Silent inflammation/Silent Killer…….
When we talk about inflammation, we usually think about wounds that become swollen and painful due to inflammation of the cells surrounding the injury. This could happen when you have a cut on your skin, sprain your ankle or suffer from arthritis due to wear-and-tear on your joints. Although inflammation makes the injured area hurt, we recognise it as a response from our body’s immune system that helps us to heal.
But inflammation can also take on a more sinister twist in our bodies, causing a breakdown of our immune system and leading to a lot of chronic diseases. This type of inflammation is silent and happens in our bodies over a long period of time. Scientists and doctors are starting to discover more about how silent inflammation is linked to many ageing conditions and chronic diseases like coronary artery disease, autoimmune disease,cancer, as well as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
It strikes silently
Under normal circumstances, inflammation is the first line of defense put up by the body’s immune system when the body is infected by a foreign substance or is injured. When the immune system recognises an “invasion”, it will release chemicals from white blood cells to destroy the foreign substance and repair the damaged cells. In doing so, the white blood cells will stimulate more blood flow to the affected area, which is what causes the swelling and redness associated with inflammation.
Some people suffer from autoimmune diseases, like lupus, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. These diseases occur because something is wrong with their immune system, and it can’t tell the difference between healthy body tissue and harmful invaders. As a result, the immune system strikes back and blindly destroys normal body tissues. Some scientists now believe that this “breakdown” of the immune system is caused by silent inflammation, which is a form of continuous low-level inflammation that occurs at the cellular level. With the immune system constantly being placed under such stress, it starts to respond in an excessive and inappropriate manner.
What is frightening is that we are not aware of this silent inflammation occurring in our bodies. It does not cause obvious physical signs like swelling or redness, as acute inflammation would. Instead, chronic inflammation is silent and insidious, releasing a constant attack on our cells, blood vessels and organs.
Link with other diseases
What are the effects of silent inflammation on our bodies? While auto-immune diseases are quite rare, inflammation is believed to be linked to other diseases that are very common, such as coronary artery disease, diabetes, Parkinson disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. In coronary artery disease, inflammation has been found to be linked to atherosclerosis, which is the process of the blood vessels narrowing. When plaque (made up of cholesterol) builds up in the blood vessel walls, the immune system reacts to the plaque as an abnormal substance that does not belong in normal vessels.
In response, the body tries to wall off the plaque, but in some situations, the plaque may rupture and form blood clots that block blood flow in the vessel. This is what causes a heart attack or a stroke. There are still many unanswered questions about the role of inflammation in heart disease and the other conditions. But evidence pointing to the link is getting stronger as scientists learn more about inflammation.
There are tests that can be carried out to measure the level of inflammation in the body. These tests look at markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), homocysteine and lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)). CRP tests are becoming more common as part of the workup to check for the risk of heart disease. CRP is a protein produced by the liver as part of the body’s inflammatory response to injury or infection. Therefore, the presence of CRP is a sign that inflammation is occurring somewhere in the body (although it doesn’t pinpoint where).
CRP tests may be able to show something that other risk factors, such as cholesterol, don’t show. An important study has shown that people with high levels of CRP were over four times more likely to have heart attacks than those with low CRP levels. The inflammation clue will change the way diseases like coronary artery disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are diagnosed, because of their association with inflammation. For instance, research has shown that a woman with rheumatoid arthritis has a 100 per cent increased risk of experiencing a heart attack. Someone with silent inflammation is much more likely to have more than one condition related to inflammation.
What causes silent inflammation?
What triggers our bodies to produce this type of prolonged inflammatory response? There are many environmental factors linked to inflammation, most of it due to our lifestyle habits. Smoking, stress, being overweight/obese, poor diet, certain infections and environmental toxins (heavy metals) are among the biggest culprits that stimulate systemic inflammation. Unfortunately, this list of risk factors probably includes many, if not all, of us who are reading this right now. We can change our diet to cut out foods that promote inflammation, and eat more of those that suppress it.
A diet high in refined, processed foods and animal fats tends to speed up the process of inflammation. You should drastically reduce your intake of trans fatty acids (processed products that contain hydrogenated oil), saturated fats (animal fats) and refined carbohydrates (eg sugar and white flour). There are “good” foods that can help your body to decrease the inflammatory response. These include fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats.
Antioxidants are compounds in food that fight free radicals, which are produced from environmental toxins and cause damage to cells. Some of the nutrients that have antioxidant properties include beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. So load up on antioxidant-rich foods like deep orange, red, yellow and green fruits and vegetables, and all varieties of nuts and grains.
Certain pungent foods and spices have anti-inflammatory properties, including garlic, onion, ginger and turmeric. Using these foods in your cooking will not only be beneficial to your health, but it will also make your food tasty! There is still a lot of research looking into the exact mechanisms of silent inflammation and how they cause these chronic diseases. But in the meantime, you can already do a lot to prevent damage to your cells, by changing your lifestyle to reduce exposure to the toxins that trigger inflammation.
This new year is a good opportunity to make some resolutions and keep to them. Eat a healthier diet, stop smoking, exercise more ,reduce your stress and get your annual health check . It’s the best advice for anyone.
The Star Newspaper, Jan 22, 2012
By Dr NOR ASHIKIN MOKHTAR
