Longevity and Long-term Cognition via Minimizing Chronic Inflammation

You can control — and even reverse — inflammation through a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle. People with a family history of health problems, such as heart disease or colon cancer, should talk to their physicians about lifestyle changes that support preventing disease by reducing inflammation.

Chronic inflammation compromises the blood-brain barrier.

Follow these six tips for reducing inflammation in your body:

Load up on anti-inflammatory foods

Your food choices are just as important as the medications and supplements you may be taking for overall health since they can protect against inflammation. “Making good choices in our diet to include fresh vegetables and fruits as well as reducing refined sugar intake can make a big difference,” Dr. Pitis says.

Dietary interventions, especially Mediterranean diets, may be preventative measures for Alzheimer’s disease by reversing neuroinflammation, modifying the intestinal and blood–brain barrier (BBB), and addressing gut dysbiosis. Conversely, the consumption of Western diets intensifies the progression of Alzheimer’s disease through genetic alterations, impaired barrier function, and chronic inflammation. 

Eat more fruits and vegetables and foods containing omega-3 fatty acids. Some of the best sources of omega-3s are cold water fish, such as salmon and tuna, and tofu, walnuts, flax seeds and soybeans. 

Other anti-inflammatory foods include grapes, celery, blueberries, garlic, olive oil, tea and some spices (ginger, rosemary and turmeric). Turmeric is heavily consumed in rural India, which may be the reason for low rates of AD there.

Anatabine, an alkaloid present in plants of the Solanaceae family has been shown to ameliorate chronic inflammatory conditions in mouse models, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, and intestinal inflammation. Anatabine ameliorates intestinal inflammation and reduces the production of pro-inflammatory factors in mice. Anatabine is found in plants of the Solanacea family, which includes tobacco, peppers, tomato, and eggplant.

More information from the Cleveland Clinic: Research shows that consuming too much added sugar leads to chronic inflammation.

Examples of added sugars

The obvious: cookies, candies and some cereals. Watch for undercover culprits, including:

• Breads.
• Crackers.
• Granola bars.
• Salad dressings.

Processed meats have been salted, cured, fermented or smoked for flavor or preservation purposes. Research shows both processed and red meats are high in saturated fat, which causes inflammation.

Examples of processed meats include:

• Bacon.
• Hot dogs.
• Meat jerkies.
• Pepperoni.
• Salami.
• Sausage.
• Some deli meats.

Research shows you need a healthy balance of omega-6s in your body. Consuming omega-3s (fats you get from foods such as salmon, walnuts and flaxseed) helps you achieve that balance. If you don’t have enough omega-3s and too many omega-6s, you create a pro-inflammatory response and consistent inflammation.

• Use olive oil for lower-heat cooking (it is lower in Omega-6s)
• Use cooking spray to grease pans when cooking.

Research shows that refined carbs may cause inflammation in your body. “It’s similar to added sugars because nothing slows their breakdown. They hit your bloodstream quickly and spike your blood sugar. And elevated blood sugar creates an inflammatory response. Whole and refined grain intakes are related to inflammatory protein concentrations in human plasma.

Instead of looking at all the foods you cannot eat, choose a different approach by thinking of all the foods you can eat! Coates says. “Focus on adding a lot of rich color to your plate in the form of different fruits and vegetables, plenty of healthy fats like avocados, nuts, beans, and quinoa.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), sometimes called endotoxaemia, is a well-known cause of chronic inflammation.

 

High levels of LPS and inflammatory cytokines were associated with Alzheimer’s disease in a study of 69 patients.

 

Resistant starch lowered LPS, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance in a trial of 56 women with type 2 diabetes.

 

Inulin-like fructans increased Bifidobacterium levels was associated with lower LPS levels in a trial on 30 obese women.

 

Green tea polyphenols: (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major green tea polyphenol, decreased lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced TNFα production in a dose-dependent fashion.

 

LPS activity and LPS binding protein were associated with obesity in two studies.

 

Healthy dietary choices, such as consumption of fish, fresh vegetables, and fruits and berries may be associated with positive health outcomes by reducing systemic endotoxaemia.

 

LPS resulted in impaired execution in the incremental loading test, which was reversed in mice on a supplemental plant-based diet, improving their immune function and maintaining skeletal muscle mitochondrial activity.

 

A diet rich in isoflavones reduces inflammation in mice through enrichment of healthy gut bacteria and modulation of LPS.

 

Adding dietary fiber (DF) to the diet of LPS-challenged piglets alleviated intestinal and systemic inflammation, improved intestinal barrier function, and ultimately alleviated the growth retardation of piglets. In addition, the addition of DF significantly increased the relative abundance of SCFA-producing bacteria and the production of SCFAs. We believe that the improvement of growth performance of piglets with LPS-induced injury can be attributed to the beneficial effects of DF on intestinal microflora and SCFAs, which reduced the inflammatory response in piglets, improving intestinal barrier function and enhancing body health.

 

Consumption of 400 g/day of bilberries for 8 weeks reduced LPS in a small trial of 27 participants.

 

Sedentary people have higher blood LPS levels than highly-trained people. Participation in a 12-week interval exercise program lowered LPS levelsin a study of 20 obese women.