0 1 What is chronic inflammation?
Generally speaking, inflammation is a defensive response of our body's immune system to external stimuli. For example, when our body tissues are damaged or infected by viruses and bacteria, the immune system is quickly activated, devouring invading pathogens and removing necrotic tissues in the body. And there are inflammatory phenomena such as "redness, swelling, heat, pain and itching".
This is acute inflammation, just like a "blitzkrieg" inside the body, a "duel" between the immune system and viruses and bacteria, and a "decisive victory or defeat".
Acute inflammation comes and goes quickly. When the immune system can't bear it, we often use drugs to intervene and use various anti-inflammatory drugs.
Chronic inflammation is a low-level chronic inflammation, in which various cytokines (interleukin, tumor necrosis factor TNF-α and interferon γ-INF, etc. ) Excessive or persistent production under pressure or tension.
Chronic inflammation is more like a protracted and scattered "guerrilla war". Although it will not cause fatal harm to the body in the short term, it will gradually develop and damage the immune system after several months or years, and will increase the risk of various chronic diseases.
How "fatal" is chronic inflammation?
Although it is called "chronic" inflammation, its lethality to health is not bad at all.
In 2020, the research team of Harvard University published a study in the Journal of American Heart Association, and followed up 2 1000 participants for 24 to 32 years. The results show that cardiovascular health is related to the inflammatory state in the body.
The conclusion of the study also pointed out that people who adhere to the "pro-inflammatory diet" have higher risks of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke than those who eat a normal diet, 38%, 46% and 28% respectively. Intake of anti-inflammatory food can improve cardiovascular inflammation.
In April, 20021,a retrospective study of 38 health outcomes covering 4 million people around the world collected 15 meta-analyses, and found that pro-inflammatory diet would increase the risk of 27 chronic diseases and premature death. There is strong evidence that pro-inflammatory diet is related to heart attack, premature death, intestinal cancer, pancreatic cancer, respiratory and oral cancer and depression.
Chronic inflammation of the body is also related to many chronic diseases, such as common obesity, type 2 diabetes, respiratory diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and so on.
Chronic inflammation is like a "spy" lurking in the body all the year round, laying a major hidden danger to health, so reducing pro-inflammatory diet and adhering to anti-inflammatory diet can better protect health.
Common pro-inflammatory diet around you
According to the influence of eating different foods on body inflammation, we divide our daily diet into "pro-inflammatory diet" and "anti-inflammatory diet".
Red meat, processed meat, viscera, refined sugar and grains, sweet drinks, fried foods and foods rich in trans fatty acids are more likely to cause chronic inflammation in the body.
Common foods rich in trans fatty acids: margarine cake, shortcake, egg yolk pie, ice cream, instant coffee, egg tart, snacks, biscuits, cookies, puffs, milk tea, pudding, instant cereal, cocoa butter chocolate, hot chocolate drink, fried instant noodles, salad dressing, popcorn, fried potato chips, etc.
Foods rich in nitrite increase the risk of digestive tract cancer: bacon, sausage, ham, duck neck, salted fish, pickles, canned food, overnight leftovers and so on.
Foods that produce carcinogens (benzopyrene, heterocyclic amines, acrylamide) when cooking at high temperature: grilled fish, fried chicken, roast duck, kebabs, stinky tofu, roast chicken, roasted goose, barbecued pork, bacon kebabs, French fries, crispy pork belly, etc.
Foods/drinks with high content of free sugar/added sugar: candied fruit, honey, sugary cola, fruit juice, various sugary drinks, sugary processed foods, etc.
How to practice anti-inflammatory diet?
Anti-inflammatory diet is not an independent diet mode, but the choice of ingredients and processing methods to avoid chronic inflammation or reduce inflammatory damage.
Therefore, many dietary patterns that meet the standards of anti-inflammatory diet can also be called anti-inflammatory diet, such as Mediterranean diet, DASH diet, Okinawa diet, traditional Nordic diet, traditional Mexican diet and so on.
There are also six ingredients that have good anti-inflammatory effects:
Vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables, such as kale, cabbage and broccoli;
Fruits, especially berries, such as cranberries, strawberries, blueberries and grapes;
Foods rich in dietary fiber such as whole grains and beans;
Foods rich in polyphenols and flavonoids, such as green tea and soybeans;
Spices such as turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, sage and garlic;
Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, linseed oil, seaweed oil, grape seed oil, rapeseed oil, nuts, almonds, etc.
