The natural aging process creates inflammation and is also a result of it.
As we age, fewer cells regenerate as they die, leaving behind more cell debris to trigger inflammation.
Cells that don’t regenerate properly or adequately increase the presence of the inflammatory substances needed to remove damaged proteins.
As we age, mitochondria (the parts of cells responsible for energy production) perform less effectively and become unable to properly regulate cell death.
This causes some cells to die prematurely and others to perform inefficiently, both of which could trigger an immune response.
As immune-fighting cells age, they have a more difficult time recognizing harmful microorganisms that need to be removed.
The adrenal hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and sex hormones are useful in suppressing cytokines when needed, but the production of each of these regulatory substances declines with age.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Researchers at the University of Alabama found that oral estrogen can increase C-reactive protein (CRP) levels but that transdermal estrogen (estrogen that’s applied to the skin) does not. Although elevated CRP levels are associated with greater risk of heart disease, it’s not yet clear whether the rise in CRP associated with oral hormone therapy actually increases vascular disease.
Obesity, Inactivity, and Exercise
Inactivity can lead to obesity, which itself can cause inflammation.
Adipose tissue, the layer of fat found beneath the skin, does much more than insulate the body.
It’s also metabolically active, which means it causes changes to the body’s chemistry and is also changed by various body systems.
This fat contains many white blood cells, so the greater the amount of body fat, the greater the number of white blood cells present.
These cells release pro-inflammatory substances, especially those that promote insulin resistance.
Exercise and activity release myokines, a type of cytokine, from adipose fat and muscle tissue. Myokines stop the action of pro-inflammatory substances. Their action is particularly important for reducing the effects of insulin resistance.
Sleep Deprivation
Researchers know that a lack of sleep is associated with illness, but they don’t yet understand why. So far, studies show that when we don’t get enough sleep, certain infection-fighting white blood cells, known as T-cells, decrease, and the number of inflammation-promoting cytokines goes up.
Stress
Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands to manage the body’s response to stress. It stimulates a burst of energy and suppresses the action of pro-inflammatory substances. Cortisol reduces stress in the short term by counteracting pro-inflammatory eicosanoids and depleting DHEA. But too much cortisol causes immune cells to lose their sensitivity to the hormone, eventually triggering inflammation.
Sun Exposure
It was once commonly thought that individuals with dark skin have a much lower risk of health problems related to excessive sun exposure than those who are fair.
However, studies have shown that both dark-skinned and light-skinned people experience reduced immune responses when overexposed to sunlight.
Too much exposure, enough to cause sunburn, creates free radicals below the skin’s surface.
Free radicals (see page 4 ) are unstable molecules that destroy injury-fighting cells and reduce the number of white blood cells that fight damaging microbes.
For instance, when the lips are exposed to too much sun, a dormant case of herpes simplex virus can become active as a result of weakened immunity.
Exposure to Toxins
Toxins that cause inflammation can range from dangerous substances in the environment to medications. Some pharmaceuticals are extremely helpful when taken only occasionally and in small doses, but regular use of certain medications puts an unwanted load on the body’s immune system.
NSAIDs
Many people commonly use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen, to reduce inflammation and relieve fever and pain.
While NSAIDs often do a good job of decreasing inflammation, they can come with undesirable side effects.
For instance, the combination of intense exercise and NSAID use can stimulate or exacerbate leaky gut syndrome, a condition in which the small intestine becomes more permeable and allows tiny particles to penetrate the intestinal lining and travel into the bloodstream.
The immune system responds to these particles as if they’re foreign substances, triggering the inflammatory response.
Dutch researchers noticed that athletes often suffer from abdominal distress and cramping during competition, and the researchers decided to investigate whether NSAIDs would increase or decrease this stress. They discovered that when NSAIDs are used before or after intense exercise, there is a much higher occurrence of intestinal permeability than would be experienced with either exercise or NSAID use alone. These findings should serve as a caution to anyone who regularly takes NSAIDs to prevent soreness after a strenuous workout.
Smoking
Cigarette smoke, whether firsthand or secondhand, is one of the most health-damaging environmental toxins. When tobacco smoke is inhaled, highly reactive substances are created in the body, similar to what the immune system uses to kill invading organisms. However, these substances turn against healthy cells instead of harmful microbes, especially the cells that line the airways and lungs.
Cigarette smoke is particularly effective at crippling the body’s ability to fight disease. It suppresses the capacity of white blood cells to produce substances needed for inflammatory healing. When smokers contract pneumonia, they usually become sicker and have more severe symptoms than nonsmokers. Smokers are also more likely to develop tuberculosis.
IDENTIFYING CHRONIC INFLAMMATION
E ven if you appear to be in good health, you can suffer from “silent” chronic inflammation that hasn’t yet manifested as discomfort or illness.
That’s why physicians often include tests that measure chronic inflammation as part of their routine physical exams.
Most inflammatory mediators (substances that help regulate inflammation) deteriorate too quickly to be accurately measured except for C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen (a soluble protein in blood plasma that helps form red blood cells), and white blood cells.
The test for CRP and white blood cells involves collecting a blood sample; the results are often available in just one day.
However, what’s considered a “normal” level can vary from lab to lab.
Be sure to tell your health provider if you’ve recently been injured, had surgery, or undergone strenuous exercise. These factors can temporarily raise markers for inflammation and cause inaccurate test results, so it might be good to delay the test for a few days until your body recovers or normalizes.
Barry Sears, a pioneer in biotechnology specializing in the impact of diet on inflammation, is a proponent of testing the levels of two essential fatty acids in the blood: arachidonic acid (an omega-6 fat) and eicosapentaenoic acid, also known as EPA (an omega-3 fat). These two substances are the building blocks for the fatty acids that play a part in either promoting or reducing inflammation. Sears calls this comparison his “silent inflammation profile.” Visit Nutrasource Diagnostics online at nutrasource.ca for information on where you can get your levels of these inflammation markers tested.