Inflammation, Disease, and,

Anti-inflammatory Nutrients

Created by Nicholas A. Shields

 Inflammation
• Inflammation is a natural response by our immune system
to:
– Illness, infection, injury, wounds
– Exercise
– Many other conditions
• Good inflammation: “acute” or short-term
– Signals our body to start the healing process
– Injury – ex. sprained ankle
– Exercise – builds muscle
• Bad inflammation: “chronic” or long-term
– When acute inflammation fails to stop or is activated without
cause
– Certain diseases and conditions
 Acute Inflammation (short-term)
• Starts within seconds or minutes physical injury,
infection etc.
• What happens?
– Blood vessels dilate around affected area = deliver more blood
– Capillaries (smallest blood vessels) become more passable for
fluid and proteins
– White blood cells (WBCs) and other proteins move into
affected area to start infection clearance or tissue repair
• Symptoms:
– Near or at skin level = pain, redness, swelling (edema),
immobility, heat (area warm to the touch)
– Internal = may feel pain or no symptoms felt
• Lasts for days to weeks depending on severity
 Chronic Inflammation (long-term)
• Caused by uncontrolled acute inflammation, certain
diseases, environmental triggers
• What happens?
– Tissue damage, thickening, scarring
– Many other complications
• Can also be triggered by irritants
– Smoking, alcohol
– Environmental chemicals
• Lasts months, years, or indefinitely
 Interaction of Chronic Inflammation & Diet
• Diets low in fruits, vegetables, whole
grain + high in added sugar, saturated
fat, trans fat promote inflammation
– “Turn on” inflammation
– Increase pro-inflammatory markers
(picture)
• Diets high in fruits, vegetables, whole
grain + low in added sugar, saturated fat,
trans fat promote anti-inflammatory
effect
– “Turn off” inflammation
– Decrease pro-inflammatory markers
(picture)
 Diet & Inflammation
• Chronic disease can be helped by adopting lifestyle changes
– Avoiding smoking and alcohol
– Daily exercise
– Eating healthy foods!
• Research shows: eating healthy foods is associated with
lower risk of most chronic diseases seen with aging
• If you currently have a chronic disease – healthy diet can
help:
– Slow down disease progression
– Alleviate symptoms
– In some cases, treat the condition (ex. Prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes)
 Fruits & Vegetables
• Contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and things called
“phytonutrients”
• Significant anti-inflammatory compounds:
– Vitamin C (citrus, strawberry)
– Vitamin E (sunflower seeds, almonds, avocado)
– Polyphenols/flavonoids (cherries, raspberries, blueberries, green tea)
– Carotenoids (carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, spinach, broccoli, kale)
– Anthocyanin (tart cherry juice, blackberry, eggplant, cherry)
• Eating a colorful variety of fruits/vegetables will help
combat inflammation
 A Closer Look – Berries!
• Berries are especially potent anti-inflammatory foods
• Contains anti-inflammatory nutrients:
– Polyphenols, specifically a class called “flavonoids”
– Very high in a powerful anti-inflammatory flavonoid called “Anthocyanin”
• Research has shown:
– Diet high in “flavonoids”  lower risk of:
• Overall chronic disease development
• Cardiovascular disease development
– Diet high in “anthocyanin”  lower risk of:
• High blood pressure, heart attack
• Type 2 diabetes, cancer

• Good sources: blueberries, strawberries, cranberries

 Spices

• Potential anti-inflammatory effect:

• Demonstrated anti-inflammatory – Ellagic acid (clove)
effect:
– Ferulic acid (fennel, mustard, sesame)
– Tumeric (curcumin)
– Apigenin (coriander, parsley)
– Diallyldisulfide (garlic)
– Betulinic acid, limonene (rosemary)
– Thymoquinone (black cumin)
– Kaempferol (clove, fenugreek)
– Capsaicin (red chili)
– Sesamin (sesame)
– Gingerol (ginger)
– Piperine (pepper)
– Anethole (licorice)
– Limonene (rosemary)
– Diosgenin (fenugreek)
– Gambogic acid (kokum)
– Eugenol (clove, cinnamon)
 A Closer Look – Turmeric (Curcumin)
• Used traditionally as a Chinese herbal medicine
• Used as a spice in many Indian dishes
• Reduces a pro-inflammatory marker called “TNF-alpha”
• Research has shown possible beneficial anti-inflammatory
effects with:
– Inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis
– Arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease
– Cancers
– Alzheimer’s
• Try: adding it to your lunch/dinner meals for extra flavor
 Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Omega 3 fatty acids are very popular and heavily
researched anti-inflammatory nutrient
– Two types: DHA and EPA
– Known to decrease pro-inflammatory compounds called
“cytokines”
• TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8

• Most fish and nuts contain omega-3s

• Good sources: salmon, tuna, walnuts, pecans,
flaxseed/oil, olive oil, chia seeds
• In a week try to:
– Eat fish 2-3x per week
– Several handfuls of walnuts or pecans
 Anti-inflammatory Diets
• You may have heard of these diets from your doctor or dietitian
• These are not really traditional “diets”, but more like eating
patterns that are healthy
• There are 3 main ones:
– The Mediterranean Diet (most well-known)
– Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (aka DASH Diet)
– The Nordic Diet (newer and lesser known)
• All of these eating patterns contain foods like discussed in previous
slides that are anti-inflammatory
 Mediterranean (Med)
• Heart-healthy focused
• Don’t limit total fat  more
healthy fats
• Olive oil – primary fat source
• Red wine (moderation)

Commonalities:
• Fruit, vegetables,
whole grains, nuts,
beans, seeds, low-fat
Nordic Diet dairy
• Similar to Mediterranean
• Lower red meat intake
• Fatty fish, lots of berries
• Rapeseed oil (vs. olive)
• Hard to find information!
Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension (DASH)
• Blood pressure reduction
focused
• Less sodium
• More potassium, calcium, and
magnesium (BP lowering)
• Less heart healthy fats (vs. Med)
 Be careful where you read and get information!
• If you Google search “Anti-inflammatory diet” on the internet you
get 24.3 million results
– Anybody can put information on the internet
– Government and university websites are usually reliable sources
• Friends and family – while their intentions may be good-hearted
they are most likely not a trained nutrition professional
• If in doubt – always consult with your Registered Dietitian
(RD) about information you found or were told!
• Your dietitian at Seacrest Village is: Chris Carlton, RD
• Contact information:
– Phone = 760-632-3738
– Email = ccarlton@seacrestvillage.org
 Sources
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3492709/
• http://www.webmd.com/arthritis/about-inflammation#1-2
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248423.php
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3340492/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26007179