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Inflammation And the Role Of Diet And Exercise

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Inflammation And the Role Of Diet And Exercise

You’ve probably heard of inflammation before. But could you describe what it is to someone else? “Inflammation is a biological response that involves a series of signaling pathways at the cellular level, designed to protect the body from harm."

In other words, when the body is exposed to certain triggers, it reacts by sending signals to remove any harmful substances and heal damaged tissues. But while inflammation can protect us from harmful substances and outside invaders, it can also do damage of its own. Here’s what every health-conscious person needs to know.


WHAT’S “GOOD” INFLAMMATION?

There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic. It might sound strange, but there are some cases when inflammation is a positive rather than a negative.


“Acute inflammation is actually a good thing, as it is one of the first defense mechanisms our bodies use to defend us from say, an insect bite or a cut.” Symptoms of acute inflammation can include swelling, redness and pain. Having appendicitis is also an example of acute inflammation.


You want this type of inflammation to happen because it signals something is wrong and enables us to heal. “This type of inflammation usually lasts only a few hours or days and is usually localized to a specific region in the body.”


WHAT’S “BAD” INFLAMMATION?

Unlike acute inflammation, chronic inflammation is abnormal and does not benefit the body. This is inflammation that doesn’t go away after a short period of time. You may already know chronic inflammation is associated with autoimmune diseases, but conditions like asthma, sinusitis and chronic ulcers are also examples of health issues stemming from chronic inflammation. “Chronic inflammation means that the immune system is working overtime and it may not know when to stop.”


For this reason, chronic inflammation is important to address. “Chronic inflammation can eventually lead to an attack on healthy tissues and organs, which in turn may lead to diseases such as arthritis, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.”


Chronic inflammation can be limited to a specific part of the body but chronic inflammation can also affect your whole body. This can happen for any number of reasons, some of which we don’t have control over. But lifestyle does contribute to chronic inflammation, so it’s helpful to focus on what you can control over what you can’t.


THE INFLAMMATION AND DIET CONNECTION

Nutrition is one of the strongest tools we have to fight inflammation, but it can also be a major cause of inflammation, depending on your diet. “Some foods can be pro-inflammatory, such as refined carbohydrates, alcohol, sugar, saturated and trans fats and other processed foods,


These foods cause us to produce higher amounts of oxidants, or reactive molecules that are produced inside our bodies as a normal part of our metabolism. These molecules also trigger inflammation. “Normally the body would be able to handle the amount of oxidants and neutralize them.” But when we overeat certain foods, our bodies don’t have enough resources to quench the oxidative load. When that happens, oxidants trigger our bodies to protect themselves with an inflammatory response.

To know more: https://www.thewellnesscollective.in/blogs/twc-editorial/inflammation-basics-and-the-role-of-diet-and-exercise

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