Is Inflammation Ageing Your Body?
At 45 years of age I’m definitely starting to notice my body ageing. In the last year I’ve started to struggle seeing things at a short distance, my hair is getting greyer and it seems to take me longer to recover from illnesses and for any kind of wound to heal quickly. My sleep is terrible. I have a 4 year old and almost 2 year old so I do get disturbed sleep but I struggle to go off to sleep and if they wake me during the night I struggle to get back to sleep. So, obviously, my energy levels can be on the low side and I can feel as though I’m dragging myself through most activities.
As a health practitioner I’m always searching for ways to support my health and wellbeing. I’m quite aware that I’m now heading into perimenopause (gotta love those new mood swings…..not) and that it is really important to get myself as healthy as possible before I hit “the change” aka menopause.
I became interested recently in how inflammation affects the ageing process. Are you aware of the three different ageing theories? One of them is related to the NRF2 gene. It’s a part of our DNA that helps produce anti-oxidants so that free radicals don’t get out of control in our body. If there are too many free radicals our levels of oxidative stress increase. Oxidative stress contributes to how our body ages and also inflammation.
As you go through menopause the drop in estrogen has an affect on how your body handles oxidative stress. Your body’s ability to create anti-oxidants decreases and so your levels of inflammation become higher. Inflammation is a known cause of depression and many menopausal women experience depression as well as hot flushes and night sweats.
What is Inflammation?
Inflammation is a process by which your body's white blood cells and the things they make protect you from infection from outside invaders, such as bacteria and viruses. It is your body’s way of fighting against things that harm it, like infections, injuries, and toxins, in an attempt to heal itself.
When something damages your cells, your body releases chemicals that trigger a response from your immune system. It includes the release of antibodies and proteins, as well as increased blood flow to the damaged area.
Inflammation can be either short-lived (acute) or long-lasting (chronic). When you get a cut on your knee or deal with a cold you have an acute inflammatory response. The whole process usually lasts for a few hours or a few days and then goes away.
When the inflammatory response lingers, it leaves your body in a state of alert and over time this may have a negative impact on your tissues and organs. This is chronic inflammation and it can last months or years, even after the first trigger is gone. Research suggests that conditions linked to chronic inflammation include cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, alzheimers disease, rheumatoid arthritis.
Read on to learn more about chronic inflammation and how you can help your body to heal it.
What are the signs your body is inflammed?
Sudden onset of pain, stiffness, redness or swelling, a joint that doesn’t work well are some of the signs your body is in an acute inflammatory response. Other noticeable symptoms can be more flu-like and include fever, chills, loss of energy, headache, loss of appetite or muscles stiffness.
But chronic inflammation symptoms are usually much more subtle which makes them easy to overlook. The symptoms can be mild to severe and last for several months or years - fatigue, body pain, depression or anxiety, gastrointestinal issues (diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel), weight gain, weight loss, persistent infections.
What causes inflammation?
Experts believe a range of factors may contribute to chronic inflammation including diet, lifestyle factors, stress, untreated causes of acute inflammation (like an infection or injury), an autoimmune disorder (which involves your immune system mistakenly attacking healthy tissue), environmental factors like exposure to industrial chemicals or polluted air. In addition, some cases of chronic inflammation don’t have a clear underlying cause.
You may also have heard of oxidative stress as a contributing factor to inflammation. Oxidative stress can occur when there is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in your body.
During normal metabolic processes your body’s cells produce free radicals. The cells also produce antioxidants that neutralize these free radicals. Cells contain small structures called mitochondria, which work to generate energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondria combine oxygen and glucose to produce carbon dioxide, water, and ATP. Free radicals arise as byproducts of this metabolic process.
External substances, such as cigarette smoke, pesticides, and the ozone, can also cause the formation of free radicals in the body.
The neutralizing effect of antioxidants helps protect the body from oxidative stress. Your cells naturally produce antioxidants such as glutathione. And foods such as fruits and vegetables provide many essential antioxidants in the form of vitamins and minerals that the body cannot create on its own.
So, in general your body is able to maintain a balance between antioxidants and free radicals. However, uncontrolled oxidative stress can accelerate the aging process and may contribute to the development of a number of inflammation based conditions.
What you can do to reduce inflammation
Inflammation is a natural part of the healing process. But when it becomes chronic, it’s important to try to get it under control to reduce your risk of long-term damage. Some of the options for managing inflammation include:
Over the counter Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin, ibuprofen may reduce inflammation and pain. But long-term use is linked to an increased risk of several conditions, including kidney disease.
Corticosteroids are a type of steroid hormone. They decrease inflammation and suppress the immune system, which is helpful when it starts attacking healthy tissue. But long-term use of corticosteroids can lead to vision problems, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis.
Certain supplements may help to reduce inflammation. The EPA and DHA in Fish Oil has been linked to decreased inflammation and research also shows it is helpful in cases of depression. I recommend 2 Life Vantage products to my clients as they work at a cellular level and I have experienced the benefit of them myself. In a very short time I’ve begun sleeping better and actually wake up feeling rested and energised. Just like a Shiatsu, they help the body to begin healing itself. They are completely natural so no nasty chemicals. The 2 products are:
Protandim NRF2 - it works on the NRF2 gene to help reduce oxidative stress, produces enzymes capable of neutralising more than 1,000,000 free radicals, and supports the body's natural ability to repair and rejuvenate its own cells.
Protandim NRf1 - Which works on the NRF1 gene (also involved in the ageing process) to boost mitochondria production. Mitochondria are your cells batteries and just like a mobile phone battery they loose charge over time and you feel less energised.
Lifestyle changes - Losing weight, increasing physical activity, reducing stress and dietary changes like a low glycemic diet and reduced saturated fat intake, have all been shown to help lower inflammation. Foods that are high in antioxidants and polyphenols, include:
olive oil
leafy greens, like kale and spinach
tomatoes
fatty fish, like salmon, sardines, and mackerel
nuts
fruits, especially cherries, blueberries, and oranges
What are the benefits of reducing inflammation?
Basically, reducing inflammation helps your body begin to heal itself so that you ultimately feel better. When your body can detoxify itself as it’s meant to and produce antioxidants to combat free radicals you experience better sleep, better energy, better brain function, improved weight management and mood. Other benefits include:
Improvement of symptoms of arthritis, inflammatory bowel syndrome, lupus, and other autoimmune disorders
Decreased risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, depression, cancer, and other diseases
Reduction in inflammatory markers in your blood
Better blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels
As we age it is important that we really take the time to enhance our health and wellbeing as much as possible so that we can enjoy our winter years with as much energy and wellness as possible.