What is Inflammaging … and is it a real thing?
Inflammation in our body serves us well when it needs to.
The technical definition of inflammation is “your immune system’s response to a perceived injury or infection.” (Harvard Health). Acute inflammation tackles a foreign invader that may cause infection head on, like the flu.
Or a cut on your finger.
When a wound becomes red and swollen, this is caused by thousands of helpful white blood cells racing to the site to help fight infection. They release chemicals that can kill germs outright, and create cytokines, protein messengers that carry out a wide variety of duties to help us heal. In this case, inflammation is clearly a good thing, hopefully keeps us from getting sick as well as helping us to heal.
But our modern lifestyle also lends itself to the development of chronic inflammation within our body, and it is our body’s reaction to a whole host of perceived assaults. What are these assaults on our body? They are as simple as not getting enough sleep, living in a constant cycle of stress, not finding the time to exercise, and of course, not eating the right foods.
All of this leads to a process of “inflammaging” – a slow and gradual process of building inflammation as we age. While our body tries its best to cope with these assaults, and is certainly successful at the onset, overtime chronic inflammation ensues.
It is estimated that most likely 85% of us have some level of inflammation in our body.
So where does this lead us? Unfortunately, often it leads to the onset of some chronic diseases, such as auto-immune disorders, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Approximately 60% of us are dealing with one of these diseases right now.
Fortunately, there is a lot we can do to change the course of chronic inflammation by making healthier choices and adopting healthier behaviors. We want to figure out how to keep everything in balance, and this includes balancing our inflammation response. The good news is that our bodies are extremely adaptable.
The first place to start is to forget about the medicine cabinet and open up the fridge.
Food is fuel for the body. And clean fuel typically serves our engines the best.
Unfortunately, many of us eat in the normal American way – a diet consisting of processed, fried, and sugary foods, as well as those junky white carbs like bread and pasta. And while these are the foods we crave and love, they are also the foods that cause chronic inflammation over time.
So as you approach your food choices, at least be knowledgeable about those foods that you should limit, and those that you should seek out.
First, try to avoid these foods when possible – as they cause inflammatory responses:
1. Industrial Seed Oils: Vegetable, Canola, Corn, Safflower, Grapeseed, Cottonseed.
2. Sugar and high fructose corn syrup
3. Refined Carbohydrates
4. Excessive Alcohol
5. Processed Meat
Second, seek out these anti-inflammatory foods:
1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2. Green leafy vegetables, like spinach, kale and collards
3. Nuts like almonds and walnuts
4. Fatty fish like wild salmon, mackerel, sardines and anchovies
5. Berries, cherries and grapes
6. Tomatoes
7. Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and brussel sprouts
8. Avocados
9. Green Tea
10. Peppers
11. Mushrooms
12. Turmeric
13. Dark Chocolate and Cocoa
So yes, inflammaging is a real thing, but it’s important to realize that it doesn’t have to be a thing … if we proactively make better decisions. It’s important to remember that it is the sum of our behaviors around diet, movement, sleep and stress that dictate our overall health.
And thinking about what we put into our bodies is a good place to start.
One Key Takeaway
Our modern lifestyle lends itself to the development of chronic inflammation within our body, and it is our body’s reaction to a whole host of perceived assaults. What are these assaults on our body? They are as simple as not getting enough sleep, living in a constant cycle of stress, not finding the time to exercise, and of course, not eating the right foods.