Inflammation:

what it is, why it is important, and

what you can do about it
Paul Hancock
Chiang Rai Positive Aging Group

Short Video on Inflammation
 What is Inflammation?
•  A vital part of the immune system's
response to injury and infection
•  The body's way of signaling the immune
system to heal and repair damaged tissue
•  Defends the body against foreign
invaders, such as viruses and bacteria.
•  Without inflammation as a physiological
response, wounds would fester, and
infections could become deadly.
 Two main types of Inflammation

•  Acute Inflammation (AI):

–  Short term, heals an infection site, then subsides

•  Chronic Inflammation (CI):
–  Long term, not clear what causes it, no
straightforward treatment

 Acute inflammation (AI)
AI occurs when the body detects an infection (eg
cut on the knee, a sprained ankle or a sore throat)
•  blood vessels dilate
•  blood flow increases
•  white blood cells swarm the injured area
•  area turns red
As the body heals, AI gradually subsides.
 Chronic Inflammation (CI)
•  Seems to occur when the body
perceives an infection threat that
doesn’t exist
•  Signals the immune system to respond
•  White blood cells swarm but have no
infection to attack
•  They may eventually start attacking
internal organs or other healthy tissues
and cells.
We don’t yet understand exactly how
CI contributes to other conditions
•  CI thought to contribute to many leading causes
of death (this list not complete):
–  DNA damage leading to heart disease
–  Cancer
–  Diabetes
–  Stroke
– Alzheimer’s Disease and other
neurogenerative conditions
– Kidney disease
– Chronic lower respiratory disease
 Testing for CI
•  Blood tests that can detect chronic
inflammation include:
–  High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-
CRP)
–  Xbrinogen
–  tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)
–  interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β)
– interleukin-6 (IL-6)
– interleukin-8 (IL-8)
 Risk factors for CI
•  Several risk factors promote CI:
–  Increasing age
–  Obesity
–  High saturated fat intake
–  High sugar intake
 Methods of dealing with CI
•  Lifestyle/diet changes
•  Some drugs can be effective
•  Some supplements shown to be effective
•  BUT no “Magic Bullet” – individuals react
differently to identical treatments
Anti-CI (Mediterranean) Diet - DO
eat:
•  Tomatoes
•  Olive oil
•  Green leafy vegetables
•  Nuts such as almonds and walnuts
•  Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and
sardines
•  Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries
and oranges
 Anti-CI Diet - DON’T eat:
•  Refined carbohydrates, such as whole bread and
pastries
•  French Fries and other fried food
•  Sweetened fizzy/soda drinks
•  Red meat (burgers, steaks) and processed meat
(burgers, sausages)
•  Margarine, shortening and lard
•  Red Wine can be drunk in
moderation!
 Anti-inflammatory drugs and
supplements
•  No prescription drugs that specifically target CI
•  Some OTC drugs target acute, short-term inflammation:
–  aspirin
–  naproxen (Aleve)
–  ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin).
•  Stronger prescription-strength drugs also available
•  NB Acetaminophen (Tylenol) does not relieve inflammation
•  Corticosteroids (eg cortisone and prednisone) sometimes
prescribed for inflammatory conditions (eg asthma, arthritis)
but can be side-effects.
 Dietary Supplements to reduce CI
•  The following supplements have shown some promise in
animal and small scale human tests:
–  Alpha-Lipoic Acid, a fatty acid made by your body.
–  Curcumin/turmeric.
–  Fish Oil/Omega-3 fatty acids.
–  Ginger root
–  Resveratrol (the extract of the active ingredient in red
wine)
–  Spirulina (a type of blue-green algae)

•  Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-anti-
inflammatory-supplements
And none of the above works, try the more
restrictive “Auto Immune Protocol”
•  This has been successful in small-scale experiments, and involves
removing the following additional foods/food groups from the
general Anti-CI diet above
–  Grains, legumes (beans, soy, peanuts, hummus, etc.)
–  Dairy products (including raw products)
–  Processed foods and refined sugars
–  Eggs
–  Nuts and seeds, including foods you might not think are in this
category such as coffee, chocolate, and certain spices (for example,
coriander and cumin)
–  Nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes, and
more)
–  Gum, alternative sweeteners, emulsifiers and food thickeners
•  Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/aip-diet