Inflammation, A Hopefully Constructive Discussion

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  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 814 Member
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    Mamapeach, I have fibromyalgia, which is an inflammatory illness. Any time I have any sort of illness or procedure on top of it, more inflammation occurs, so I get more sick than one typically would. For instance, I catch a cold or have a colonoscopy and end up unable to function for a while (could be a couple days; could be a couple weeks; could even be a couple months). The inflammation shows up as pain everywhere, total exhaustion, brain fog where I can't remember what to call anyone or anything, and weakness. My doctor recommended that I do an anti-inflammation diet, but I haven't done so. Maybe when I am at goal, I might do that. Right now, it's enough to just be trying to lose weight.
  • fannyfrost
    fannyfrost Posts: 756 Member
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    EVERYONE is different is the most true statement that can be made. 2 people with the same condition, given the same medication can have 2 different results. There is a reason that drug companies try to do large scale studies and comparison.

    Many of the studies about food and inflammation are not broad enough. The study groups weren't large enough and the population often not controlled. If a drug company does a clinical trial and someone in the trial dies, it must be reported as death, even if the person was hit by a bus. The reason for the death is investigated completely and could be considered of no impact to the study. Most food studies or studies on herbs do have as stringent rules. Not saying they don't have value, but look at studies and check the rules before you believe it completely. Think about how the rules have changed about what is healthy and what is not just over the last 20 years. Don't eat eggs, too much cholesterol, put eggs back in your diet they have good cholesterol, etc.

    I have IBS as well as Hashimoto's syndrome. With the IBS, eating a healthy diet works best for me. too much junk or white flour causes me issues. Not enough fiber is a total problem. Peppermint is a life saver for me. However, others with IBS can't do peppermint and find Chamomile to work, my tummy doesn't like chamomile. I need a diet that is extremely high in fiber to keep myself from issues.

    For the Hashimoto's I take medication that keeps it under control. So far I have not developed other problems from the syndrome which can happen. Such as Rhuemetoid arthritis. I do have OsteoArthritis, which is controlled by Osteo Biflex, which works awesome for me, but others i know not so much.

    There are a lot of studies out there that are finding that elimination of food can help ease issues. Many people go straight to vegan and that has its own problems as well (worked great for my daughter for her tummy, but she developed more allergies). The suggestion is to choose one food and eliminate it from your diet for 3 to 4 weeks, see if it helps. If not you can put it back and try something else. So choose one item at time, Milk, Beef, chicken, gluten, processed sugar, etc. By removing one at a time you can find out where your sensitivity may lie. Eliminating too much at once and you might have trouble pin pointing the problem.

    The other way is to go extreme, eliminate all the things you think are an irritant, then add one back at a time. See if any give you problems. For example, I eliminate, Gluten and go vegan. I feel great. Lets see what happens when I put gluten back in my diet, 2 weeks, still feel great. I miss eggs, add that back in, I feel great OK, Milk, damn I feel like crap, no more milk, etc....

    FYI, men, women and children actually react totally differently from each other. So what might work for the same problem in a man, may not work for a woman or a child.

  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I have had low grade systemic inflammation (of a different level than what you see) related to allergies and possibly a few other things. The results have been a gout attack, systemic bloating resulting in overnight weight gain of several kilos, exercise induced inflammation, and joint pain and stiffness.

    Inflammation may occur without any redness and just a light level of bloatiness - it's really quite complex.

    And sometimes it's a very positive response. Inflammatory response to exercise is believed to be a normal and major part of muscle synthesis, for example. For this reason, anti-inflammatory treatments (from AINS drugs, certain steroids, anti-leukotrienes) lead to reduced tissue development (both muscle and bone via osteocytes depression).

    In IBS, for example, inflammation may very well be present,and yet localized and completely invisible.

    Something I personally rarely feel but which may occur in others includes skin sensitivity, lymph node swelling, flu like symptoms.

    I'm glad you're in this discussion, because you're very knowledgeable on these things.

    What would you say regarding inflammation and diet as a "cure"? That it would depend on the source of the inflammation whether it would be effective?

    <snip>
    Honestly, I'm getting old enough to worry that the morning stiffness in my legs and feet will result in joint issues and I should manage the dietary components better.

    On one side you have IBS, gluten allergies, dye allergies (all which have an inflammatory element) which are often very well managed by dietary changes and then there are the arthritis related diseases that may or may not be influenced by diet. And the whole gut bacteria stuff....

