AUTHOR
DR TIM CROWE Dr Tim Crowe is an advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian , Nutrition Scientist and Science Communicator . Connect with him at
www . thinkingnutrition . com . au or through his Thinking Nutrition podcast .
INFLAMMATION :
THE GOOD , THE BAD AND THE UGLY
Dietitian and nutrition commentator Dr . Tim Crowe sets us straight on inflammation and how it is relevant to our health .
Inflammation is getting top billing today as the latest health concern you should worry about . From avoiding so-called ‘ inflammatory foods ’ to eating more ‘ anti-inflammatory foods ’ to treat and even cure inflammation , this is a hot topic in our health landscape .
Far from something scary , inflammation is a natural process that helps your body heal and defend itself from harm . It is only when inflammation becomes chronic that the story changes .
What is inflammation ?
Inflammation is the body ’ s normal response to protect against infection , injury or disease . It involves several components of our immune system , from the activation of white blood cells to the release of chemical inflammatory signalling molecules .
In fact , without inflammation , wounds and infections would never heal . Every time you cut or burn yourself , graze your knee or sprain your ankle , the pain , redness and swelling you see and feel is part of your body ’ s inflammatory response that starts the healing process . This type of inflammation dampens down after a short time , to allow the long-term recovery and healing process to take over .
Chronic inflammation is the bad guy
The evil cousin of acute inflammation is chronic inflammation . That ’ s when inflammation sticks around at a low level for a long time – having detrimental effects on our health . Unlike acute inflammation , which shows up as redness , swelling and pain that you can see and feel , chronic inflammation can be invisible and is harder to detect .
14 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE