How Inflammation Impacts Your Health

Heart disease and diabetes are on the rise worldwide. They’re serious chronic (long-term) conditions and have more in common than you might realize.

For one thing, they’re both considered “lifestyle” diseases. This means that we can find ourselves suffering from these diseases when we’ve made ongoing choices that work against us (i.e. not-so-awesome nutrition and exercise habits, among other things).

They’re also both linked with excess body fat, as well as inflammation.

While there are several links and risk factors, today we’re going to talk specifically about inflammation. Then I’ll give you some tips how to improve your nutrition and lifestyle. You can even download a 7-Day Heart Healthy Meal Plan to get yourself started.

NOTE: None of these are a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have any of these conditions, make sure you’re being monitored regularly by a licensed healthcare professional.

Inflammation

Inflammation tends to get a lot of bad press, and of course, I do specialize in helping people lower inflammation in their bodies. But it’s not always a bad thing. As in most areas of health, it’s the balance that’s important.

Inflammation is a natural process that our body uses to protect against infections, irritants, and damage. Inflammation helps our bodies eliminate damaged cells and tissues and helps them to repair. It also helps to reduce the cause of the damage, for example, by fighting the infection.

We need controlled inflammation as a natural process to protect and heal our bodies. However, it can become self-perpetuating and stick around way longer than necessary. This long-term (chronic) inflammation is often associated with several health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, and excess body weight.

Types of inflammation - Acute vs. chronic

When inflammation happens in a big way, for a short time, this is known as “acute” inflammation. Signs of acute inflammation include redness, heat, swelling, pain, and loss of function. Short-lived, strong inflammation can help the body to heal injuries and infections.

On the other hand, when inflammation sticks around longer than necessary, it’s called “chronic” inflammation. Chronic inflammation can damage the body over time, without many signs or symptoms initially. Eventually, if left unchecked, this type of inflammation can lead to illness and disease.

What inflammation does

Inflammation is one response from our immune system in an effort to protect our bodies. And it also involves our blood vessels (arteries and veins) and other molecules.

One of these molecules is the infamous “free radical.” These highly reactive molecules (oxidants) help to fight infectious agents and help cells to communicate. But, when they are in overdrive, and they are not tamped down by antioxidants, they can tip the balance and cause damage to healthy cells.

There are several other inflammatory molecules, one of which can be measured with a blood test. This is C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP is considered one of the “markers” of inflammation. This “inflammatory marker,” when found in a blood test at high levels, indicate that there is inflammation in the body.

High blood levels of inflammatory markers like CRP are associated with increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. Some researchers believe that levels of inflammatory markers in the blood can predict whether someone is going to eventually develop diabetes or heart disease.

Chronic inflammation and heart disease

Heart disease is a major cause of death in countries such as Canada, the US, Australia, and the European Union.

The link between inflammation and heart disease was discovered back in 2006. The first stage of heart disease is called atherosclerosis (damaged arteries). And complications of heart disease include things like heart attacks. Inflammation is a contributing factor with both atherosclerosis and heart attacks.

Atherosclerosis starts when there are too many “free radicals” inside the blood vessels. This can be from high blood sugar, high levels of oxidized fats in the blood (from too many free radicals), low levels of homocysteine (an anti-inflammatory molecule), etc... These lead to damage of the inside surfaces of the blood vessels – allowing buildup of plaque (including immune system cells) which increases chronic inflammation. This plaque narrows the inside of the blood vessels and can lead to complications like heart attacks. And after a heart attack, inflammation increases to even higher levels.

Research is underway specifically targeting inflammation to try to reduce heart and blood vessel injury, reduce the worsening of heart disease, and to promote healing.

Good news is, we have ways to calm inflammation through diet and lifestyle, so we don’t have to wait for the next new drug to get started.

Chronic inflammation and diabetes

Diabetes is a complex condition of metabolism where our bodies do not manage blood sugar levels very well.

Blood sugar levels naturally go up and down throughout the day. Up after we eat; and down when we’re hungry. In a person with good blood sugar control, as blood sugar rises, insulin is released. This tells our cells to take up sugar from the blood stream, bringing blood sugar levels back down. Blood sugar level must tightly controlled system.

But when the control of the blood sugar is not well regulated by the body, for example they stay too high for too long, this can lead to diabetes. The elevated blood sugar is a result of either insufficient insulin or insulin resistance (the body’s cells are not responding to the insulin) Diabetes can have many long-term serious health consequences like amputation, blindness, and kidney disease.

About 95% of diabetes is type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and there are a whole host of nutrition and lifestyle habits which, when done for years and decades, contribute to this diagnosis. These nutrition and lifestyle habits can promote excess body fat and inflammation, and lead to an imbalance between insulin need and insulin production.

Inflammation is thought to be a key factor when it comes to diabetes. It can negatively affect insulin-producing cells. It’s also one of the causes of insulin resistance. In fact, some researchers argue that virtually all the factors that promote diabetes are linked with inflammation.

Inflammation - Excess body fat

Excess body fat is linked with both diabetes and heart disease. And in 2003, researchers found that it’s also linked with inflammation.

Body fat itself can promote activation of immune cells. The fat tissue can even produce its own inflammatory markers. This is particularly true for internal fat around the belly, liver, and heart.
Excess body fat also increases the body’s need for insulin, and negatively affects insulin-producing cells.

Excess body fat is also linked with the same nutrition and lifestyle factors that contribute to diabetes and heart disease.

Losing weight - that is, excess body fat - reduces inflammation in belly fat, as well as the rest of the body, and can also reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.

