November 28, 2011

Why Food Can Cause Increased Inflammation

It is amazing to think that the food you eat can actually help to treat {inflammation} in the body. But there’s strong evidence to support the claim that the food you eat has either {a pro} {inflammatory} or an {anti inflammatory} effect on your body and that almost all of the foods in the Standard American Diet have a pro {inflammatory} effect. Why in the world is that?

The primary reason researchers think that foods may cause {inflammation} is thanks to the giant quantity of artificial compounds now found in foods. Foods are commonly loaded with things like artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, preservatives, and residual pesticides. These may cause the body to go on the alert, as it were.

When that happens, inflammation is one of the reactions. The body thinks it has to protect itself and so it kicks off the inflammation {response}. Processed sugar and white flour can also have a similar effect on the body. When you eat foods that are heavy in refined sugar, they make your blood sugar quickly rise, which can kick off the body’s inflammation response also.

Inflammation is a response that comes from the body thinking that it must protect itself. When you get injured or stung from a poisonous bug, your body inflames the area to attempt to close off the area so that repairs can be done. Sadly for us, the inflammation response also can have negative effects. What are a few examples of these?

Discomfort is the biggest one. Inflammation typically comes with quite a bit of pain. Not only that but many inflammatory conditions are heightened, things like arthritis which can usually be really painful. Having a heightened inflammation response can also hamper the immune system. Since the immune system is responsible for inflammation in the body, when it’s consistently on the alert and in a heightened state of readiness, it decreases its ability to perform some place else.

Foods that reduce inflammation are often an excellent idea, as are anti-inflammatory herbs and spices.