Anti-Inflammation Foods Herbs Vitamins - Copyright September 2005 List of Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Herbs | Good Fats | Recipe for Inflammation | Coffee & Cortisol | Sugar | Additives | Exercise is Anti-Inflammatory Quick list of anti-inflammation anti-aging things: Exercise, omega-3 oils, anything that lowers cortisol levels, anything that stops glycation Inflammation will hit sooner or later - make it later - or not at all! Inflammation, Dr. Perricone says, is where it all starts: aging, cell death, cancer, disease, arthritis... there's nothing good on the list like ... hair on your chest, or a better memory! Aspirins and ibuprofens, while "anti-inflammatories", can have side effects, like making stomachs bleed with long-term use. Nature has provided, as you might imagine, plenty of anti-inflammatory foods and herbs. The List of Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Fats, Vitamins and Herbs To eat and to take! Aloe Vera Juice (new!): Had to try this ourselves to believe it but just a little aloe vera juice calms inflammation in the digestive tract. Ginger. As effective as aspirin. Recommended Dose: 100 mg. daily [ Beyond Aspirin: Nature's Answer to Arthritis, Cancer & Alzheimer's Disease ] . In Japan, an anti-inflammatory drug is based on gingerol, the aromatic compound in ginger. A study at Denmark's Odense University found that three-quarters of 56 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis or muscular discomfort got relief from pain and swelling after taking ginger daily for at least three months. Dose: 1/3 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root taken in food or drink 3 times a day. Book - Ginger Miracle: Arthritis , Ginger supplements. Green Tea: Polyphenols and Flavonoids. [Case Western] Also: Pycnogenol, grape seed extract, and other flavonoids Recommended Dose: 25-500 mg. day of polyphenols from a supplement or better, do what my friend does: in the morning, make a small cup of tea with two green tea bags and add it to a couple of liters of chilled water to drink all day. Hypothyroids: Careful, green tea has fluoride with blocks thyroid hormone, simply put. If iodine intake is sufficient, don't worry. Brands differ widely, we prefer Celestial Seasonings for Quality. Keep it tightly wrapped. Tart cherries daily: reduces the pain associated with inflammation, arthritis, and gout. 20 Cherries provide 25 milligrams of anthocyanins, which help to shut down the enzymes that cause tissue inflammation in the first place. Buy 1/2 lb. of dried tart cherries. Or try a tart cherry concentrate to add to drinks and cherry tablets. Blue Foods provide anthocyanins, too! Cod Liver Oil: Scientists in Wales found that cod liver oil can reduce inflammation, collagen and cartilage degradation, preventing the development of arthritis, and reducing symptoms. Just 1 teaspoon a day! (That's much better than those gigantic spoonfuls they used to show in the old movies!) This tastes good, and it's an excellent, clean, synthetic-additive-free oil from the liver of a cod here. More on cod liver oil benefits here ... Probiotics: yogurt, acidophilus, kefir inhibit chronic inflammation, normalize immune response. [Perricone] From Medline studies: acidopholus and bifidus calm inflammation even after gastroenteritis - wow! I'd take the pills. Yogurt is OK for maintenance. Sick people need much much more. Broccoli sprouts (10 - 100 x better than mature Broccoli) anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory glucosinates & antioxidants. [Perricone] Broccoli sprouts are showing up in mainstream markets now because of studies that showed they definitively shrink bladder tumors! And they're not bad, either! Cayenne: Capsaicin in chilis, too. Inhibits cancer cells of leukemia and possibly intestinal, stomach, and colon. (It feels like it does the opposite when you take it!) Burns fat and and reduces Substance P - which relieves arthritis. Benefits of Cayenne, books Rosemary: Ursolic acid extract of rosemary [Swedish researchers]. AND Sage. Anti-inflammatory ingredient: rosmarinic acid. Also enhances memory and concentration. Recommended Dose: 100 mg. a day. Article on Ursolic Acid Curcumin. In turmeric (and turmeric is found in many curry powders to a lesser degree). [Cornell University] Also has anti-cancer effects. Recommended Dose: 2.8 mg. daily St. John's wort. [University of Frieburg Germany] St. John's Wort, Quality Product Omega-3 fatty acids. (Also block enzyme activity that breaks down joint cartilage.) Recommended Dose: 3 + grams daily (that's a ton!). (An interesting post. GLA's: Gamma-linolenic acid. An omega-6 fatty acid that's antiinflammatory. [University of Massachusetts Worcester] Recommended Dose: 2-3 grams a day. Food source of GLA: Vitamin E. Natural anti inflammatories. Take natural vitamin E (mixed tocopherols, some tocotrienols if possible). Recommended Dose: 400-800 IU daily or twice daily. Vitamin C. Natural Anti-inflammatory actions enhanced by Vitamin E, Alpha lipoic acid and quercetin. Recommended Dose: 1,000-2,000 mg. daily Alpha Lipoic Acid Natural Anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-glycation, fat-burner, cell energy booster. Alpha lipoic Acid Supplement (take LOTS of biotin, too- this made my hair gray! 5000 mg, minimum) Recommended Dose: 200 mg., daily, split AM PM Read Alpha Lipoic Acid Benefits, Cancer, Immune, Glaucoma, Diabietes, Inflammation, Poison Antidote. Benfotiamine - a fat-soluble derivative of Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - blocks inflammation and glycation. Benfotiamine Supplements are synthetic, food sources of enfotiamine are garlic, onions, leeks, shallots (the allium