Inflammation Linked to Disease

A big topic in the medical world right now is how certain types of inflammation might affect your risk of stroke, diabetes, heart attack and cancer. In most cases, inflammation is a sign of your immune system working properly, but not every kind of inflammation is good and it’s the invisible kind that happens in our cells that is causing the problem.

There is an enzyme in our body called COX-2 that boosts the production of inflammatory substances. Most of the time, these proteins and other hormone-like substances are produced without a problem. However, in certain cases, they might help cancer cells multiply and spread throughout the body. This is why testing is underway for types of anti-inflammatory drugs, labeled COX-2 inhibitors, that may play a role in preventing or treating certain types of cancer, including: cancer of the colon, uterus, breast, prostate and other tissues.

Also, scientists are studying whether or not the way we eat could affect chronic inflammation that could cause cancer risk or other health problems. Researchers around the globe are examining different aspects of the issue to see if they can come up with an answer to the problem.

Some researchers are examining how two families of polyunsaturated fats may be able to work together to play a protective role. Omega-3 fats are found in fatty fish, flaxseeds or flaxseed oil, walnuts and canola oil. Omega-6 fats are found in vegetable oils. All of these are considered to be healthy for your heart because they do not raise your blood cholesterol. The problem right now is that when you have more omega-6 fats than omega-3 fats, your body increases your COX-2 levels and produces more of the hormones that cause inflammation. However, when omega-3 and omega-6 fats are more balanced in your diet, your body produces less of the hormones that promote inflammation.

It is because of this that scientists believe that boosting omega-3 fats with regular consumption of the foods containing omega-6 fats (such as fish or flax), an reduce our over consumption of vegetable oils, the COX-2 in our bodies will become less active and decrease the production of inflammatory hormones.

Another group of scientists are trying to determine whether or not inflammation is a main reason why obesity has been linked with a higher risk of cancer. Research has suggested tat fat cells produce cytokines, which promote low-grade inflammation, and that distribution of our body fat could play a role. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that inflammation increased by more than 50 percent in obese women who had fat stored mainly in their hips and thighs, and by over 400 percent in women with more waistline fat.

Studies have also shown that regular exercise may lower the levels of inflammatory proteins by strengthening the immune system. This could explain why regular exercise has been linked to lower cancer risk.

Other scientists are investigating how a plant-based diet may keep inflammation levels down. Antioxidants and phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables can protect cell DNA from damage that can lead to cancer. Also, these antioxidants and phytochemicals may also lower the production of the inflammation causing hormones. Currently, a large variety of fruits and vegetables are being examined to see if they may be able to lower the effects of COX-2.

All of the evidence that is currently linking diet to inflammation and cancer risk is still very preliminary, and it would be a little early to adjust our diets accordingly, but this is not the only reason that making these adjustments would be beneficial. It has been proven that eating more fruits and vegetables along with regular exercise can lower your cancer risk by up to 40 percent. It is already proven that these methods work – this new information will just give us a batter understanding of how and why.