Chronic inflammation: simple tips to reduce it
January 20, 2017 Ken 0 Comments
Simple lifestyle changes to reduce chronic inflammation
Chronic inflammation is at the root of many serious illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and various autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s. It’s worth noting this, and not just settling for having the disease and doing nothing about it.
Moderate daily exercise
It pays to take note of some simple tips that can reduce chronic inflammation, and to put them into practice on a daily basis. First off, regular daily exercise. Researchers have shown that a daily exercise session of just 20 minutes results in a reduction of a protein in the blood that’s implicated in body-wide inflammation.
Better still, it doesn’t have to be vigorous exercise! Even moderate exercise is just as effective. So don’t give yourself the excuse that you can’t possibly do the exercise – it’s not tough, agonising exercise we’re talking about here, just moderate exercise.
A few simple dietary changes
And if you’re watching your diet, maybe you’re already used to snacking on nuts. Well, turns out that eating just five servings of nuts a week (about a handful each serving) can reduce the C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL6) inflammation markers in your blood.
Coffee: who said it’s bad for you?
Maybe best of all, if you’re a coffee-lover, is the news that coffee is another excellent weapon in your arsenal against chronic inflammation.
Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have found that older adults who were regular coffee drinkers were more likely to be spared the inflammation-causing effects of the protein, IL-1-beta. Along with this benefit, it also seems to reduce blood pressure and stiffening of the arteries, so from a general health point of view coffee is a winner all round!
These finding aren’t strictly confined to coffee, by the way; tea is also beneficial. And these findings support earlier studies that showed that tea and coffee were good for the heart, and why they have been shown to have an impact on MS, dementia and Parkinson’s as well. Every one of these diseases has their roots firmly in chronic inflammation.
Don’t go wild though – caffeine can be addictive, as is well known, so it’s important not to drink too much of it. It’s probably best to limit your intake to five or six cups a day, but that’s probably a perfectly normal level of intake anyway so that shouldn’t be a problem. Not that drinking a few more cups would be disastrous, but be on the lookout for edging towards caffeine addiction!
It’s also worth noting that you should avoid sugar if possible, and definitely stay well away from artificial sweeteners.
How come you don’t see the same benefits from other caffeinated drinks?
Caffeinated sodas and energy drinks, although they contain caffeine (obviously), also contain a whole dictionary of other unwelcome additives, such as preservatives, artificial colourings, flavourings, unnecessary stimulants, not to mention lots and lots of refined sugar. So, needless to say, you’d be better off without these drinks.
Again, it’s worth noting that an occasional drink of this kind won’t do you any great harm, but they do tend to be addictive so there’s always a danger you’ll end up drinking far more of them that is good for you.
Ideally, get dark roast coffee; it packs more antioxidants per cup. And if you can get organic, fair-trade coffee you’re less likely to end up ingesting the residue of dangerous pesticides that are routinely used on the crops.
Stay away from junk food, including soft drinks, and improve your diet, without getting obsessive about it.
These are just a few simple measures you can take to reduce chronic inflammation, and they don’t require you to make any special efforts or go to any extremes. You don’t have to be a qualified nutritionist or a fitness fanatic! And you don’t have to spend hours scanning food labels! Just make a few simple tweaks to your daily routine and you could see, and feel, the benefits in next to no time.
Source: http://easyhealthoptions.com/coffee-crushes-chronic-inflammation-disease/