The Inflammation Trigger

It’s getting personal.  I ran into an old friend, an old neighbor, and found out that a mutual friend in his mid fifties died suddenly and unexpectantly of a stroke last year.  I can still picture the last time I saw him, which was about that long ago… his fit and trim form, talking about how proud he was of his kids and happy with a great job. He certainly didn’t look like a potential stroke victim, but then again, what does one look like? (This picture is not him, just similar.)

HIDDEN PROBLEM
Unfortunately it can look just like him, not overweight, active, with normal cholesterol level and blood pressure. (1)  You might think that plaque build up in the heart is kind of like our kitchen sink, accumulating waste and narrowing the passage way until one day, boom, the last straw falls into place and there is complete stoppage.

FAT DEPOSITS TRIGGERED BY INFLAMMATION
Not so, as science has now discovered that the arterial wall is more like an onion with many, fibrous layers.  Cholesterol and fatty deposits collect beneath the surface in the lining of the artery.  Low grade, internal inflammation causes these otherwise benign fatty deposits to rupture, and that rupture is what causes blockage and stroke.  “Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and remains the third cause of death in developed countries”. (2)

We all want to walk our children down the aisle on their weddings, or complete other works entrusted to us, so what positive actions can we take now to reduce internal inflammation?

DOCTORS CHECK CRP LEVELS
First of all, your doctor can do a blood test checking for inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP) to determine if you currently have elevated levels of inflammation. President Bush was the first president to have this recently discovered marker checked, but you may need to ask for it if you want to know about your own condition.

ONE CHANGE AT A TIME
Secondly, we can all make daily efforts to educate ourselves about what lifestyle habits are not inflammatory, and then adapt them one by one.  To try and summarize them all here in one setting would be like trying to describe the full scope and sequence of WWII in a few paragraphs, so once again, I will get my telescopic nutrition lens out and focus in on just one piece of the puzzle for today.

OMEGA-3 SIMPLE STEP
No, I will not stop talking about omega 3 oil or eating your vegetables until every single reader is getting what they need, and then everyone that they know and love too. So WE have our work cut out for us.  I love to talk about omega-3 because in this world which is so full of complicated problems that I do not have the power to fix all by myself, this is something I can do!  I can consume omega-3 oil.  You can too.

THE TREE AMIGOS-  EPA, DHA, ALA
The polyunsaturated fatty acids with a double bond in the 6th position from the end, or omega-6, are found abundantly in vegetable oils like corn, sunflower, safflower, soybean and canola.  This kind of oil promotes inflammation because it is consumed in enormous and unnatural quantities.

Omega-3, on the other hand, supresses and counteracts its dirty deeds, competing robustly for positioning in cell membranes and actively combating its inflammatory work. (3)  The two most beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, are found abundantly in shellfish and fish like the cod pictured in the recent Orange Tree Lane recipe.
The third omega-3 fatty acid ALA can be found in a few plants like flax and walnuts, and can be converted within to the other two fatty acids in small amounts. (4)

EPA MERCURY ADVISORY
A daily dose of purified fish oil is a great way to get your omega-3 fatty acids without the danger of ingesting unsafe levels of mercury. (See fish consumption advisory from EPA below.) 

ACTION TIME!
Why don’t you make the latest Orange Tree Lane fish recipe with Chocolate Flax Cookies for dessert after you get back from the store purchasing your omega-3 supplement pills or liquid, and you will be on your way!

Molly

EPA Advisory:
1- Avoid eating shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish (also known as golden bass or golden snapper);
2- Limit consumption of all other types of fish to 12 ounces per week
3- Limit their consumption of canned albacore (”white”) tuna or fresh tuna to no more than 6 ounces per week;
4- Limit the fish eaten by young children to even smaller portions per week (no specific advice is given);
5- Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught in local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat no more than 6 ounces per week of locally caught fish, and do not consume any other fish during that week;
6- If more than the recommended amount of fish is eaten in one week, eat less in the following weeks. (5)

(1) http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FKA/is_2_67/ai_n8692211/(2) http://www.cardiovascular-medicine.ch/pdf/2009/2009-05/2009-05-077.PDF(3) & (4) http://www.fatsoflife.com/inflammation-and-the-immune-system.php  (5)  http://www.center4research.org/2010/03/can-eating-fish-be-dangerous-the-facts-about-methylmercury

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither Orange Tree Lane or any of its affiliates take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.