    The problem with figuring out what works in terms of improved quality of life is that it sometimes takes weeks to see a result in an elimination diet and, depending on sensitivity, something minor might mask an improvement. And there is a lot of woo out there. Here is a good, if wishy-washy position on current thinking (oh, look, no wonder we agree)
    http://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/patient-corner/disease-management/rheumatoid-arthrtis-nutrition/


    Btw - coffee is an immune stimulant. Not that you should stop it.

    Have you ever gone through a 2-3 week period of eliminating everything (rice and chicken) and seeing if that improves how you feel - then adding slowly things back? See that link.

    That was a good read indeed. I'm going to keep on keeping on.

    Thanks for linking it, and your thoughts. I do know, thanks to celiac disease, about the absolute need to eliminate certain foods for certain things.

    Thanks for mentioning dye allergies also. You've given me some food for thought regarding my son and now I'm wondering about his diagnosis of IBS and if it was just the dyes all along. We sort of dealt with both issues at the same time.

    That's often the issues with these things that they can be multifactorial. As you increase sensitivity maybe anything sets things off.

    Immune responses are strange.

    If I eat rillettes - this is ham or fish preserved in pig lard - I always break out around my mouth. It's a localized allergy.
    Too much chocolate makes my skin break out - this might or not be an immuno mediated reaction.
    I also have a latex sensitivity and I know I'm pushing things a bit too hard or eating to much dairy when even my socks get itchy and I get welts. But the latex thing can blow up on its own.

    So food can be complemented by environmental factors and lifestyle like exercise or pollen, etc....
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    njitaliana wrote: »
    Mamapeach, I have fibromyalgia, which is an inflammatory illness. Any time I have any sort of illness or procedure on top of it, more inflammation occurs, so I get more sick than one typically would. For instance, I catch a cold or have a colonoscopy and end up unable to function for a while (could be a couple days; could be a couple weeks; could even be a couple months). The inflammation shows up as pain everywhere, total exhaustion, brain fog where I can't remember what to call anyone or anything, and weakness. My doctor recommended that I do an anti-inflammation diet, but I haven't done so. Maybe when I am at goal, I might do that. Right now, it's enough to just be trying to lose weight.

    I also have fibro. I've eaten paleo, low carb (Atkins, Sugar Busters)... they did nothing to change things. Honestly the only thing that actually helps is to regularly exercise and to practice good sleep hygiene--keep regular sleep hours, don't nap too long, stuff like that.

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited May 2015
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    @mamapeach910, what a great conversation starter.

    About 5 or 6 years ago, i was at the doctor quite often because I was fatigued, aching, hurting like anything in the morning, and had trouble getting through my day. Then, I had kept most of my 65 pounds off that I had lost a few years earlier. Well, as time went on, and the doctor found nothing wrong with me, I ended up putting on weight because my energy levels were low, I was eating more because I felt depressed over feeling so icky, and I ended up putting on some more pounds. Before I knew it, I had gained half of my weight back (33 pounds).

    Since the doctor could not find anything wrong with me, I looked into other options and came across a book on food intolerance. I knew I was lactose intolerant and didn't eat any dairy, which I had replaced with soy. Well, reading through this book, I noticed I had a lot of the same symptoms under the soy intolerance category. I immediately eliminated soy without eliminating anything else. Within two weeks, my aches and pains had lessened and I felt much better. Soon, I was exercising more but still not losing weight, just pretty much maintaining.

    However, my joints were still aching, especially during the cold months. The doctor said if they got worse that he would like to test me for arthritis. They did not get worse, they just stayed the same.

    Awhile later, I realized that losing weight might help, and that is when I found MFP. I used the tools to lose the 35 pounds I had gained, plus 9 more pounds. Guess what?

    The first inflammation trigger was soy. Gave it up. Things got better.

    The second inflammation trigger was extra weight. Lost it. Now things are terrific, except for a few aches every now and then.

    I no longer have the aches and pains. The only foods I don't eat are soy (except for traces in foods like mayo) and lactose (except one brand of Greek yogurt, which does not bother me).

    ETA: exercise is a big plus to me, as well. Everyday movement helps any random aches that might come up.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    edited May 2015
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    SLLRunner wrote: »
    @mamapeach910, what a great conversation starter.

    About 5 or 6 years ago, i was at the doctor quite often because I was fatigued, aching, hurting like anything in the morning, and had trouble getting through my day. Then, I had kept most of my 65 pounds off that I had lost a few years earlier. Well, as time went on, and the doctor found nothing wrong with me, I ended up putting on weight because my energy levels were low, I was eating more because I felt depressed over feeling so icky, and I ended up putting on some more pounds. Before I knew it, I had gained half of my weight back (33 pounds).

