Of the ten leading causes of mortality in the United States, chronic, low-level inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of at least seven. These include heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and nephritis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2011)
Inflammation has classically been viewed as an acute (short term) response to tissue injury that produces characteristic symptoms and usually resolves spontaneously. More contemporary revelations show chronic inflammation to be a major factor in the development of degenerative disease and loss of youthful functions.
Chronic inflammation can be triggered by cellular stress and dysfunction, such as that caused by excessive calorie consumption, elevated blood sugar levels, and oxidative stress. The danger of chronic, low-level inflammation is that its silent nature belies its destructive power.
| Chronic low-level inflammation may be threatening your health at this very moment. There are several risk factors which increase the likelihood of establishing and maintaining a low-level inflammatory response. These include: Age. In contrast to younger individuals, older adults can have consistently elevated levels of several inflammatory molecules. These elevations are observed even in healthy older individuals. While the reasoning for this age-associated increase in inflammatory markers is not thoroughly understood, it may reflect cumulative mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage, or may be the result of other risk factors associated with age.Obesity. Fat tissue is an endocrine organ, storing and secreting multiple hormones and cytokines into circulation and affecting metabolism throughout the body. General dietary over-consumption is a major contributor to inflammation and other detrimental age-related processes in the modern world.Diet. A diet high in saturated fat is associated with higher pro-inflammatory markers, particularly in diabetic or overweight individuals.Low sex hormones. Amongst their many roles in biology, sex hormones also modulate the immune/inflammatory response. The preservation of sex hormone levels is associated with reductions in the risk of several inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, asthma in women, and rheumatoid arthritis in men. Smoking. Cigarette smoke contains several inducers of inflammation, particularly reactive oxygen species. While the incidence of inflammation and inflammatory disease is rising in all developed countries, it’s important to remember that each of us has an individual response to the stressors in our life. Some of that unique response is determined by genetics. But much of it is within our control — if we understand how our choices affect our health. |
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