HEALTH MATTERS
Inflammation And
Lifestyle Diseases
By Kepha Nyanumba
I
nflammation, once merely considered
the body's healing response, is now
the subject of close scrutiny as a key
component of many diseases. Arthritis
and inflammation have been linked for
decades, but the inflammatory response is
also taking center stage in heart disease,
cancer, diabetes, asthma and Alzheimer's
disease. Equally exciting is preliminary
research showing a probably association of
inflammation with diet, activity and other
lifestyle choices.
Inflammation is actually good in the short
run. First, let's start with our inflammatory
response. When you cut your leg, get a
sore throat, or sprain an ankle, the area
surrounding the injury swells, filling with
blood and feeling warm to the touch. This
is our inflammatory response. Our body
is sending a combination of white blood
cells, fluid, and proteins to an area of our
body that needs repair.
If you damage your car, a mechanic fixes
it. If we damage our body, our immune
system comes to our aid, containing any
potential infection.
Problems occur, however, when the
inflammatory response does not shut off
and goes from being temporary, localized
and protective to being chronic and
harmful it becomes a challenge.
Early symptoms of chronic inflammation
may be vague, with subtle signs and
symptoms that may go undetected for
a long period. You may just feel slightly
fatigued, or even normal. Continuous
inflammation can cause changes in cells,
contributing to premature cell death and
disease.
Why You Need Omega 3
Fatty Acids
Knowledge of the role of fatty acids in
determining health and nutritional well-
being has expanded dramatically in the
past 15 years. Individual fatty acids serve
different purposes in the body. There are
three main types of fatty acids: saturated,
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids are of two
Early symptoms of chronic inflammation
may be vague, with subtle signs and symp-
toms that may go undetected for a long
period. You may just feel slightly fatigued,
or even normal. Continuous inflammation
can cause changes in cells, contributing to
premature cell death and disease.
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kinds, omega-3 or omega-6. Omega-3
fatty acids are considered essential
fatty acids and are known to prevent
inflammation. The human body can make
most of the types of fats it needs from
other fats or raw materials. That isn’t the
case for omega-3 fatty acids. These are
essential fats since the body can’t make
them from scratch but must get them
from food.
It is important to have the proper ratio of
omega-3 and omega-6 in the diet. Omega-3
fatty acids help reduce inflammation, and
omega-6 fatty acids tend to promote
inflammation. Today, most people are
eating a lot of omega-6 fatty acids. At the
same time, the consumption of foods that
are high in omega-3 is the lowest it has
ever been.
Scientists suspect that a distorted ratio
of these polyunsaturated fatty acids may
be one of the most damaging aspects of
the Western diet. Foods high in Omega-3
include fish, vegetable oils, nuts (especially
walnuts), flax seeds, flaxseed oil, and leafy
vegetables.
Symptoms of Omega-3
Fatty Acid Deficiency
Omega-3 deficiency refers to low or
insufficient levels of important long-chain
fatty acids, as these are required to regulate
cardiovascular, immune and inflammatory
pathways. Given the importance of
balancing omega-6 intake with omega-3
intake, if we are deficient in omega-3 we
have a greater risk of poor health and
disease.