    Since the doctor could not find anything wrong with me, I looked into other options and came across a book on food intolerance. I knew I was lactose intolerant and didn't eat any dairy, which I had replaced with soy. Well, reading through this book, I noticed I had a lot of the same symptoms under the soy intolerance category. I immediately eliminated soy without eliminating anything else. Within two weeks, my aches and pains had lessened and I felt much better. Soon, I was exercising more but still not losing weight, just pretty much maintaining.

    However, my joints were still aching, especially during the cold months. The doctor said if they got worse that he would like to test me for arthritis. They did not get worse, they just stayed the same.

    Awhile later, I realized that losing weight might help, and that is when I found MFP. I used the tools to lose the 35 pounds I had gained, plus 9 more pounds. Guess what?

    The first inflammation trigger was soy. Gave it up. Things got better.

    The second inflammation trigger was extra weight. Lost it. Now things are terrific, except for a few aches every now and then.

    I no longer have the aches and pains. The only foods I don't eat are soy (except for traces in foods like mayo) and lactose (except one brand of Greek yogurt, which does not bother me).

    ETA: exercise is a big plus to me, as well. Everyday movement helps any random aches that might come up.

    You bring up an excellent point. Adipose tissue creates inflammation (sorta)! Vicious cycle.

    I wanted to hear people's symptoms, thanks for sharing yours.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    As others have mentioned, inflammation is the result of the body's immune system jumping into action. It's a basic healing response. It can be triggered by a lot of things, most notably, allergies. I think there is a lot of merit to the attention of focusing on elimination diets in order to minimize inflammation in the body. However, I think it is reckless to suggest that some foods in general are "inflammatory" or "anti-inflammatory". I think it is very specific to the individual and up to each person to determine what foods cause them problems. I know people who have quit eating just about everything under the sun because they have read somewhere that these foods cause problems. Then they get frustrated with this level of restriction and give up, when in reality, they never determined what was causing THEIR problems in the first place.

    On a side note, I have Crohn's disease, which is an inflammatory bowel disease classified as an auto-immune disease. This means that, once triggered, my immune system does not know when to stop fighting the "invader". This causes, not only ulcers in the colon, but the build up of scar tissue which results in a narrowing of the colon and can eventually lead to a complete closure. I am able to somewhat control my symptoms through diet, but not knowing for certain everything that can cause this response, I can go into a flare without any warning. As a result, I have to take immunosuppressant drugs to keep this from happening. In order to monitor the level of inflammation in my body, my doctor does a blood test for C-Reactive Protein, which is a protein produced by the body as an anti-inflammatory response. A "normal" person should have a CRP level at or close to zero.
  • Nuka_Gina
    Nuka_Gina Posts: 92 Member
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    njitaliana wrote: »
    Mamapeach, I have fibromyalgia, which is an inflammatory illness. Any time I have any sort of illness or procedure on top of it, more inflammation occurs, so I get more sick than one typically would. For instance, I catch a cold or have a colonoscopy and end up unable to function for a while (could be a couple days; could be a couple weeks; could even be a couple months). The inflammation shows up as pain everywhere, total exhaustion, brain fog where I can't remember what to call anyone or anything, and weakness. My doctor recommended that I do an anti-inflammation diet, but I haven't done so. Maybe when I am at goal, I might do that. Right now, it's enough to just be trying to lose weight.

    I also have fibro. I've eaten paleo, low carb (Atkins, Sugar Busters)... they did nothing to change things. Honestly the only thing that actually helps is to regularly exercise and to practice good sleep hygiene--keep regular sleep hours, don't nap too long, stuff like that.

    I don't have fibro, but I do have the arthritis and inflammation issue. I've found the same thing as you have about exercise which is to say that it is the only thing that helps me, especially the stretching!

    I'm so glad that you started this thread though because I'm really not that well informed. I knew a little bit about inflammation related food issues. I had a friend that had Crohn's Disease and learning about that with her was very informative... but I get leery about other "anti-inflammatory" programs because of the "woo" factor.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    @lporter229, what immunosuppressant are you on? I'm on Humira.
  • TheSingingMom
    TheSingingMom Posts: 24 Member
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    This is an interesting article on inflammation. Unfortunately, he does not cite his sources.

