Not all anti-inflammatory agents are in your medicine cabinet. Foods that contain anti-inflammatory substances can be worked into everyday eating.
Special diets for arthritis have been around for years. When subjected to scientific scrutiny however, most turn out to promise far more than they can deliver. Nonetheless, certain everyday foods are proving to have anti-inflammatory effects that make them worth including in your diet.
These benefits are due to plant based chemicals that have disease modifying powers. Many are polyphenols. The polyphenol group includes flavonoids, substances that inhibit the body's production of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins have a wide range of positive body functions. But they also promote inflammation, and are the target of many anti-inflammatory medications.
Tea is rich in the type of flavonoid called catechins. Black and green teas are both excellent sources of catechins. Green tea, however, has a slight edge because it's leaves are less processed and therefore retain more of the anti-inflammatory substances. Also, it's better to drink fresh brewed tea because catechinsare relatively unstable and break down quickly. As a result, instead, decaffeinated, and bottled teas contain fewer of these chemicals.
Not a tea drinker? Surprisingly, your morning coffee is a top source of antioxidants, which have anti-inflammatory properties. In one study, coffee drinking was found lower levels of C-reactive protein. A high blood level of this protein is a marker of inflammation in the body.
Brightly colored fruits and vegetables are packed with disease fighting chemicals. One study found that eating plenty of young yellow and orange fruits and vegetables reduced the risk of developing inflammatory polyarthritis. Yellow and orange plant foods are a major source of an antioxidant called beta-crypto-xanthin, believed to be responsible for their anti-inflammatory effects. Fruits and vegetables high and beta-crypto-xanthin include. Grapefruit, mangoes, cantaloupe, oranges, peaches, squash, carrots, corn, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin.
Plain white mushrooms are especially rich in an inflammation fighting chemical called ergothioneine. Wheat germ and chicken liver are also good sources. Fortunately, cooking doesn't affect the protective activity of ergothioneine.
Turmeric, from an aromatic plant of the ginger family, is an ingredient in curry powder. Its active ingredient is curcumin, a substance that fights inflammation. Curcumin inhibits some of the same enzymes that are blocked by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and sets. But don't overdo the curry powder curcumin also has blood thinning properties, which could intensify the effects of prescription drugs taken to thin blood.
Ginger also combats arthritis pain and inflammation. One study of people with knee osteoarthritis found that those who took the ginger extract twice a day experienced significantly less pain on standing in the group who took placebos. Like turmeric, ginger should be used only in small amounts. It can magnify the effects of blood thinners and interfere with medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart problems.
Pomegranates are a fleshy red fruit rich in chemicals that have anti-inflammatory effects. In studies, a pomegranate extract was found to block interleukin-1b, a protein that promotes inflammation and is involved in the breakdown of cartilage. Research into pomegranates and arthritis is.preliminary, but adding these healthful fruits or their juice to your diet may help your joints.
Omega-3 fatty acids are potent anti-inflammatory substances abundant in deepwater fish and fish oil. In one study, people who ate at least 10 ounces of fish a week reduced by a third their blood levels of inflammatory markers. These anti-inflammatory effects may be at least partially due to resolvins, a newly identified fat derived from omega-3's. Resolvins are believed to flight fight inflammation in part by keeping certain immune cells from traveling to sites of inflammation, where they enhance the inflammatory reaction.
Check with your doctor before taking fish oil capsules because they have blood thinning effects.
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