What Is Inflammation?
Inflammation is not a disease or something evil. Is just the body’s response to foreign invaders such as infections or others. The inflammation starts in the exact place in which the attack is taking place. However, what causes inflammation? This is something we all ought to know, in order to prevent and keep away from it.
What Causes inflammation
• Diet. In case you often experience inflammation in different parts of the body, it means something is wrong with your diet and you need to make a change. Let’s have a look at the types of food that might cause recurrent inflammation:
1. Red meat – there is a molecule, which is especially found in non-human mammals as sugar, that becomes soaked up in the tissues of people who prefer to mostly consume red meats. Scientific tests have shown that the presence of this type of sugar (that human are unable to produce genetically) in the body can trigger an immune system response that is one of the “inflammation” causes.
2. Refined carbohydrates – the body’s inflammation reaction to carbohydrates may differ from one individual to another. Research shows the more the carbohydrate is processed and refined, the more rapidly it is transformed into blood glucose, increasing the glycemic index. If the glycemic index is increased more insulin is released, causing inflammation.
3. Polyunsaturated vegetable oils – Unlike the omega-3 fatty acids that relieve inflammation, these oils contain omega-6 fatty acids that encourage inflammation. The vegetables you need to avoid or moderately consume are: corn, peanut, soy, and sunflower, since they are high in their content of linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid.
• Stress. If we are engaged in stressful situations, the body starts releasing through the adrenal glands the stress hormone known as cortisol. Cortisol’s role is to raise the blood pressure and also blood sugar levels, in order to help the body survive moments of stress. However, on the long run this is very harmful. Even though cortisol is known as an anti-inflammatory hormone, it supresses parts of the immune system. This means that while cortisol is doing its designed job, the immune system becomes vulnerable to new infections attcking the body, leading to health issues and inflammation.
• Environment. We are exposed to chemical dangers everyday: air fresheners, chemical adhesives, glue, cleaning products, pollution, pesticides and so on. Whether we are at work, outside, and even inside our home, we and our loved ones are not protected from these harmful chemicals. Varying from every person’s immune system, the effects of these chemicals are harsh or easily supported by our bodies. There is no doubt though, that constant and continous exposure to these chemicals will someday cause our immune system to respond and trigger inflammation.
• Menopause. A woman’s body undergoes many harsh changes during menopause. One of these changes is the loss of hormones that were available in the early stages of life. Studies have shown that the loss of hormones may lead to chronic inflammation.