The implementation of anti-inflammatory diet in daily diet also needs to consider the classification, quantity and proportion of ingredients, cooking methods and other details
First of all, pay attention to vegetables. Many people in China are seriously short of vegetables. According to the statistics of 20 18, the average daily vegetable intake of 68% adults is less than 300g, only 29% people eat dark vegetables, and only 6.3% people consume more than 500 g.
Anti-inflammatory diet suggests that adults consume 300~500g of vegetables every day, and dark vegetables account for half. Vegetables of different colors and kinds should be enriched.
Secondly, we should pay attention to the food collocation in protein. In China, the proportion of adult livestock meat intake is relatively high, and the proportion of poultry meat, fish and shrimp meat and eggs intake is relatively low. According to the statistical data of 20 18 years, the average intake of adult livestock meat is 74.5g/day, poultry meat is15.3g/day, fish and shrimp meat is 27.8g/day, and eggs are 28.3g/day. ..
Anti-inflammatory diet suggests lean meat 100- 150g per day, preferably fish and shrimp meat, followed by poultry meat, reducing the proportion of livestock meat, eating an egg per day, soy products corresponding to 25g soybeans per day, and dairy products about 300ml per day.
The choice of staple food is also very important. The intake of flour and rice and its products among adults in China is generally high, while the intake of other grains, miscellaneous beans and potatoes is low. According to the statistical data of 20 18, 80.3% adults consume less than 50g of whole grains and miscellaneous beans every day.
Anti-inflammatory diet, it is recommended to match the thickness of staple food to avoid excessive grain processing. 200-300g of cereal every day, including 50- 150g of miscellaneous grains and beans and 50- 100g of potatoes, should also be listed as staple foods, such as lotus root, chestnut, water chestnut, etc. It is not recommended to eat as vegetables.
Cooking edible oil, appropriately increase ω-9 monounsaturated fatty acids (olive oil and camellia oil) and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids high vegetable oils (linseed oil and perilla seed oil), reduce ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids high vegetable oils and reduce saturated fatty acids high oils.
Quickly stir-fry, stew, cook and cool with extra virgin olive oil or camellia oil; Flaxseed oil and perilla seed oil for cold salad; Coconut oil, lard or blended oil for high-temperature cooking.
For seasoning, natural spices can be used, such as turmeric, onion, pepper, star anise, cinnamon, basil, rosemary, coriander, onion, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, sage and garlic.
Reduce refined seasonings, such as bean paste, peanut butter, Chili sauce, vinegar sauce, oyster sauce, salad sauce, etc.
Nuts can be eaten 15-20g every day, preferably native nuts/seeds such as walnuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds and peanuts.
However, it is not recommended to eat deep-processed nuts such as salt and pepper, milk flavor, sugar stains, crispy skin and deep frying. And buy small bags in sealed packages, don't buy loose scales or broken shells, keep them sealed to prevent the grease in nuts from rotting and producing harmful substances.
Fruit is about 200g per day, especially berries, such as blueberry, strawberry, cranberry, grape, kiwi fruit, raspberry, blueberry, pomegranate and carambola.
You can also eat some fruits with moderate sugar or GI: cherry, grapefruit, mulberry, grapefruit, apple, orange, cherry tomato, apricot, pear, peach, plum, nectarine, loquat, bayberry, mango, papaya and so on.
Fruits with high sugar content or GI should not be eaten excessively, such as bananas, fresh dates, durians, lychees, persimmons, cantaloupes, pitaya, watermelons, pineapples, mangosteen, rambutan, passion fruit and guava.
A healthy lifestyle resists inflammation.
Regular moderate aerobic exercise, such as moderate intensity aerobic exercise with an average of about 30 minutes per day, is helpful to improve the body's immunity and reduce the occurrence of inflammation to some extent.
Scientific weight control can avoid hormone and immune system disorder, reduce the occurrence of chronic inflammation, and make body mass index and body fat rate return to the normal range through various adjustments such as balanced diet, moderate exercise, high-quality sleep, reducing sedentary, and emotional management.
Relieve stress, continuous tension and stress will make the body in a state of tension for a long time and aggravate the degree of inflammation. Through entertainment, socializing, exercise, regular sleep, etc. It will help to reduce the level of inflammation in the body.
Quit bad habits, such as smoking, drinking, staying up late, etc. , will increase the level of chronic inflammation in the body, and gradually quit these bad habits through the companionship, supervision, promotion and reward of family members.