Nutrition and lifestyle upgrades

There is a lot of evidence that improving nutrition and lifestyle can help many factors associated with chronic diseases, including reducing inflammation.

In fact, according to the NIH:

“The main treatment for atherosclerosis is lifestyle changes.”

“People with insulin resistance and prediabetes can decrease their risk for diabetes by eating a healthy diet and reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, increasing physical activity, not smoking, and taking medication.”

Your focus, to calm inflammation and help your body repair, should be on:

1. Follow an anti-inflammatory diet

A nutritious diet promotes health, reduces risk of many chronic diseases, and can reduce inflammation. Some areas that are being researched now are anti-inflammatory diets and foods.

One diet has a lot of science supporting its health promoting, emotional well-being improving, and life extending properties. This is the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet includes a lot of vegetables, fruits, and legumes; some fish, whole grains, tree nuts, and dairy; and small amounts of olive oil, tea, cocoa, red wine, herbs, and spices. It also has low levels of red meat and salt, and a low glycemic index (it doesn’t raise blood sugar very high).

An anti-inflammatory diet focusing on foods like those found in the Mediterranean diet can lower risk of diabetes and the adverse effects of obesity, even without weight loss. The anti-inflammatory substances to look for in food include, polyphenols, flavonoids, pigments, unsaturated fats (including omega-3s), and vitamins and minerals like vitamin E and selenium. These foods may also help to improve insulin sensitivity, quality of blood lipids, and the gut microbiota.

FUN FACT: Most people get the highest amount of dietary polyphenols from coffee and/or tea (but I don’t recommend a lot of cream and sugar).

Many anti-inflammatory effects of these foods have been demonstrated in a lab or in animals. Extra-virgin olive oil, tree nuts, and cocoa have been associated with anti-inflammatory effects, like reducing blood levels of C-reactive protein, in people.

Even when we look at individual components in a food, we should keep in mind that it’s the complexity of your diet and whole foods – plus lifestyle, that help to promote health. One or two individual aspects don’t have the same effect on inflammation and your health as a holistic approach to improving overall nutrition and lifestyle.

2. Limit sugar and starch

Excess sugars and starches put stress on our blood sugar levels and increase our risk of chronic diseases. They also promote inflammation in the body.

Animals who eat sweets and white bread, and drink a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages have higher levels of inflammatory markers like CRP. Studies in people also show that diets low in sugar and starch have lower than average levels of CRP.

You can upgrade your nutrition in this area by eating fewer sugars (especially “added” sugars) and starches (especially “refined” starches).

3. Upgrade dietary fat

Some lab and animal studies show that increased levels of saturated fats can increase production of inflammatory markers and free radicals. Meals with unsaturated fats seem to reduce the inflammatory response after the meal.

Unsaturated fats like omega-3’s seem to be particularly healthful. Omega-3 unsaturated fats reduce the source of inflammation, as well as increase the amount of anti-inflammatory molecules.

One source of omega-3’s is fish. People who eat more fish tend to have lower levels of atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Tree nuts are another good source of unsaturated fats and anti-inflammatory polyphenols. While nuts do contain a fair amount of fat, many studies show that people who regularly eat nuts do not tend to have a higher BMI (body mass index) or more body fat.

You can upgrade your dietary fats by eating more fish and nuts. Fish and nuts contain unsaturated fats that have anti-inflammatory effects. They can also improve insulin sensitivity and even improve the health of insulin-producing cells.

4. Include dietary fibre

People who eat more fibre tend to have lower risks of diabetes and heart disease. There are a few ways this is thought to work, one is from reduced inflammation. This is because people who eat more fibre, fruits, and vegetables tend to have lower levels of CRP.

In fact, animal studies show that eating fibre reduces the levels of inflammatory markers and reduces excess body fat. This effect can be because fibre slows down absorption of food from the body, reducing blood sugar spikes. It can also be because of its interaction with the friendly microbes in our gut.

Foods that are high in fibre include whole grains, legumes (i.e. beans and lentils), cocoa, seeds, tree nuts, avocados, raspberries, and squash.

5. Exercise

Regular exercise helps with many chronic diseases, as well as helping to reduce inflammation.

Levels of inflammatory markers are lower in people who exercise regularly, than those who do not. Plus, the people who exercise at a higher intensity tend to have even lower levels of CRP.

When you combine regular moderate exercise to a nutritious anti-inflammatory diet, the benefits include even lower levels of inflammatory markers in the blood (like CRP).

You need to limit the amount of time you are sedentary, take active breaks and make time to get your body moving and heart pumping.

6. Prioritize sleep

Both acute and chronic sleep deprivation cause an increase in inflammatory markers in the blood.

In fact, sleep loss is a risk factor for insulin resistance and diabetes. Even when monitoring sleep deprivation in otherwise healthy volunteers, there is measurable decrease in their insulin sensitivity.

Upgrade your sleep by focusing on sleep hygiene.

Conclusion

Diabetes and heart disease are serious conditions. They have a few things in common, namely excess body fat and increased levels of inflammation. Inflammation can be healthy if it’s fighting an infection or healing a wound, but chronic inflammation is associated with many serious conditions.

There are a lot of nutrition and lifestyle issues that can contribute to chronic diseases. There are several ways they can do this; inflammation is just one of them.

The good news is that there are several nutrition and lifestyle factors you can improve. These include:

eating less sugars and starches,
carefully choosing dietary fats,
getting regular exercise,
ensuring you have quality sleep,
increasing dietary fibre, and
enjoying an anti-inflammatory diet.

Give yourself a head start, download my free Heart-Healthy 7-Day Meal Plan. Have more questions? Contact Christina.