Is there anything we can do to dampen the fires of inflammation in our bodies? Fortunately for our arteries, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Although most doctors can correctly tell you that evidence indicates the “statin” drugs can ease artery wall inflammation, fewer seem to realize that lifestyle practices can help quench the immune system’s fires. However, creating an anti-inflammatory lifestyle promises benefits beyond potential heart health enhancement. Because inflammatory compounds have been implicated in other conditions as diverse as diabetes and certain cancers, lifestyle choices that limit this fiery process could theoretically add both years and quality to your life. Here are seven key choices you can make to lessen inflammation throughout your body:
Don’t Smoke. If you didn’t already have enough reasons to kick the habit, consider this: smoking as few as two cigarettes significantly increases inflammation throughout your body. 3 This connection with inflammation provides additional possible mechanisms as to why smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. When it comes to your heart, quitting dramatically reduces your risk of both fatal and nonfatal heart attacks. It also lowers your risk of death from any cause—at any age.1
Trim Down. Carrying extra weight does more than affect your appearance and mobility. For example, the fat carried around our bellies tends to be metabolically active, producing chemicals that heighten inflammation throughout our bodies. Losing even small amounts of weight can have a significant favorable impact on inflammation and other chronic disease processes. Indeed, weight loss has been linked to lower cholesterol levels, improved blood pressure, less diabetes (or better diabetes control), and fewer joint problems.
Prioritize Produce. Spend more time shopping in the fruit and vegetable aisles and you stand to dramatically decrease inflammation throughout your body. In general, animal products tend to fan the flames of inflammation while plant foods put them out. Although cold-water fish are an exception (they have abundant supplies of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fat), you need not consume sea food to get this beneficial fat. In fact, fish do not make omega-3 fat; instead, they concentrate it from the “plant foods” they consume (such as phytoplankton). So reach for walnuts or ground flax to stock up on a mercury-free source of inflammation-fighting omega-3 fat.
De-Stress. Scientists have uncovered a compelling link between stress and inflammation.2 Although we can’t always control the things that come at us (the stressors), we can often change how we cope. Take time to unwind, spend more time connecting with friends and family, or prioritize spiritual rejuvenation by adding meditation, prayer, and/or Bible study to your daily routine.
Get More Sleep. Inadequate rest worsens inflammation throughout your body. This is not just theory. Over the years many of my patients with arthritis have noted a simple relationship: less sleep, more joint pain. Scientific research is convincing: cut back on your sleep and you can double or triple the level of inflammation-boosting chemicals called cytokines.
In the Western World our hearts and arteries are suffering the toll of chronic inflammation. Don’t let your first symptom of heart trouble be your last! Why don’t you determine today to enhance your own health by investing in a lifestyle that can help quench the fires of inflammation?
1 Evidence-based Medicine 2004(9):28. 2 J Psychosom Res 2002;52(1):1-23.
(Submitted by Betty Dean. Used by permission from www.lifeandhealth.org. Courtesy of LifeSpring – Resources for Hope and Healing Stuart, VA.)
