Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death from disease globally, killing 17.8 million people in 2017, or 32% of all deaths globally. Now with the change of lifestyle and dietary patterns, more and more people suffer from cardiovascular diseases. From 1992 to 2016, China's overall cardiovascular mortality rate increased by 87.5% (2.32 million to 4.34 million), and the all-cause mortality rate due to cardiovascular disease rose from 27.9% to 41.9%.
So why is it that with the increase in living standards, more and more people are suffering from cardiovascular diseases? There is a big reason for this – people consume a lot of pro-inflammatory foods.
Many diseases that plague the human body have a common feature - inflammation.
Recently, many food bloggers have begun to introduce an "anti-inflammatory diet" that claims to boost human immunity and reduce the risk of inflammatory infections.
Not only are there "anti-inflammatory diets", there are also many foods that exacerbate inflammation. Are these eye-catching claims true?
What is the "inflammation" of the "anti-inflammatory diet"?
In fact, the "inflammation" in the anti-inflammatory diet is not the same as the "inflammation" caused by viruses or bacteria that we often say.
Inflammation is a defensive response of the body's own immune system to external stimuli, the immune system is similar to the guard that protects the body, when there is trauma or infection, the immune system will be activated, the guard responds quickly, swallowing the invading virus bacteria or clearing its own necrotic tissue, we call the inflammation caused by this bacterial or viral invasion as acute inflammation, which comes and goes quickly.
The "inflammation" in the anti-inflammatory diet is chronic inflammation, which is a low-level chronic inflammation produced by various cytokines (interleukin, tumor necrosis factor TNF-α and interferon γ-INF, etc.) in stress or stressful states.
This inflammation can gradually develop over a few months or years and affect the immune system, when the immune system is in a state of protracted warfare, always alert but tired and irritable, and it is easy to shoot the gun.
This repeated and sustained immune response often brings damage to the body, and studies have shown that chronic inflammation is associated with many chronic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and so on.
A 32-year-old report involving 210,000 participants published in 2020 by the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health suggests that cardiovascular health is linked to inflammatory status in the body, while foods can exacerbate or improve inflammatory conditions in the body.
What is a pro-inflammatory diet?
What is a pro-inflammatory diet? It is not actually synonymous with a food, but a dietary model, that is, high in saturated fatty acids, high in sugar, high in red and processed meat, low in dietary fiber and low in green leaves and dark vegetables. Long-term consumption of this type of diet may cause inflammation in the intestines, and in severe cases, it will cause inflammation throughout the body.
A study published in J Am Coll Cardiol titled "Dietary Inflammatory Potential and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Men and Women in the U.S" showed that participants who consumed pro-inflammatory foods had a 46 percent higher risk of heart disease and a 28 percent higher risk of stroke than participants who consumed anti-inflammatory foods.
In the study, the researchers used data from three large prospective cohort studies, namely 74,578 women in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), 91,656 women in the NHSII, and 43,911 men in the health professional follow-up study. The maximum follow-up time is 32 years. More than 210,000 participants were included in the analysis after excluding participants with missing dietary information or who had previously been diagnosed with heart disease, stroke or cancer. Participants completed surveys every 4 years to determine dietary intake. The researchers used food-based empiric dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP) scores to assess the inflammatory potential of the diet.
In this study, the researchers used red meat, processed meat, offal, refined grains, and sweet beverages as pro-inflammatory foods, and green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, cabbage, arugula, etc.), yellow vegetables (pumpkins, yellow peppers, carrots, etc.), whole grains, fruits, tea, coffee, and red wine as anti-inflammatory foods.
After controlling for other risk factors such as BMI, physical activity, family history of heart disease, and multivitamin use, the researchers found that participants who consumed pro-inflammatory foods had a 46 percent higher risk of heart disease and a 28 percent higher risk of stroke than those who ate anti-inflammatory foods.
5 kinds of foods are easy to aggravate severe inflammation, it is best to avoid
1. Sweets
Victoria Drake, a nutritionist at Oregon State University in the United States, believes that foods with refined flour are prone to produce pro-inflammatory factors, which lead to an increase in blood sugar.
High blood sugar can speed up the development of the inflammatory response, so try to eat as little sweets as possible, such as sweet drinks, cakes, sweet bread, etc.
2. High-fat foods
Studies have shown that foods containing trans fatty acids can promote the development and occurrence of inflammation in the body, and high-fat foods such as milk tea and biscuits contain unhealthy trans fatty acids.
There are also some processed foods that also contain trans fatty acids, and for people with chronic inflammation such as rhinitis and arthritis, it is necessary to control and reduce the intake of such foods.
3. Fry food
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York have found that reducing the amount of fried food eaten can also reduce inflammatory markers in the body. Because a large number of fried foods are fried repeatedly, they will contain a lot of saturated fatty acids, so eat less fried foods.
4. Processed meat products
After the processing of meat products, such as ham, sausage, bacon, hot dogs and other foods rich in saturated fatty acids, easy to aggravate inflammation, it is best to use fresh meat instead of processed meat products.
5. Excessive drinking
Although alcohol topical use can play a role in destroying bacteria and viruses to reduce infection, excessive alcohol consumption can easily induce or aggravate inflammation.
What does an "anti-inflammatory diet" include?
Food ingredients that improve chronic inflammation, including omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, dietary fiber, and natural antioxidants, can exert anti-inflammatory effects by blocking signals, inhibiting prostate cyclooxidase expression, lowering the level of inflammatory mediators, and activating anti-inflammatory pathways, or indirectly by adjusting the intestinal flora to produce short-chain fatty acids.
The biological activity of anti-inflammatory foods has been validated in both cell and mouse models, but has not been conclusive in human studies. In a review published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition in 2021, the research team screened 88 foods with anti-inflammatory effects from 3581 studies, including: cranberries, grapes, pomegranates, strawberries, whole grain products, low-fat dairy products, yogurt, sesame seeds, flaxseed, soy foods, turmeric, etc.
Some have foods that reduce chronic inflammation
（图片来源：Julissa Luvián-Morales等(2021). Functional foods modulating inflammation and metabolism in chronic diseases: a systematic review. Critical Reviews in FoodScience and Nutrition.）
Combining the above research, the researchers divided foods that may have anti-inflammatory properties into several categories:
Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids
Many fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and omega-3 fatty acids have a good anti-inflammatory effect.
Among them, salmon, salmon, sardines, cod, tuna and other fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and the wild is more nutritious than farmed.
In addition, many experts recommend eating the above fish once or twice a week.
In addition, foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed oil, seaweed oil, grape seed oil, rapeseed oil, nuts, almonds, etc.
Coarse grains that have not been refined
Whole grain foods and unfinished whole grains contain digestive-friendly fiber, lower cholesterol and triglycerides, prevent spikes in blood sugar, and help control inflammation.
Coarse grains include millet, brown rice, corn, sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole grain foods, oatmeal, etc., and can also eat more legumes, such as red adzuki beans, mung beans, peas, etc.
In addition to this, eating nuts occasionally can also help reduce inflammation.
There has been a study in the Brigham and Women's Hospital affiliated to Harvard University in the United States that when you eat more nuts, the inflammation indicators in the body will decrease.
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Basically, most fruits and vegetables contain thousands of anti-inflammatory ingredients and antioxidants, and even some of them are directly anti-inflammatory factors, which can eliminate free radicals in the body and reduce inflammation. Especially cruciferous vegetables such as kale, cabbage, broccoli and so on.
Specifically,
All leafy greens are rich in magnesium, which is good for relieving inflammation.
Apples, citrus, grapes and dark green leafy vegetables are rich in polyphenols, which help reduce the inflammatory response.
Yellow-orange foods such as carrots and pumpkins are rich in carotenoids, which also help reduce the inflammatory response.
When there is an inflammatory situation, it is recommended to consume 300-500 grams of vegetables and 200-350 grams of fruits per day.
Fruits, especially berries such as cranberries, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, etc.
Catechin-rich teas
Drink more catechin-rich teas, such as white tea, green tea, oolong tea, etc., which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
A slightly heavier condiment
Of course, the heavy flavor seasoning is not heavy salt, but like turmeric, ginger, garlic, pepper, basil, pepper, cinnamon, sage, which contains a lot of natural anti-inflammatory ingredients, you can put a little oh when cooking.
In addition, olive oil is also good, harvard medical school believes that olive oil contains anti-inflammatory ingredients.
Does the "anti-inflammatory diet" really work?
Although the anti-inflammatory diet is very fashionable, it is not a specific dietary pattern, and the Mediterranean diet, the Dash diet (DASH diet - a salt-reducing diet for people with high blood pressure), the Okinawa diet, the traditional Nordic diet, and the traditional Mexican diet are all anti-inflammatory diets.
These dietary patterns have the same characteristics: mainly plant foods, emphasizing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, lean meats, and spices.
While the effects of diet on chronic inflammation have not been clearly quantified, some studies have shown positive effects. A 2016 study found that patients with type 2 diabetes had a 37% reduction in inflammatory factor CRP in their blood after adopting an anti-inflammatory diet; other diets based on fish, fruits and vegetables also had an inhibitory effect on the inflammatory factors of cardiovascular patients.
These results are exciting, but the human body is very complex, and to boost immunity and reduce the occurrence of chronic inflammation, one cannot be superstitious about some kind of legendary diet.
In addition to a balanced diet, it is best to start from 4 aspects:
Exercise: 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day, aerobic exercise in improving immunity is very effective.
Stress reduction: Long-term stress and tension will increase the level of inflammation in the human body, maintaining an optimistic attitude and good habits is conducive to controlling the level of inflammatory factors in the body, and regular sleep also helps to slow down the accumulation of inflammatory factors.
Weight control: Obesity can lead to hormonal and immune system disorders that exacerbate the occurrence of chronic inflammation, so balance diet and exercise, and maintain appropriate body weight and body mass index BMI.
Quit bad habits, regular physical examination: smoking and alcohol abuse is a recognized bad habit, which will cause the level of inflammatory cytokines in the blood to increase; regular physical examination, timely discover the potential risks of the body; such as gastritis, laryngitis, hepatitis and other inflammation or autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus, arthritis, etc., need more meticulous and scientific lifestyle and eating habits.
Allergies are also an important cause of chronic inflammation, so for people with allergies, eliminating allergens is an important way to fight chronic inflammation.
Editor: Gu Jun
Comprehensive: Popular Science China, China Net Health Channel, etc