A Simple Five-Step Plan to Reduce Inflammaging and Feel Better Today.
I’ve been meaning to write about inflammation and its impact on our bodies for months. I made a decision last week that I would make sure that my October 19th blog was about inflammation. I’ve been amazed with the amount of available material and found myself going down too many rabbit holes. On Tuesday morning I was still determined to complete it, and I continued feeling overwhelmed with information overload. Luckily, I was saved by Dr. Mark Hyman a functional medicine doctor I admire and have followed for years. He has been a primary resource for many of my blogs. I have been receiving his weekly newsletters for years, and the one I received on Tuesday morning was about inflammation and inflammaging (a term I’ve never heard of until now). Thank you, Dr. Hyman, for saving my blog writing butt.
I couldn’t provide better information than what is listed below. I’ve copied the entire email. Anything highlighted in green are my comments.
From Dr. Mark Hyman’s email (I added the pictures):
Our immune system is sophisticated and complex. It works hard to keep us safe, healthy, and protected. In an ideal world, we would only experience very short bouts of stress (like being chased by a predator), we would have minimal toxic exposures and get an abundance of sunlight, fresh air, and movement, and we would be rolling around with our children and animals in the soil all day.
Unfortunately, in our modern times, we commonly experience long-term, chronic stress. We are cooped up indoors for the vast majority of our day and have relatively limited access to the beneficial bacteria found in our soils, animal dander, and natural environment.
While we have adapted to many of these changes, when our systems are overloaded by insults from every direction, like chronic stress at work, financial worry at home, and toxins all over the place, our bodies just can’t keep up.
The Difference between Inflammation and “Inflammaging”
Our modern diets and lifestyles have created an environment of chronic inflammation, or “inflammaging.” While inflammation itself is life-saving and extremely important in acute situations, inflammaging can cause significant issues.
Inflammation gets a bad rap, but it is actually crucial to our survival. In an acute accident—a laceration from cutting slippery tomatoes, for example—our body’s normal-functioning immune system springs into action. The platelets in our blood band together forming a clot at the laceration site to stop any excess bleeding.
These platelets release cytokines, which signal the next line of defenses in our immune system to scan our body for any signs of infection and respond accordingly. This rush of platelets and cytokines can cause the area to feel warm and swollen—that’s inflammation, and in scenarios like this, it serves an essential function.
The reason inflammation gets a bad rap is that when it transitions to inflammaging—continual, low-grade inflammation—it becomes the root of many, if not all, chronic conditions.
Things that cause our immune system to react in this way include infections, toxins from our environment or food, eating an inflammatory diet, chronic stress, micronutrient deficiencies, inactivity, or altered gut function. Any time we are experiencing one or more of these insults, our immune system creates inflammation.
And what’s more, it’s entirely likely that you have long-term, chronic inflammation. In fact, about nine in every 10 American adults have chronic inflammaging.
Five Simple Steps to Reduce Inflammaging and Feel Better Today
But just because we likely all have some degree of inflammaging just by the nature of when and where we live, it doesn’t mean we’re helpless. There are things you can to do reduce inflammaging by dealing with common root causes.
I’ve come up with a simple five-step plan that does just that, and I’m excited to share it with you today. These are five things you can begin to incorporate into your daily diet and routine today that can help you reduce inflammation and stay active, sharp, strong, energetic, and engaged with life in healthy, thriving ways.
Step 1: Eat Inflammation-Busting Foods.
The first step toward reducing inflammaging is to adjust your dietary choices. There is a long list of foods that contribute to healthy inflammation levels and support the immune system, such as
Non-starchy vegetables like leafy greens, peppers, and cucumbers; the more colorful the better
Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring
Low-glycemic whole fruits like berries, green apples, and kiwi
Nuts and seeds such as walnuts, cashews, and almonds
Pasture-raised, grass-fed, or wild-caught proteins (beef, pork, chicken)
Gut-healing foods like sauerkraut, yogurt, and kimchi
Herbs and spices; for example, ginger, thyme, oregano, and parsley
Additional plant based protein options-legumes, quinoa and tofu in moderation.
