Healthy Eating Tip:
Inflammation and lifestyle; what to start changing today!
I love it when detailed and well-done studies reinforce the general principles of health as viewed from 30,000 feet!
As I write this very second, I have thirteen websites, twenty-two peer-reviewed journal articles and six e-books open on two computers displaying on six 27-inch monitors. I also have a two-foot-high stack of nutrition textbooks on the floor in my living room with another dozen or so hard copy studies and journals spread out on the floor. Once again, diving down into the rabbit hole of physiological minutia has led me right back to the broad general principles of health I already knew!
It all started very early this morning when I decided to tackle a brand-new study that appeared in the most recent issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology entitled Dietary Inflammatory Potential and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Men and Women in the U.S.
Okay, so what is this inflammation stuff anyway? Inflammation is your body’s way of protecting itself from infection and is a defense mechanism when illness or injury occurs. As part of the inflammatory response, your body increases its production of white blood cells, immune cells, and substances called cytokines that help fight infection.
There are two types of inflammation.
- Short-term or acute inflammation happens to defend against acute injury or illness. That’s what goes on when you experience noticeable swelling, redness, and pain.
- Long-term or chronic inflammation occurs inside your body without any noticeable symptoms. This type of inflammation can drive illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver disease, and cancer. Being overweight and under high stress can also contribute to chronic inflammation.
When doctors look for inflammation, they test for a few markers in your blood, including C-reactive protein (CRP), homocysteine, TNF alpha, and IL-6. You may have heard them use some of those terms. The study I started reading this morning is concerned with long-term chronic inflammation.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health used the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) started in 1976, with 121,701 female nurses ages 30 to 55 years; the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII) initiated in 1989 with 116,429 female nurses ages 25 to 42 years; and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) started in 1986, with 51,529 male health professionals ages 40 to 75 years. In all, more than 210,000 participants took part in the analysis. All completed a survey every four years to determine their dietary intake. The Harvard team evaluated the inflammatory potential of foods using a food-based empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP) score to assess specific foods’ inflammatory potential. These observations were used to identify dietary patterns most predictive of 3 plasma markers of inflammation. For medical personnel reading this, the three plasma markers were Interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily type 1B (TNFRSF1B), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Mere mortals like me will recognize the term C-reactive protein without having to crack a book. CRP levels in the blood increase when there is a condition causing inflammation somewhere in the body. That is what an “inflammation marker” is. It indicates that there is inflammation present in the body. So, this study identifies different foods as either pro-inflammatory–adding to inflammation as indicated by the three plasma markers of inflammation or anti-inflammatory–reducing inflammation as indicated by the three plasma markers of inflammation.
During the study, the team documented 15,837 cardiovascular disease cases, including 9,794 coronary heart disease and 6,174 strokes. Dietary patterns with higher inflammatory potential were significantly associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease and subtypes, including coronary heart disease and stroke. These relationships were consistent across all three of the cohort studies used and for both sexes involved, and they remained significant after further adjustments for diet and lifestyle.
That is pretty dramatic! This study identified foods that increased inflammation as indicated by inflammation markers and documented cases of cardiovascular disease and stroke that correlated with the increased inflammation. So, what were the food culprits that led to increased inflammation? Drum roll please; red meat, processed meat, organ meat, refined sugar, and sweetened beverages. Foods that lowered inflammation and risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke included green leafy vegetables, dark yellow vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and green tea. “Those who consumed pro-inflammatory diets…reported higher BMI and lower physical activity…and were also less likely to use multivitamins and consumed fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.” The study concluded that “dietary patterns with higher inflammatory potential were significantly associated with a higher incidence of CVD, CHD, and stroke.” That might not seem like a dramatic statement to you, but for a team of professional researchers at a very conservative research institution like the Harvard School of Public Health, that is quite a statement. It adds to the growing consensus in the medical and research community that what you eat and your lifestyle can lead directly to very specific chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver disease, and even kidney disease. Furthermore, even very conservative research institutions continue to implicate the same foods; red meat, processed foods, and refined sugar. New research comes out every month, making this old news.
With information like this, I always go back to one of my favorite Bruce Lee quotes.
“Knowing is not enough, we must apply.
Willing is not enough, we must do.”
– Bruce Lee
The “what to do” take-home is pretty darn simple; if you want to reduce inflammation, eat fewer pro-inflammatory foods and more anti-inflammatory foods. The fewer pro-inflammatory foods and the more anti-inflammatory foods you eat, the less long-term chronic inflammation you will have in your body!
Here are some pro-inflammatory foods you want to eat less of:
- Sugary beverages like sugar-sweetened drinks and fruit juices.
- Refined sugars like white bread, white pasta, and white rice.
- Desserts like cookies, candy, cake, and ice cream.
- Processed and cured meat like hot dogs, lunch meat, bacon, and sausage.
- Processed snack foods like crackers and chips.
Here are some anti-inflammatory foods that you want to eat more of:
- Green leafy and dark-colored vegetables: broccoli, kale, chard, spinach, Brussels sprouts, beets, eggplant, carrots.
- Fruit: especially deeply colored berries like grapes and cherries.
- High-fat fruits: Avocados and olives.
- Fatty fish: Salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, and anchovies.
- Nuts: Almonds and other nuts
- Tea: Green tea.
If you smoke even a little and drink more than three or four glasses of red wine a week, then start right there! Many studies show that smoking and drinking are associated with all sorts of bad health risks. The Framingham Heart Study showed us that 60 years ago!
If you are past the smoking and drinking issues, then the next two things associated with increased inflammation that needs to be removed from your diet are high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil.
Remember that every effective diet is built on the general principles of health; eat less salt, fat and sugar, reduce fat–especially saturated fat and cholesterol, reduce all processed food and increase “whole foods” like fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, and whole grains.
Reading a study like the one I started reading this morning isn’t something you do in one sitting. As I dig deeper into this study over the next few weeks, I’ll add more about it here. I already see a post about free radicals and anti-oxidants coming soon. Stay tuned!
Make it a good week!
Here is the reference for today’s Healthy Eating Tip:
Li J, Lee DH, Hu J, Tabung FK, Li Y, Bhupathiraju SN, Rimm EB, Rexrode KM, Manson JE, Willett WC, Giovannucci EL, Hu FB. Dietary Inflammatory Potential and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Men and Women in the U.S. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2020 Nov 10;76(19):2181-2193.