Be well, rather than swell

THE term ‘inflammatory rhetoric’ has been regular in the media.

This refers to incitement, agitation, or provocation in a dangerous or volatile situation.

This inflammatory belligerence spirals out of control, and can become the problem; a self-perpetuating maelstrom whose consequences can be catastrophic.

Inflammation in the body isn’t so different.

It arises as a result of injury, infection, or some other ‘insult’, but our response is critical.

For example, when the throat is infected, it becomes painful, swollen and red, and we curse the pesky bugs that have caused it. But the bugs aren’t the problem — the problem is us…

Double-edged sword

When our immune system gets triggered, it sends an army of blood cells to the affected area to zap the invading microbe.

Unfortunately, these blood cells carry out their task by using a potent cocktail of toxic chemicals, or ‘free radicals’, to kill the offending bacteria.

While they’re effective at this, the side effect of such nasty chemicals is damage to our tissues, and this damage causes the pain and swelling that makes us feel awful.

The potentially devastating effects of over-stimulating the immune system don’t stop there.

Long-term over-activation of the immune system is the key to many serious conditions common in Ireland, including heart disease, diabetes, brittle-bone disease and many cancers. It’s also commonly implicated in ageing.

Nutrition and inflammation

The next logical question is whether or not we can prevent our immune system from being over-activated. Are there any foods, nutrients or lifestyle behaviours that provoke inflammatory responses, or that could prevent or limit them?

Luckily, the answers are simpler than you think.

For example, taking plenty of oily fish (e.g. salmon, mackerel, herring) in the diet can have a significant anti-inflammatory effect.

Taking extra vitamin D can help to control the immune system, while eating lots of fruit and vegetables provides us with the anti-oxidants we need to neutralise the damaging free radicals produced by our inflammatory cells.

On the negative side, being overweight or obese causes a constant, low-grade inflammation. Additionally, high intakes of processed red meats, sugary foods, sugar-sweetened drinks and alcohol can all provoke an unwanted and aggressive immunological response.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, smoking and lack of exercise have been implicated in the initiation and persistence of damaging inflammatory responses.

All of this is bad news for the Irish population — we have very low fish intakes, high intakes of processed red meats, lamentable vitamin D status and very poor fruit-and-vegetable consumption.

We also drink lots and lots of alcohol, while our intake of sugar-sweetened drinks (at least among those who consume them) is high and continuing to rise.

The anti-inflammatory diet

So, what’s to be done about all this? Well, if you want to control your inflammatory status and safeguard your long-term health and youthfulness, you could try the following:

1. Eat lots of oily fish — an average serving at least three times per week

2. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables, the more the better

3. Take a vitamin D supplement

4. Avoid sugary foods, and especially sugary drinks

5. Avoid processed red meats — this is where your extra fish might come in

6. Go easy on the alcohol — no more than a couple of drinks on any one occasion

You’d be forgiven for thinking none of these guidelines are new, but their important roles in tackling damaging inflammation should make the case for their adoption all the more compelling.

* Dr Daniel McCartney, lecturer in human nutrition and dietetics at DIT.