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-tell-if-youre-inflamed-objective-and-subjective-inflammatory-markers/#axzz3YtgWDG1a

    One of the things that struck me is the following statement:

    "Ultimately, though? It comes down to the simple question you must ask yourself: how do you feel?

    I mean, this seems like an obvious marker, but a lot of people ignore it in pursuit of numbers. If you feel run down, lethargic, unhappy, your workouts are suffering, you struggle to get out of bed, you’re putting on a little extra weight around the waist, sex isn’t as interesting, etc., etc., etc., you may be suffering from some manner of systemic, low-grade inflammation. Conversely, if you’re full of energy, generally pleased and/or content with life, killing it in the gym, bounding out of bed, lean as ever or on your way there, and your sex drive is powerful and age appropriate, you’re probably good.

    And really, isn’t that the most important health marker of all?"


    This is sort of what caused all the controversy yesterday. As many people here have answered they have seen an improvement or worsening of certain medical conditions with dietary changes. Those people have seen those changes in themselves and that is all that matters for them.

    I think that systemic inflammation is a complex issue and that the medical community is still learning a lot about it. I think one of the problems with trying to pin it down to one set of symptoms is that there isn't just one set of symptoms that can indicate systemic inflammation. It feels different to different people. One person might have a flare up of arthritis. Another might have an IBS episode. A third might have fibromyalgia and on and on.

    It can be difficult to pin down because whatever food affects one person might not affect the next person the same way.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    This is an interesting article on inflammation. Unfortunately, he does not cite his sources.

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-tell-if-youre-inflamed-objective-and-subjective-inflammatory-markers/#axzz3YtgWDG1a

    One of the things that struck me is the following statement:

    "Ultimately, though? It comes down to the simple question you must ask yourself: how do you feel?

    I mean, this seems like an obvious marker, but a lot of people ignore it in pursuit of numbers. If you feel run down, lethargic, unhappy, your workouts are suffering, you struggle to get out of bed, you’re putting on a little extra weight around the waist, sex isn’t as interesting, etc., etc., etc., you may be suffering from some manner of systemic, low-grade inflammation. Conversely, if you’re full of energy, generally pleased and/or content with life, killing it in the gym, bounding out of bed, lean as ever or on your way there, and your sex drive is powerful and age appropriate, you’re probably good.

    And really, isn’t that the most important health marker of all?"


    This is sort of what caused all the controversy yesterday. As many people here have answered they have seen an improvement or worsening of certain medical conditions with dietary changes. Those people have seen those changes in themselves and that is all that matters for them.

    I think that systemic inflammation is a complex issue and that the medical community is still learning a lot about it. I think one of the problems with trying to pin it down to one set of symptoms is that there isn't just one set of symptoms that can indicate systemic inflammation. It feels different to different people. One person might have a flare up of arthritis. Another might have an IBS episode. A third might have fibromyalgia and on and on.

    It can be difficult to pin down because whatever food affects one person might not affect the next person the same way.

    No, I think you missed the point entirely.

    Inflammation is a very broad term.

    For some, it's connected with a condition that will pass when they lose weight.

    For some, it's connected with a condition that will be eliminated when they eliminated a food that's causing an allergic reaction.

    For some, it's connected to a life-long disease that's progressive and needs to be managed.

    For the last category, the good-day/bad-day "feels" arbiter is just bro-science at its finest.

    If anything, in this thread I've learned that "inflammation" is different things for different people and you can't say any one thing about it.

  • justamyagain
    justamyagain Posts: 154 Member
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    I'll state it in thread that I've tried dietary approaches to try to better fibromyalgia symptoms and, while doing that, my psoriatic arthritis actually developed while I was low carbing. So, they don't work for me. As I stated earlier, the only real results I've been able to effect have been through exercise.

    I'm not here to argue with people, though, just to hear other's experience and symptoms.



    Yes, everyone can be different. My personal experience (and I won't go into full details because I'm not up for controversy today at all), is that I have always been prone to acne (which actually started right after I got chicken pox when I was 18) and keratosis pilaris on back of the arms. After years of trying this and that, someone suggested I try low-inflammation foods. I figured, what the heck. That weekend I bought all sorts of healthy foods on the recommended list. I also added fish oil and Metamucil at night. Within two days my red areas where no longer red and within seven days my issues were gone - just GONE. I thought it was a fluke. Went back to normal eating for a week....within a few days I felt heavier, just internally. Skin got a bit itchy. Went back to recommended eating.....cleared up.

