Inflammation can be good or bad, depending on the situation.
On one hand, it's your body's natural way of protecting itself when you are injured or sick.
It can help your body defend itself from foreign invaders and can stimulate healing.
On the other hand, chronic, sustained inflammation in the body can be harmful.
Interestingly, the foods you eat can have a major effect on inflammation in your body.
Here are 6 foods that can cause inflammation.
1. Sugar and High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Table sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup are the two main types of added sugar in the diet.
And in a randomized clinical trial where people were assigned to drink regular soda, diet soda, milk or water, only those in the regular soda group had increased levels of uric acid, which drives inflammation and insulin resistance (8).
Sugars can also cause harm because they supply excess amounts of fructose.
While the small amounts of fructose in fruits and vegetables are fine, getting large amounts from added sugars is a bad idea.
Bottom Line: Consuming a diet high in sugar and high-fructose corn syrup drives inflammation that can lead to disease. It may also counteract the anti-inflammatory effect of omega-3 fatty acids.
2. Artificial Trans Fats
Just about everyone agrees that artificial trans fats are the unhealthiest fats you can eat.
They're created by adding hydrogen to unsaturated fats, which are liquid, in order to give them the stability of a more solid fat.
Trans fats are often listed as “partially hydrogenated" oils on the ingredients lists on food labels.
Most margarines contain trans fats and they are often added to processed foods in order to extend shelf life.
In fact, CRP levels were 78 percent higher in women who reported the highest trans fat intake in the Nurses Health Study (26).
Bottom Line: Consuming artificial trans fats may increase inflammation and raise the risk of several diseases, including heart disease.
3. Vegetable and Seed Oils
Despite what we've heard for years, consuming vegetable oils isn't healthy.
During the 20th century, the consumption of vegetable oils increased by 130 percent in the U.S.
Due to the structure of the polyunsaturated fatty acids in these oils, they are very prone to damage by oxidation.
Although some dietary omega-6 fats are necessary, the typical Western diet provides may more than people need.
In one study, rats who consumed an omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio of 20:1 responded with much higher levels of inflammatory markers than the who consumed a ratio of 1:1 or 5:1 (33).
Bottom Line: Because of their high omega-6 fatty acid content, vegetable and seed oils may promote inflammation when consumed in high amounts.
4. Refined Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap.
However, the truth is that not all carbs are problematic.
Refined carbohydrates have a higher glycemic index (GI) than unprocessed carbohydrates. High-GI foods raise blood sugar more rapidly than low-GI foods do.
In a controlled study, young, healthy men that were fed 50 grams of refined carbohydrate in the form of white bread responded with higher blood sugar levels and an increase in the inflammatory marker Nf-kB (38).
Bottom Line: High-fiber, unprocessed carbohydrates are healthy, but refined carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels and promote inflammatory changes that may lead to disease.
5. Excessive Alcohol
Moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to provide some health benefits.
However, higher amounts can lead to severe problems.
In one study, the inflammatory marker CRP increased in people who consumed alcohol. The more alcohol they consumed, the more their CRP increased (39).
People who drink heavily often develop problems with bacteria moving out of the colon and into the body. This condition, often called “leaky gut," can drive widespread inflammation that leads to organ damage (40, 41).
To avoid alcohol-related health problems, intake should be limited to two standard drinks a day for men and one standard drink a day for women.
Here is an image showing what is considered a “standard drink" for several types of alcoholic beverages:
Bottom Line: Heavy alcohol consumption can increase inflammation and potentially lead to a “leaky gut" that drives inflammation throughout the body.
6. Processed Meat
Common types of processed meat include sausage, bacon, ham, smoked meat and beef jerky.
Processed meat contains more advanced glycation end products (AGEs) than most other meats.
Of all the diseases linked to processed meat consumption, colon cancer's association is the strongest.
Although many factors contribute to colon cancer development, one mechanism is believed to be an inflammatory response to processed meat by colon cells (47).
Bottom Line: Processed meat is high in inflammatory compounds like advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and its strong association with colon cancer may be due in part to an inflammatory response.
Take Home Message
Inflammation can occur in response to many triggers.
Some of these you can't do much about, such as pollution, injury or sickness.
However, you have much more control over the foods and beverages you choose to eat and drink.
To stay as healthy as possible, keep inflammation down by minimizing your consumption of foods that trigger it.
This article was reposted from our media associate Authority Nutrition.
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- Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria that are vital for keeping you healthy.
- Some of these microbes help to regulate the immune system.
- New research, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, shows the presence of certain bacteria in the gut may reveal which people are more vulnerable to a more severe case of COVID-19.
You may not know it, but you have an army of microbes living inside of you that are essential for fighting off threats, including the virus that causes COVID-19.
How Do Resident Bacteria Keep You Healthy?<p>Our immune defense is part of a complex biological response against harmful pathogens, such as viruses or bacteria. However, because our bodies are inhabited by trillions of mostly beneficial bacteria, virus and fungi, activation of our immune response is tightly regulated to distinguish between harmful and helpful microbes.</p><p>Our bacteria are spectacular companions diligently helping prime our immune system defenses to combat infections. A seminal study found that mice treated with antibiotics that eliminate bacteria in the gut exhibited an impaired immune response. These animals had low counts of virus-fighting white blood cells, weak antibody responses and poor production of a protein that is vital for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1019378108" target="_blank">combating viral infection and modulating the immune response</a>.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184976" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">In another study</a>, mice were fed <em>Lactobacillus</em> bacteria, commonly used as probiotic in fermented food. These microbes reduced the severity of influenza infection. The <em>Lactobacillus</em>-treated mice did not lose weight and had only mild lung damage compared with untreated mice. Similarly, others have found that treatment of mice with <em>Lactobacillus</em> protects against different <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/srep04638" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">subtypes of</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-17487-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">influenza</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008072" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">virus</a> and human respiratory syncytial virus – the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-39602-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">major cause of viral bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children</a>.</p>
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Thus, researchers like me need to take repeated patient stool, saliva and blood samples over a longer time frame to learn how the altered microbiome observed in COVID-19 patients can modulate COVID-19 disease severity, perhaps by altering the development of the T-regulatory cells.</p><p>As a Latina scientist investigating interactions between diet, microbiome and immunity, I must stress the importance of better policies to improve access to healthy foods, which lead to a healthier microbiome. It is also important to design culturally sensitive dietary interventions for Black and Latinx communities. 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