foods) Recommended Dose: 300 mg. per day Carnosine - carnosine prevents inflammation of everything, inhibits glycation, too, by neutralizing copper in the body (copper stimulates oxidation and glycation). Removes or repairs damaged proteins (misfolded proteins, says Perricone, may account for half of all disease in some way) Enhances immune function, too. Recommended Dose: 250 - 1000 mg. per day Milk thistle: Silymarin. Milk thistle Protects liver and Prevents inflammation of liver. [Studies showed it inhibits prostate, breast, skin cancers.] Recommended Dose: 100-200 mg. daily of the silymarin Cat's Claw. (aka una de gato, Uncaria tomentosa) [Albany Medical College] Anti-inflammatory, Cat's Claw. Glutamine: Glutamine prevents inflammation of the entire digestive tract, heals cells, improves IBS, helps heal ulcers - major inflammation, there. Glutamine can prevent inflammation of the stomach caused nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications! (So... you take the aspirin to stop inflammation in the rest of your body and then take glutamine to stop the inflammation the anti-inflammatory caused? OK....) Dr. Hertoghe, the hormone expert, recommends 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of glutamine powder before going to bed to stimulate growth hormone production. I sleep like a BABY when I take glutamine powder. Back to Fats All the research confirmed: Omega-3's and vitamin E contained powerful anti-inflammatories (that make your skin look good, too!) But a lot of women won't take Omega 3 fish oils because they get a layer of fat around the waist. If that happens cut back your dosage by half because you're not processing and using what you are taking. Also have your thyroid tested as the thyroid controls the liver which processes fats correctly and when it gets sluggish it doesn't do that. Food sources of Omega 3 fatty acids are fatty fishes. In animal experiments, corn oil (omega-6) increased inflammation-causing substances while fish oil (omega-3) stopped them. Omega-6 fatty acids (as from olive oil) are healthful for many reasons but most Americans ingest too much of them in proportion to the omega-3's. Other research shows omega-6 fatty acids could promote colon cancer while omega-3 fatty acids prevented it. [Jack Challem, Let's Live magazine] The Diet that makes us inflamed: A recipe for inflammation Chellam says: [With this combination] the body's proinflammatory reaction goes out of control, leading to chronic inflammation and pain: Too many omega-6 fatty acids ("good" and polyunsaturated fats, like corn and safflower oils) a shortage of antioxidants (fruits, vegetables and green tea) not enough omega-3 fats Coffee, Caffeine, Cortisol. Stress and Inflammation Does Coffee causes inflammation? My trainer said it did. But Perricone does not confirm that coffee and caffeine are directly inflammatory. Coffee is very acidic and if you're having a problem with a digestive system that's too acidic, coffee can contribute to the acidity that can cause inflammation. Coffee and caffeine have one action to be concerned about: they CAN raise cortisol levels and keep them high - and it is this high level of stress hormones that CAN provoke an inflammatory response. Cortisol is the "stress" hormone that puts fat around your waist and a lot of other things that help you in an emergency but not when manifested every single day. Based on the cortisol facts, stress in general, therefore, can be said to likely lead to inflammation over time. It makes sense, then, that anything that reduces cortisol levels could be considered anti-aging and anti-inflammatory. Ginseng reduces cortisol levels! Relora, a proprietary herbal blend, is touted to lower cortisol levels which could be a godsend for American coffee-lovers!** I take chewable or liquid magnesium, a natural tranquilizer. Blood Sugar and Inflammation Foods that cause a rapid rise in blood sugar - sugar, white flour, pastries and starchy foods - will cause inflammation at a micro-cellular level. Dr. Perricone says this inflammation, largely from sugar and sugar-like products (corn syrup), is responsible for saggy skin! Exercise and Inflammation Dr Perricone says regular exercise has an anti-inflammatory effect on the cells and that athletes' skin contains more collagen. Food additives and Inflammation Food manufacturers use weird substances to make your food look better, stir better, stick better, brown better or just have a better color. These additives can not be classified as "foods" and yet they make their way legally into products all of us will eat if we aren't reading labels like crazy. This guy thinks they cause inflammation as well as food allergies. (Ingredients in many curry powders: Coriander Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Fenugreek Seeds, Turmeric, Cloves, Garlic , Curry Leaves, Fennel Seeds, Ginger, Chillies, Mustard, Red Pepper, Salt, Cassia, Black Pepper, Poppy Seeds, Anise, Bengal Gram, Cardamom, Cassia buds, Celery Seed, Cinnamon, Dill Seed, Mace, Nagkeser, Nutmeg, Onion, Trifala, White Pepper) ** Interestingly, when living in France I enjoyed a life of no unsolicited mail, phone calls or spam -it's illegal there. Life was calm and peaceful and I could drink coffee all day without a stress response. Here in the U.S. it's everything I can do to stay calm before I've even looked at caffeine. People are brasher, television commercials are louder, too. I think the baseline life stress level here is higher because we allow boundaries violations of sound and space other civilized countries don't. Our country is the only civilized one that put in writing that spam - and all unsolicited intrusions - are legal.