Silent Inflammation

What is Silent Inflammation and why does it matter?

Silent Inflammation is what happens when your immune system no longer recognizes “other” from “self” and begins to attack your own body’s cells. This is linked to many diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, heart attacks, and obesity. This post discusses causes, effects, and ways to prevent and reverse this condition.

Inflammation is your body’s first response against injury or infection. When the body detects a pathogen, the injured or infected cells produce eicosanoids and cytokines which recruit immune cells to attack the invaders, destroy them, clean up and repair the damage. We recognize this as redness, swelling, and tenderness or pain. Usually this is the body’s perfect way of fixing the problem; however researchers now recognize that there is another type of inflammation, one that actually harms the body instead of fixing it. This is called “silent inflammation”.

Silent inflammation occurs when the body is constantly under attack from environmental pollutants and poor lifestyle. Toxins from the environment, our food, water, air, etc., and stress can cause a constant immune system response. This constant low-level demand that the immune system has to deal with causes immense changes to the order of the typical response system resulting in an immune system breakdown. Eventually the body’s immune system response order becomes intermingled and is no longer able to recognize invaders from its own cells, causing the body to attack itself. Chronic disease such as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, heart attacks, and obesity are all the result of silent inflammation.

Silent inflammation is so dangerous because it operates below the threshold of pain. Because we cannot feel this type of inflammation, all too often we do not know it is happening until we develop a chronic disease or have a heart attack. We can test for silent inflammation by checking the levels of aracadonic acids and eicosapentaenoic acids. Low levels of these acids mean better health, while higher levels usually mean a chronic disease state is present or developing.

Medical science has developed drugs that are “anti-inflammatory” such as aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, Cox-2 inhibitors (Cox-2 are enzymes responsible for inflammation and pain), and cortical steroids. All of these drugs decrease the level of eicosanoids that cause inflammation. However, anti-inflammatory drugs also suppress the immune system and bone marrow, cause osteoarthritis, heart attacks, and death when taken “correctly”. More people die each year in America from taking the correct dosage of anti-inflammatory drugs then die from AIDS.

Your first line of defense against silent inflammation is controlling your insulin response and losing inflammatory fat. A high carbohydrate diet will cause the body to produce more insulin, which lowers blood sugar and increases fat production (see my post on the Metabolic Syndrome). Both "belly fat" and visceral fat (fat around your internal organs) pumps out inflammatory hormones at all times. On the other hand, a low carbohydrate diet will make the brain hungry, which causes a state of stress for the body, which will then secrete cortisol to turn muscle into food/energy in the form of glucose for the brain. This causes insulin resistance and is the primary cause of weight gain. By controlling the level of insulin and glucagon in the form of carbohydrates and protein, you are controlling your fat and inflammation.

Eating a diet that consists of a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats will keep your insulin levels balanced and reduce nutritional stress. Start by dividing your plate into three sections. One section should consist of low-fat protein; the other two-thirds should be overflowing with vegetables (low-glycemic carbohydrates), one side cooked and one side raw. Then, add a dash of good fat (olive oil, avocado, almonds). Avoid fats that cause inflammation such as red meat, eggs, canola oil, or anything fried. Grains and starches should be decreased, while fruits and vegetables should take their place. Other tips to avoid silent inflammation include:

• Make sure to get enough sleep and the right amount of exercise to avoid physiological stress
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol, taking drugs (prescription and otherwise), drinking caffeine, and eating too much sugar or non-organic food, as these are all chemical stresses
• Cleanse the body on a regular basis using colonics, juicing, and fasts
• Purge your home of toxic chemical including cleaning and body care products
• Reduce stress on all levels and eat a nutritionally balanced diet of frequent whole food meals

Here is a great list of toxins to steer clear of: http://ow.ly/HSC5

Call your Health Coach today if you want to get started on a balanced meal plan and reduce your stress and toxin levels!