Foods That Can Trigger Inflammation

The Link Between Cancer and Poor Diet in Vacaville

Inflammation can either be good or bad depending on the situation. It can be your body's natural way of protecting itself whenever you're sick or injured. On the other hand, having chronic, sustained inflammation is associated with an increased risk of diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

The foods you eat can have an impact on the inflammation in your body. If you don't want to make it worse, then these are the foods that you need to avoid at all cost.

1. Artificial Trans Fat - This is the unhealthiest fat you can eat. They're made by adding hydrogen to unsaturated fats, which gives them stability that's equal to a solid fat.

Trans fats on ingredient labels are listed as partially hydrogenated oils. Margarines contain trans fats, and they're used on processed foods to extend their shelf life.

There are natural trans fats found in meat and dairy, but these artificial ones are those that can cause inflammation and increase disease risk. Apart from lowering HDL (good) cholesterol, trans fats can disrupt the function of endothelial cells lining your arteries, which could put you at risk for a heart disease.

Foods that are high in trans fats include French fries, fried fast food, certain margarines, microwave popcorn, cookies, some pastries, packaged cakes, and all processed foods that contains hydrogenated vegetable oil on the label.

2. Sugar and High-Fructose Corn Syrup - Table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are commonly used sugars in the Western diet. Sugar contains 50% fructose and 50% glucose, while the high-fructose corn syrup contains 55% fructose and 45% glucose.

Added sugars are harmful because they can increase inflammation, which can cause diseases.

In one study, mice are fed with high sucrose diets which caused them to develop breast cancer that spread to their lungs, this is due to the body's inflammatory response to sugar. Another study shows that mice that are fed with a high sugar diet have experienced impaired anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids.

Sugar is harmful because of how it provides excessive amounts of fructose. Fruits and vegetables contain small amounts of fructose, which is fine, but consuming it in large amounts from added sugars is not a good idea.

Consuming a lot of fructose is associated with an increased risk of cancer, diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance, chronic kidney disease, and fatty liver disease.

3. Refined Carbohydrates - Carbohydrates are getting a bad reputation especially from fitness enthusiasts, but the truth is, not all carbs can cause problems.

Ancient humans eat a lot of high fiber, unprocessed carbs for many years in the form of fruits, grasses, and roots. However, eating refined carbs can cause inflammation.

Refined carbs barely contain any fiber at all. Eating fiber can make you feel full, promote blood sugar control, and feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

According to researchers, refined carbs in the modern diet can promote the growth of inflammatory gut bacteria that will put you at risk for obesity and inflammatory bowel disease. These carbs contain a higher glycemic index (GI) compared to the unprocessed ones. High GI foods will raise the blood sugar levels much faster than those that are low GI.

Refined carbohydrates are commonly found in bread, cakes, candy, cereals, cookies, pasta, pastries, sugary soft drinks, and other processed foods that contain flour or added sugar.

4. Excessive Alcohol - Drinking alcohol in higher amounts can lead to severe problems.

One study has shown that the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) levels have increased on anyone who is consuming alcohol. The more alcohol is consumed, the higher their CRP levels are.

Heavy drinkers may develop problems with bacterial toxins that moves out of the colon and into the body. This is a condition known as leaky gut which can cause a widespread inflammation that will lead to organ damage.

To prevent this alcohol-related problem, it's advised to limit your consumption or stay away from alcohol completely.

5. Processed Meat - Consuming processed meat will put you at risk for diabetes, heart disease, and colon and stomach cancer.

Examples of processed meat include bacon, ham, sausage, beef jerky, and smoked meat. Processed meats also contain more advanced glycation end products (AGEs) compared to other types of meat.

AGEs are formed when foods are being cooked in high temperatures. They are known for causing inflammation.

Processed meat consumption may cause all sorts of diseases, but colon cancer is the one that has the strongest association of them all. Even though there are many factors that contribute to colon cancer, it's believed that the inflammatory response of colon cells to processed meat is the best-known trigger.

Do you like this health advice so far? You can go ask for more from Dr. Alex Tam of Vacaville. Just go visit him in his top chiropractic and holistic center in the Solano country so that you can get all your health inquiries answered.

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Absolute Family Chiropractic
1490 Alamo Drive Suite B
Vacaville, CA 95687
(707) 474-5688