Inflammation Basics and the Role of Diet and Exercise

You’ve probably heard of炎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,” explains Dr. Kate Huether,The ReKovery MD。

“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,” Huether says. 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.

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, a bee sting or a cut,” explains莫妮卡·鲁伊斯·诺里加（Monica Ruiz-Noriega），，，，PhD. 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,” Ruiz-Noriega adds.

Ruiz-Noriega说，与急性炎症不同，慢性炎症是异常的，没有使身体受益。这是短时间后不会消失的炎症。您可能已经知道，慢性炎症与自身免疫性疾病有关，但是诸如哮喘，鼻窦炎和慢性溃疡之类的疾病也是慢性炎症引起的健康问题的例子。Ruiz-Noriega解释说：“慢性炎症意味着免疫系统正在加班，它可能不知道何时停止。”

因此，慢性炎症很重要。“慢性炎症最终会导致对健康组织和器官的攻击，这反过来可能导致疾病，例如类风湿关节炎，癌症，心脏病，克罗恩病和糖尿病，”与注册营养师Gal Shua-Haim解释说，这是一名注册营养师。每日收获。

慢性炎症可能仅限于身体的特定部分，例如，如果牙龈状况不佳，则可以嘴巴。“但是慢性炎症也会影响您的整个身体，
Ruiz-Noriega说。这可能出于多种原因而发生，其中一些我们无法控制。但是生活方式确实有助于慢性炎症，因此，专注于可以控制自己所无法控制的内容是有帮助的。

营养是我们必须抗击炎症的最强工具之一，但根据您的饮食，它也可能是炎症的主要原因。“有些食物可以是促炎性的，例如精车bohydrates，，，，酒精，，，，sugar，，，，饱和脂肪和别的processed foods，” Huether说。

These foods cause us to produce higher amounts of oxidants, or reactive molecules that are produced inside our bodies as a我们的新陈代谢的正常部分，，，，Ruiz-Noriega explains. 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.

幸运的是，您可以吃很多食物来帮助避免炎症。Ruiz-Noriega指出：“大自然为我们提供了许多具有惊人抗氧化能力的食物。”“这些食物也挤满了必需的维生素和矿物质这可以提高我们的免疫系统，并帮助我们控制炎症过程。”

Leafy vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, olive oil and fruits such asberriesHuether说，已知是抗炎。对于她来说，鲁伊斯·诺里加（Ruiz-Noriega）引用鲜艳的水果和蔬菜，，，，avocados，坚果和种子，豆类和豆类（如果耐受耐受）作为抗炎食品。

肠道健康may also play a role in warding off chronic inflammation. “The cause of chronic inflammation may be different for everyone, butoptimizing gut health是康复的重要基础一步。”注册营养师，所有者Liz Wyosnick说Equilibriyum。

We know the gut and immune system are connected, though the specifics are still being investigated. Still, nutrition experts believe the more optimal your digestion, the better you are able to absorb关键的微量营养素Wyosnick解释说，消除毒素，这意味着您的免疫系统将变得更加精心地激活炎症过程的“关闭开关”。“这意味着采用不会像高糖，高脂和高度加工的饮食那样陷入消化系统的饮食。”

当我们运动时，我们可能会在肌肉组织中产生急性炎症，尤其是在锻炼非常艰难之后。Ruiz-Noriega解释说：“当肌肉'受损'时，身体会通过增加循环到该区域来修复它。”“将更多的血液转移到该区域，这意味着生长和修复所需的更多营养将被输送到体内的特定区域。”这导致肌肉修复和生长。

More good news: Your exercise habit is likely helping you minimize chronic inflammation. “In general, regular cardiovascular exercise reduces overall inflammation,” Huether says. The only exception is if you’re过度训练，，，，which means your muscles don’t have enough time to recover between workouts, resulting in a constantly inflamed state.

慢性炎症的症状可能会有所不同person to person and can also be relatively vague. They can include fatigue, GI complications (constipation, bloating or diarrhea), weight gain and/or joint pain, according Shua-Haim. If you have concerns about chronic inflammation, you should speak with your doctor. Still, there are some steps everyone can take to fight chronic inflammation through lifestyle.

Ruiz-Noriega recommends reducing restaurant foods, fast foods and junk food to minimize inflammation. She also emphasizes that it’s important to stop eating foods you know you’re sensitive to. “Every time you eat something that does not agree with you, it will trigger the inflammatory response,” she says. Reducing alcohol consumption is also a good idea, she adds.

“Chronic over-exercisers and endurance athletes that don’t take rest days can cause chronic inflammation in their bodies over time,” saysNina Geromel，dpt。“他们不断通过运动将身体送入炎症状态，但不允许在他们再次锻炼之前完成该过程。”是的，you really do need rest days。

“When we are constantly stressed, we are in flight-or-fight mode constantly, which, when sustained long-term, leads to inflammation,” Ruiz-Noriega says. “In contrast, when we engage in activities such asmeditation，，，，breathingand relaxation, the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system is activated. This leads to repair, growth and restoration — a general ‘anti-inflammatory’ state.”