It is possible to make healthy eating delicious and exciting. It’s important to plan.
Step 2: Avoid Inflammatory Foods.
Likewise, there are foods that should be limited or avoided completely because they actively contribute to excess inflammation. These include:
Dairy products— limit your intake of milk, cheese, and ice cream (there are some exceptions here including yogurt and goat and sheep products)
Sugars—the more sugar you can eliminate from your diet, the better!
Refined or processed foods—you will be better off limiting pretty much anything you can find with a long list of ingredients in a bag, box, or fast-food joint
Step 3: Move Daily.
Exercise has been shown to help modulate inflammation. Even as little as 20 minutes of light exercise or seven minutes of high-intensity interval training can have significant effects on your immune system and inflammation levels. Even if you don’t hit the gym, try to find a way to incorporate movement into your day.
Step 4: Mind Your Mind.
Short bursts of stressful experiences are beneficial to our overall health. It helps keep your immune and cardiovascular systems in tip-top shape. When stressful experiences extend into chronic experiences, however, our systems can become worn out and fatigued. Our cortisol levels become dysregulated and can contribute to hormonal imbalances. When our systems, hormones, and stress are out of balance, it can lead to chronic inflammation.
Research shows that people who ruminate over repetitive negative thoughts tend to have decreased lifespans and poorer physical and mental health and that those who focus on positive thoughts and future goals and rewards have better well-being and physical health. In other words, what and how you think literally—and significantly—affects your body.
You can find a lot of information out there on positive mindset practices, but something you can incorporate today is to watch this 14-minute TED Talk on “How to Make Stress Your Friend” with Kelly McGonigal.
Step 5: Supplement Wisely.
The basis of any healing protocol should be whole, real food. However, with the genetic modification of foods, long transport and storage times, monoculture farming methods, and depletion of our soils, food is not as nutritious as it once was. This means supplements can be beneficial and necessary in some situations.
I always recommend supplementing with a high-quality multivitamin/mineral as a basis for any health-oriented program. Once you’ve covered your bases, there are some supplements that can be very helpful for supporting an appropriate immune response and inflammation level:
Including Supplements
Sorting through the plethora of supplements available is overwhelming. I highly recommend making a Naturopath or Functional Medicine Doctor part of your health team. They will assist you with lifestyle issues and suggest supplements tailored to your needs.
Vitamin D, which most of us are lacking, works with magnesium to maintain immune function
Fish oil—the omega-3 fatty acid in fish oil has been shown beneficial to support healthy levels of inflammation. Vegan Omega 3 option
Curcumin, which is found in turmeric, has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown beneficial in mitigating inflammaging
B-Complex—B vitamins are crucial for supporting metabolism, immune function, and overall health
HTB-Rejuvenate, a specialized blend of phytochemicals that help support immune function
These supplements are Dr. Hyman’s suggestions and some of the links provided are for his products. I recommend doing your own research to find the best products and prices. I also recommend working with a Naturopath or Functional Medicine Doctor to help you find supplements that will work the best for you.
Inflammaging is an enormous topic, but it is crucial to address if you want to have optimum health and well-being. If you have chronic inflammation, you’ll struggle to get and stay healthy. That’s why it’s so important to take steps (even small ones) daily to support your immune system and inflammation levels—so you can live longer, better.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD
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As many of you are aware, I follow a plant-based diet. I believe it’s the best diet for my health, the planet and, of course, the well-being of animals. If being 100% plant-based seems impossible, aim to fill more than half of your plate for each meal with an abundance of vegetables. Instead of eating animal products daily, can you work on having a meatless day once a week? If you buy animal-based protein, can you purchase the healthier and more humane versions?
As Dr. Hyman mentioned above, this is an enormous topic, and it’s understandable to feel overwhelmed and unmotivated to make a change. So, ease in by taking baby steps and his recommendations one at a time.
Be well.
Anita
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