Chronic inflammation from Western diets is linked to diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Photo / 123rf
Inflammation is blamed for many common conditions, but what causes it and how can changing our diet help?
In recent years, as the number of people with chronic diseases has rocketed, the role of inflammation has become a hot topic.
Inflammation is our body’s natural response to an injury, infection or toxin, like the redness of a wound or the swelling caused by a virus. Yet Western diets can cause our bodies to become chronically inflamed. This has been tied to several diseases, including heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and even premature ageing.
“The immune system responds to the Western diet as it would a noxious germ,” explains Dr Shilpa Ravella, the author of A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet and Disease. “Stress cells are activated and the body produces an overload of inflammatory molecules. What we put into our mouth matters.”
Yet you don’t need to eat a monk’s diet to avoid inflammation. “Our dietary pattern is always more important than individual foods. Our body can cope with a minority of our foods being potentially pro-inflammatory, as long as the majority of our diet supports our health,” says Dr Federica Amati, head nutritionist at Zoe, a science and nutrition company.
If you want to limit inflammation, the following foods should be on your “watch list”.
Processed white sliced bread has been stripped of its fibre. Even though it’s not sweet it causes a spike in our blood sugar, which triggers a release of insulin to bring this back down. Other white carbs like white rice and pasta have a similar, if less potent, effect.
“Highly processed carbs are quickly absorbed into the liver and elicit a rapid insulin response from the pancreas,” says Amati. “Our research shows that meals with a high glycaemic load – lots of freely available sugars – result in a more pronounced post-meal inflammatory response.”
Repeated blood sugar surges result in our cells becoming numb to insulin, a state known as “insulin resistance”, which causes inflammation throughout the body and can lead to weight gain and diseases.
What to eat instead
Reduce the effect of white carbohydrates by mixing them with healthier foods, say nut butter on toast or vegetables with rice. “Studies show that if you add berries or nuts to refined carbohydrates, you see less of an inflammatory spike as opposed to if you’ve eaten the processed foods on their own,” says Ravella.
Even better, replace the white carbs with their wholegrain version, such as wholegrain bread, brown rice and wholewheat pasta. This is a golden opportunity to boost your consumption of gut-loving fibre, as most of us are not eating the recommended 30g daily.
Most of us love a morning fry-up, but studies have linked eating too many sausages and other processed meats such as bacon, hot dogs and ham to an increased risk of inflammation.
These meats are often preserved with nitrates, which when combined with protein can trigger inflammation. They’re also high in salt and saturated fat, both of which are inflammatory.
Red meat like beef, steaks and pork may not be processed, but they also have high levels of saturated fat and, like processed meat, eating large portions daily has been linked to bowel cancer.
“Processed meats cause inflammation of the gut and increase the risk of cancer. For red meat [this risk] depends on the quantity consumed and what gut microbes you have. For some people, carnitine and choline in red meat break down in the gut to form pro-inflammatory metabolites. For others, this isn’t as much of a problem. But too much red meat in the diet is pro-inflammatory because of the high amount of saturated fat,” says Amati.
What to eat instead
Have meat-free days, and replace red meat with healthier alternatives like chicken and fish.
“Instead of making bacon the focus of a meal and having a bacon sandwich, eat it in smaller amounts. For example, have smashed avocado on wholegrain toast with sliced tomato and a rasher of bacon on top,” suggests Dr Sammie Gill, a specialist gastroenterology dietitian.
Although guidelines suggest 14 units of alcohol per week as the safe limit, increasingly researchers are suggesting cutting back further.
“Recent reports suggest a link between rising cancer rates among young adults and alcohol use,” says Ravella. “Alcohol is riskier and more inflammatory than we previously imagined. I would advise folks to shy away from regular use of alcohol.”
What to drink instead
Some people choose to only drink alcohol at the weekends, or aim for a few alcohol-free days per week. Choose clear spirits like vodka – which is lower in sugar – or red wine, as it contains polyphenols which act as antioxidants and reduce some of the harmful effects of the alcohol.
The process of deep-frying increases the production of harmful compounds that drive inflammation. French fries, or chips, are also high in saturated fat, as are other deep-fried foods like fried chicken and doughnuts.
“Saturated fat raises ‘bad’ low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol. Saturated fat stimulates fat tissue inflammation, which triggers immune cells to release pro-inflammatory compounds,” explains Gill.
What to eat instead
“‘Gentle’ cooking techniques like steaming, sauteing, stewing, boiling, pressure cooking, poaching, and light baking are less inflammatory. I would minimise eating deep-fried foods like french fries, and if you do want to enjoy them, consider making them at home where you can control what type of oil you cook them in and how much salt you use,” says Ravella. You can also swap them for baked sweet potatoes, cut into wedges.
Diet drinks may seem like a good option for avoiding calories, but they are full of artificial sweeteners – which some studies have linked to inflammation, although research is still inconclusive.
Last year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a review of more than 280 studies and linked sweeteners to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. It did acknowledge, however, that more research is needed.
“Artificial sweeteners interact with the gut microbes and disrupt the delicate balance of the mucosal layer that protects the gut lining,” says Amati. “This disruption can result in more proteins, microbes and byproducts of digestion passing through the gut wall. When the gut lining is disrupted in this way, inflammation becomes chronic and gut symptoms can worsen, impacting daily life and our overall health.”
What to drink instead
Try having sparkling water with fruit pieces or mint, or kombucha, which contains probiotics which are beneficial for the gut.
Fruit yoghurt may seem healthy because it contains calcium, but it is often full of sugar or sweeteners, as well as emulsifiers, to make it creamy. Other snack foods like cakes, biscuits and pastries are also high in saturated fat, sugar and emulsifiers. The dangers of sugar are well known. “You get quick, steep rises in blood sugar and insulin levels and dramatic falls, stressing the body and activating inflammation,” explains Ravella. “For example, if you have a pastry with morning coffee, soda at lunch and ice cream after dinner every day, you’ll increase blood inflammatory markers and inflammatory visceral fat – and your risk of death from a chronic inflammatory disease like heart disease will increase.”
Similarly, emulsifiers – which are also found in ice cream, sauces and dairy alternatives – have been shown to increase inflammation. “Food additives, such as emulsifiers, have been shown to promote pro-inflammatory gut microbes and increase gut permeability in cell and animal models,” says Gill.
What to eat instead
Save the sugary desserts for special occasions and have plain strained Greek yoghurt with fruit. “You can also try apple slices and nut butter, a handful of dried fruit, a piece of dark chocolate or popcorn,” says Gill.
The average age of patients in the study was just 38, highlighting risks for younger adults.