News - Chiropractic
Anti-inflammatory Diet
Anti-inflammatory Diet
Shane Lynch, D.C.
Foods to Avoid:
* Grains and rice (white and wheat bread, rye, barley, etc.)
* Refined oils (cooking oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, etc.)
* Refined sugar (this is white sugar you purchase at the supermarket, high fructose corn syrup in numerous products and other products with sugar listed as its primary ingredient.)
* Salt
Reasons to Avoid These Foods:
* All of the above foods trigger inflammatory reactions in your body. In other words, when these foods are digested they stimulate our immune cells to release chemicals that cause inflammation 1. Inflammation normally occurs in response to tissue damage and is characterized by its ability to cause pain, swelling, increase of temperature and affected tissues lose their functional capacities 2. Inflammation is usually a healthy process because it walls of the damaged tissue and directs a fresh blood supply to the area to encourage repair and clean up. Inflammation occurring in the absence of tissue damage, such as through diet, is not a healthy process because it can actually lead to tissue damage.
* Inflammatory chemicals directly stimulate nociceptor (pain) nerve fibers leading to pain perception (this could exist in the form of neck or back pain, for example) 3.
* Refined grains, especially white bread contain a lot of carbohydrates, or sugar. When this bread is digested it increases blood sugar levels, which in turn stimulates the pancreas to release insulin into the bloodstream (insulin is responsible for gathering up sugar in the blood and transporting it into cells). Consistently high blood insulin levels are believed to desensitize insulin receptors on cells (i.e. they become un-responsive). This in turn prevents the entrance of sugar into these cells where they are broken down for energy. If sugar is unable to enter cells, it remains in the bloodstream and prevents these cells from receiving much needed energy. This can ultimately lead to a condition called diabetes mellitus where the blood sugar levels become so high that it begins to spill over into the urine (diabetes mellitus means “sugar urine”).
* Refined sugar (i.e. sugar purchased at the supermarket, sugar in soda, candy and other products containing high fructose corn syrup) can trigger the same mechanisms as above. In addition, sugar also stimulates cholesterol production via increased insulin levels.
* High fructose corn syrup (liquid sugar) inhibits satiety centers in the brain (in other words, you do not feel as “satisfied”/full when eating products sweetened with high fructose and, consequently, consume more calories than you should) 4.
* Grains interfere with nutrient absorption and can lead to headaches, back pain, abdominal pain, fatigue and in some cases, depression 5,6.
* High salt products, consumed on a daily basis, can increase blood pressure.
Foods to Consume:
* Fruits and vegetables
* Lean meats and fish (lean meats are best because fat releases inflammatory chemicals)
* Potatoes
* Herbs/spices (i.e. garlic, oregano, etc.)
* Olive oil
* Coconut oil
* Nuts
* Dark chocolate
* Lots of water
* Red wine (in moderation-one to two glasses/night)
* Stout beer (in moderation)
Reasons to Consume These Foods:
* All of the above foods act as anti-inflammatories and/or function to control important physiological parameters such as pH (acid/base) balance. The current American diet is roughly 20:1 in regards to inflammatory:anti-inflammatory foods; the goal should be more towards 1:1 7. The above recommendations should help you achieve a healthier ratio leading to a greater quality of life.
Other Recommendations:
* Fish oils can be taken in liquid or pill form and serve as a very effective form of anti-inflammatory supplementation.
* Vitamin D can also help prevent the inflammatory response. Inadequate intake or lack of exposure to sunlight limit the quantity of vitamin D circulating in the body and can “cause muscle aches, muscle weakness, and bone pain at any age”.8 The current Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for vitamin D (50 µg/d, or 2000 IU) established by the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) “is not based on current evidence and is viewed by many as being too restrictive…the absence of toxicity in trials conducted in healthy adults that used vitamin D dose ≥250 µg/d (10 000 IU vitamin D3) support the confident selection of this value as the UL”.9 Those with “certain health conditions such as sarcoidosis and Mycobacterium infections, and those treated with thiazide diuretics are reported to be extremely sensitive to excessive vitamin D”9, and should check with their physician before supplementing with this vitamin.
o “Chronic exposure to sunlight in outdoor workers at the end of summer season produce serum 25(OH)D (i.e. vitamin D) concentrations equivalent to those with an oral intake of 70-125 µg vitamin D/day”.9
o “…long term vitamin D production from sun exposure is unlikely to exceed ≈ 125 µg/d in North America and Europe”.9
o “…ordinary dietary sources usually provide ≈ 2.5 µg vitamin D/day, but can go as high as 5 to 10 µg with the use of fortified foods”.9
+ Fortified milk, fish liver oil, butter, egg yolks, liver.8
+ Our main source of vitamin D is from ultraviolet irradiation of the skin (i.e. exposure to sunlight).
+ Best form of vitamin D supplementation is cholecalciferol (vitamin D3).9
References:
1 Inflammatory foods. David Seaman, DC, MS, DABCN. [Utilized 2009 June 12].
Available from: www.deflame.com
2 Tortora, GJ. Microbiology: An Introduction. San Francisco, California:
Pearson/Benjamin Cummings; 2004. 468-469.
3 Mackey S. Mechanisms of inflammatory pain: Therapeutic implications.
J Clin Rheumatol. 2004; 10: S5-S11.
4 Elliott SS. Fructose, weight gain, and the insulin resistance syndrome.
Am J Clin Nutr 2002; 76: 911-912.
5 Hadjivassiliou M et al. Headaches and CNS white matter abnormalities
associated with gluten sensitivity. Neurology 2001; 56:385-388c.
6 Hadjivassiliou M, Grunewald RA, Davies-Jones GA. Gluten sensitivity
as a neurological illness. J Nerosurg Psychiatry 2002; 72: 560-563.
7 Salem N. Introduction to polyunsaturated fatty acids. Backgrounder 1999;
3(1): 115-122.
8 Beers, MH et al. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. Whitehouse Station, New Jersey: Merck Research Labatories; 2006. 42, 29.
9 Hathcock JN et al. Risk assessment for vitamin D1,2. Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85:6-18.
Notes:
The contents of this paper/recommendations were inspired by a seminar titled Nutrition For Pain Control; this seminar was organized and presented by Palmer College of Chiropractic faculty member David Seaman, DC, MS, DABCN. For more details regarding the concepts of this paper and further nutrition tips, I recommend visiting Dr. Seaman’s web site at: www.deflame.com.
