Inflammatory new findings: which foods are your best medicine?

Editor's note: Better Nutrition, in collaboration with Bastyr University, a world leader in the advancement of natural health sciences, has established a grant program to foster well-researched articles by graduate students. Each article is vetted by a Bastyr faculty member. The intent of the program is to provide readers with new and reliable information while encouraging future leaders in various health disciplines.

Inflammation occurs when the immune system recognizes something inside the body that it deems foreign. This object can be an intruding bacteria or virus, or something mistaken as harmful, such as a particle of food or pollution. These foreign objects, or antigens as they are called, prompt the immune system to release a series of proteins called cytokines.

The cytokines have a number of roles, including attracting white blood cells to the site of "invasion"--causing swelling and heat via increased blood supply, and beginning a domino effect of cytokine production.

Inflammation can be acute, such as with a bee sting or bacterial illness, or it can be chronic. Chronic inflammation occurs when the body is repeatedly exposed to an antigen. This can occur with the intake of allergenic foods, exposure to environmental toxins and pollution or with an autoimmune disease, whereby a part of the body itself becomes the antigen.

Why the Concern?

Inflammation is essential for keeping us healthy, but it can get out of hand. That's why it's become an area of intense research in disease prevention and nutrition. Linked to cancer, heart disease and other chronic diseases, inflammation is under study by scientists seeking to understand the role that it has in many of the illnesses that have become epidemic in our society.

During inflammation, the cytokines that are released turn off a mechanism called apoptosis. Also called programmed cell death, apoptosis is the way in which abnormal cells self-destruct so as not to become cancerous. However, when this mechanism is thwarted, the body cannot regulate its cell division properly, and tumors may develop.

Chronic inflammation in an organ can cause permanent damage or alteration of flint organ; this is seen in the lungs of smokers, where smoke-induced inflammation leads to the replacement of healthy cells with a type of altered pre-cancerous cell.

Which Nutritional Interventions Are Useful?

Unlike drugs, foods and herbal supplements are natural anti-inflammatories that work synergistically with the body and usually have few side effects. Listed here are some of the most effective nutritional interventions for inflammation and disease prevention. As with any new treatment, a consultation with your health care provider is suggested.

* Omega-3 Fatty Acids--Eating cold-water fish, such as salmon and tuna, three times a week, or taking a salmon oil supplement (up to 6 grams/day) can cause a substantial decrease in internal inflammation. These essential fatty acids have a depressive effect on inflammatory cytokines, thus stopping the domino nature of the inflammatory response. In addition, these healthy fats prevent the accumulation of blood platelets, also seen during inflammation, which are a cause of dangerous blood clots.

* Wild Alaskan Salmon--This fish of choice is sustainably harvested and contains far fewer contaminants than farm-raised salmon. Salmon is considered to be very low in mercury by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Tuna, especially canned albacore tuna, has higher levels of mercury, so stick to chunk light or troll-caught albacore. According to the FDA, pregnant women should restrict consumption of canned albacore to no more than 6 ounces (one serving) a week.

* Antioxidants--Found in abundance in fruits and vegetables, especially berries, and available in supplement form as vitamins A, C and E, antioxidants play a key role in stopping the inflammatory cycle. Within the cell, antioxidants prevent certain transcription factors created by the cytokines from entering the nucleus and creating more cytokines. This "kink in the chain" prevents inflammation from spiraling and protects the body from a chronic inflammatory response.

* Plant Foods and Supplements--Eating your vegetables is especially important when it comes to decreasing inflammation. Many mushrooms, especially reishi (Ganoderma lucidura), contain substances that inhibit the activation of cytokines and their by-products. Extracts of nettle (Urtica dioica), available in tea or supplement form, have a similar effect. Overall, replacing some of the animal foods in your diet with plant foods will decrease inflammation. Animal foods (not counting cold-water fish) contain arachidonic acid, which is considered pro-inflammatory and is used by the body to produce cytokines.

* Green and White Tea--In addition to numerous antioxidants, these teas contain a substance called Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG inhibits a byproduct of the cytokines that eventually travels to the nucleus to create more cytokines. Like many of the supplements listed here, EGCG breaks the cycle of inflammation and prevents it from getting out of control. For best health, drink two to six cups of tea a day.

* Thunder God Vine (Tripteryglum wilfordii)--A Chinese herb that acts as a potent anti-inflammatory. In addition to decreasing cytokines and their by--products, this herb inhibits enzymes--which break down body tissues-released during the inflammatory process. These enzymes are prevalent in autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Available through Chinese herbalists or at some herb specialty stores, the root extract of this plant has the medicinal properties; however, its leaves and flowers are toxic.

Heather King is a certified diet counselor and a graduate student in nutrition at Bastyr University.

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