Chronic Inflammation – The Problem

Inflammation is simply your body's natural defense to an injury or a foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus. The cycle of inflammation is perfect in how it protects your body. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process, a condition called chronic inflammation will occur.

 

Imagine scratching an itch in the same spot, several times a day for the entire day. Eventually the skin would get quite raw and if you continue, it may even start to bleed. If you could tolerate this, imagine doing this every day for five years. Eventually this repeated injury creates chronic inflammation, resulting in a bleeding, swollen infected skin that becomes worse with each repeated injury. Chronic inflammation within the blood vessel walls has a similar effect. As a result of this inflammation, the body produces more cholesterol, whose function is to repair the damaged area and, in the case of blood vessels, lay down plaque to help heal the area. Cholesterol is not the problem it is the body’s solution to chronic inflammation.

 

Cholesterol – A Part of the Answer

Cholesterol is vital for normal body function. It is a lipid (fat) which is produced by the liver or ingested from animal sources of food we eat. Every cell in our body has cholesterol in its cell membranes (outer layer).

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Functions of Cholesterol

 

• It builds and maintains cell membranes and insulates nerve fibres

• It is essential for determining which molecules can pass into the cell and which cannot

• It is involved in the production of sex hormones (e.g. testosterone and oestrogen)

• It is essential for the production of hormones released by the adrenal glands (e.g. cortisol)

• It is important for the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, and K

• It is important in the transportation of CoQ-10 to the muscles of the heart and brain, and much more

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Low cholesterol can kill you faster than high cholesterol can even begin to affect your health.

Some Common Sources of Inflammation

 

• Simple, highly processed carbohydrates (white sugar, white flour and all the products made from them)

• Omega-6 vegetable oils that are found in many processed and fast foods

  • Soybean oil

  • Corn oil

  • Sunflower oil

• Margarine

 

Healthy Alternatives

• Olive oil (not good for frying)

• Coconut oil, Grape seed oil (good for frying)

• Real butter from grass-fed beef

 

Omega-3 fats, in particular EPA and DHA, are excellent at reducing inflammation and are essential for improving overall cardiovascular health. The most widely available dietary source of EPA and DHA is cold water oily fish, such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines. Oils from these fish have a profile of around seven times as much omega-3 as omega-6. In addition to dietary sources, one can take fish oil supplements like Krill oil, which is recently shown to have significant benefits.

 

In Part 2, we will examine the dangers associated with cholesterol lowering medications, in particular statin drugs. Stay tuned.