    So, I personally do not care WHAT it was that did it, but it helps and to this day my skin is completely clear and I remain on a natural, whole food plan (for the most part), avoid my personal inflammatory foods and take my fish oil/Metamucil every day. If it works, I continue it. Plain and simple.

    That's my own experience with 'inflammation' as it pertains to my nutrition.

    This has been my experience as well, in addition to anxiety, bloating, and gas. I read a book by Dr. Mark Hyman, and decided to try an elimination diet. After reintroducing foods, I have found that I cannot tolerate dairy and peanuts. I have switched to almond milk and almond butter and feel better than I have in years. I have lost weight almost effortlessly, my skin is clear, and my anxiety levels have gone down significantly. This is not a one size fits all approach though. You need to find what are your particular trigger foods.

  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Well, almond butter IS delicious, so that's a plus!
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    @lporter229, what immunosuppressant are you on? I'm on Humira.

    I am on Remicade. I also take Imuran (aziothioprine).
  • TheSingingMom
    TheSingingMom Posts: 24 Member
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    No, I think you missed the point entirely.

    Inflammation is a very broad term.

    For some, it's connected with a condition that will pass when they lose weight.

    For some, it's connected with a condition that will be eliminated when they eliminated a food that's causing an allergic reaction.

    For some, it's connected to a life-long disease that's progressive and needs to be managed.

    For the last category, the good-day/bad-day "feels" arbiter is just bro-science at its finest.

    If anything, in this thread I've learned that "inflammation" is different things for different people and you can't say any one thing about it.

    I don't think I missed the point at all. I wrote:

    "I think one of the problems with trying to pin it down to one set of symptoms is that there isn't just one set of symptoms that can indicate systemic inflammation."

  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I'll state it in thread that I've tried dietary approaches to try to better fibromyalgia symptoms and, while doing that, my psoriatic arthritis actually developed while I was low carbing. So, they don't work for me. As I stated earlier, the only real results I've been able to effect have been through exercise.

    I'm not here to argue with people, though, just to hear other's experience and symptoms.

    I find this very interesting and I’m glad you brought it up. I’ve had chronic back pain for many years now, as well as occasional knee pain and IT band soreness, and I call that inflammation, although doctors haven’t diagnosed it as anything. It usually manifests as stiffness in some areas (upper back), fairly acute pain in others (lower back), or severe muscular soreness (IT band).

    Because anti-inflammatories didn’t help much, I tried a severely restricted diet with a caloric deficit for a while. I cut out all bread, most starches, meat, sugar (at least of the added variety). I guess it was a low carb vegetarian diet. I did this for 6-8 months and it did squat all, except probably cause me to lose some muscle mass. I’m in much better shape when I lift heavy weights, get deep tissue massage (sometimes bruise-inducingly painful), foam roll daily, and stretch a lot. Running has been rough for me lately, so I might switch to the rowing machine again. Lower impact, but still gets the blood flowing.

    Major props on your persistence and dedication. I had a good friend with fibro and she really benefitted from deep tissue massage and foam rolling. I hope you find your happy place :smile:
  • Gianfranco_R
    Gianfranco_R Posts: 1,297 Member
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    This is an interesting article on inflammation. Unfortunately, he does not cite his sources.

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-tell-if-youre-inflamed-objective-and-subjective-inflammatory-markers/#axzz3YtgWDG1a

    One of the things that struck me is the following statement:

    "Ultimately, though? It comes down to the simple question you must ask yourself: how do you feel?

    I mean, this seems like an obvious marker, but a lot of people ignore it in pursuit of numbers. If you feel run down, lethargic, unhappy, your workouts are suffering, you struggle to get out of bed, you’re putting on a little extra weight around the waist, sex isn’t as interesting, etc., etc., etc., you may be suffering from some manner of systemic, low-grade inflammation. Conversely, if you’re full of energy, generally pleased and/or content with life, killing it in the gym, bounding out of bed, lean as ever or on your way there, and your sex drive is powerful and age appropriate, you’re probably good.

    And really, isn’t that the most important health marker of all?"


    This is sort of what caused all the controversy yesterday. As many people here have answered they have seen an improvement or worsening of certain medical conditions with dietary changes. Those people have seen those changes in themselves and that is all that matters for them.

    I think that systemic inflammation is a complex issue and that the medical community is still learning a lot about it. I think one of the problems with trying to pin it down to one set of symptoms is that there isn't just one set of symptoms that can indicate systemic inflammation. It feels different to different people. One person might have a flare up of arthritis. Another might have an IBS episode. A third might have fibromyalgia and on and on.

