age ( also now can't eat onions or garlic- which for a time caused something like panic attacks of all things) Everyone has their own list and many may not even realize they have sensitivities. when i was young, i just thought i had bad digestion and low energy. I was diagnosed with ulceric colitis, spastic colon, irritable bowel, and even acid reflux. Coincidentally there are DRUGS to treat all these conditions. This was a watershed moment for me to understand how our medical system works-my problem was related to what I was eating and not a disease that required a pill. There was not financial incentive to find my food sensitives, where as there was a huge profit incentive to get me on medications. My grandfather also had digestive problems most of his life and called it the "white" stomach. I actually taught him to test and avoid certain foods and his problems went away! I'm sure this is related to inflamation/disease that can be reduced if we all know our list of foods to avoid. Food sensitivity testing should be routine, and i would bet that we would all be healthier and health care costs would be reduced.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

16. I'm so glad it worked for you and your grandpa

I've seen HUGE differences in people after they avoid eating foods that they shouldn't eat. Like you said, it is very individualized. And no, it isn't a panacea for all problems--but it can solve a great many problems for a great many people, and should be part of the standard regimen of testing for certain symptoms, imho.

[glitch]

14. Excellent information, thank you for posting. K & R nt

[HamdenRice]

15. I don't think there's much doubt about that

I've posted a few times about a friend who is a professor of medicine, and one of her clinical interests is changing patients' diets to a non-inflammatory diet before she will begin to use conventional medicines.

First stop what's causing the problem before you propose a "cure."

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

18. Yep,

hard to heal an inflamed gut that keeps being inflamed. If it is calmed down enough, healing can then take place.