    It can be difficult to pin down because whatever food affects one person might not affect the next person the same way.

    No, I think you missed the point entirely.

    Inflammation is a very broad term.

    For some, it's connected with a condition that will pass when they lose weight.

    For some, it's connected with a condition that will be eliminated when they eliminated a food that's causing an allergic reaction.

    For some, it's connected to a life-long disease that's progressive and needs to be managed.

    For the last category, the good-day/bad-day "feels" arbiter is just bro-science at its finest.

    If anything, in this thread I've learned that "inflammation" is different things for different people and you can't say any one thing about it.

    Actually systemic inflammation is something that can be measured (there are some markers that identify it). And yes, there are studies that prove a connection between diet and inflammation.
    For instance:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25437888
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I'm curious about the inflammation connection too. I've had bouts of bursitis for years, and I get funny lumps under my skin that my doctor-sister describes as an inflammatory response. I'm still uncertain how certain foods would trigger these reactions however. I bet stress and the cortisol response is a factor.

    Here's an interesting discovery about the source of Fibromyalgia pain.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    My water aerobics instructor and I were discussing this on Monday. She has a problem with systemic inflammation that basically makes all of her joints hurt. She has tested negative for the usual suspects like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis so her doctor has recommended an elimination diet to see if that helps. The first thing he suggested she eliminate are foods from the nightshade family, which means no tomatoes, peppers (both chilis and bell, plus spices like paprika), eggplant, etc.
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
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    This is an interesting article on inflammation. Unfortunately, he does not cite his sources.

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-tell-if-youre-inflamed-objective-and-subjective-inflammatory-markers/#axzz3YtgWDG1a

    One of the things that struck me is the following statement:

    "Ultimately, though? It comes down to the simple question you must ask yourself: how do you feel?

    I mean, this seems like an obvious marker, but a lot of people ignore it in pursuit of numbers. If you feel run down, lethargic, unhappy, your workouts are suffering, you struggle to get out of bed, you’re putting on a little extra weight around the waist, sex isn’t as interesting, etc., etc., etc., you may be suffering from some manner of systemic, low-grade inflammation. Conversely, if you’re full of energy, generally pleased and/or content with life, killing it in the gym, bounding out of bed, lean as ever or on your way there, and your sex drive is powerful and age appropriate, you’re probably good.

    And really, isn’t that the most important health marker of all?"


    This is sort of what caused all the controversy yesterday. As many people here have answered they have seen an improvement or worsening of certain medical conditions with dietary changes. Those people have seen those changes in themselves and that is all that matters for them.

    I think that systemic inflammation is a complex issue and that the medical community is still learning a lot about it. I think one of the problems with trying to pin it down to one set of symptoms is that there isn't just one set of symptoms that can indicate systemic inflammation. It feels different to different people. One person might have a flare up of arthritis. Another might have an IBS episode. A third might have fibromyalgia and on and on.

    It can be difficult to pin down because whatever food affects one person might not affect the next person the same way.

    No, I think you missed the point entirely.

    Inflammation is a very broad term.

    For some, it's connected with a condition that will pass when they lose weight.

    For some, it's connected with a condition that will be eliminated when they eliminated a food that's causing an allergic reaction.

    For some, it's connected to a life-long disease that's progressive and needs to be managed.

    For the last category, the good-day/bad-day "feels" arbiter is just bro-science at its finest.

    If anything, in this thread I've learned that "inflammation" is different things for different people and you can't say any one thing about it.

    Actually systemic inflammation is something that can be measured (there are some markers that identify it). And yes, there are studies that prove a connection between diet and inflammation.
    For instance:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25437888

    First, I’m not sure why you’re saying this like the OP isn’t aware of it.

    Anyway, it’s worth pointing out that the “diet quality” index in this study consisted of six components: saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, fish and shellfish, dietary fibre, fruit and vegetables, and sucrose.

    Specifically, the cut-offs were SFA ≤14 %E (non-alcohol energy percentage), PUFA between 5 and 10%E, fish and shellfish ≥300 g/week, dietary fibre between 2.4 and 3.6 g/MJ, fruit and vegetables ≥ 400 g/day and sucrose ≤ 10%E. As such, eating less saturated/polyunsaturated fatty acids and sucrose but more fruit and vegetables and fish/shellfish and a certain amount of dietary fibre is what would be considered a high-quality diet.

    I find it interesting that they don’t consider dairy or gluten, which are often brought up as culprits of inflammation.