Obesity and inflammation - the story of a destructive vicious circle

Many studies point to a close connection between inflammation and obesity, when excess weight contributes to the development of inflammation, and inflammation causes obesity. Therefore, one of the best ways to fight the phenomenon of obesity is to search for the sources of inflammation and eradicate it.

What is inflammation?

known to all of us. Swelling, pain, local redness and heat. The inflammation is part of the body's natural defense system against infections, irritations, toxins and other foreign molecules, and as a rule, it is considered a positive phenomenon.

However, sometimes there is a disruption in the natural balance mechanism of the immune system. This balance mechanism usually produces an inflammatory state to a degree appropriate to the body's needs to control infections, allergens, toxins and other stressors. When it is disrupted, it causes the immune system to go into chronic emergency mode, and it causes chronic inflammation. This chronic emergency spreads flames of inflammation throughout the body and causes diseases in the inflamed areas, with the burning of the fat cells leading to obesity.

Despite the well-known symptoms of the inflammation, it may also appear covertly and imperceptibly. Recently, it has been proven that inflammation is the main cause of all the degenerative diseases of the modern age: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's and also obesity. It is important to remember that if we do not treat the inflammation and bring about its eradication as quickly as possible, it may have a devastating effect on our body weight and general health.

Finding the causes of inflammation

An unbalanced diet, poor eating habits, stress, physical inactivity, oxidation, thyroid imbalance and a fatty and toxic liver increase the chances of having inflammation. A diet rich in saturated fats, animal fats or trans fats also aggravates the inflammatory processes in our body, as does excessive consumption of processed foods, consumption of empty calories and a menu with a high glycemic load, aggravate inflammation.

Oil for the fire

The fat cells that accumulate in the center of the body are often the main cause of inflammation, and this is because they produce hormones and various inflammatory molecules, through which they control the appetite, the hormonal balance and the inflammation. The molecules produced by fat cells destroy metabolism by slowing fat burning and increasing inflammation, appetite and stress hormones. When the balance of the system is violated as a result of increased consumption of sugars and trans fats, following exposure to increased stress, or following an overload of allergens, toxins and infections, the amount of these inflammatory molecules increases in the body.

The intra-abdominal fat causes inflammation that spreads from the abdomen to the rest of the body, through the release of inflammatory mediator molecules. And similarly, combustion that breaks out in another area of your body increases the flames of combustion in your abdominal area, so that a vicious cycle of inflammation, oxidative stress and changes in metabolism is created, which lead to excess weight gain, metabolic syndrome or prediabetes.

And in short - the fat cells cause inflammation, which causes the production of more fat cells. These additional fat cells increase the inflammatory process, and the inevitable result is an increased inflammatory state and obesity.

The relationship between genes and nutrition

The food we eat "speaks" to our genes, mainly addressing the PPAR family of receptors. These receptors are small docking stations on the cells that communicate with the DNA in order to activate or deactivate the metabolism, and apparently also control the inflammatory processes in the body. The food we consume instructs receptors to turn off or increase inflammation, lose weight or gain it.

We need the ability to create inflammation, as a response to infections and injuries, and the ability to turn it off, with the balance between the two abilities being the key to achieving optimal health.  

Consuming poor quality foods such as sugars, trans fats and saturated fats causes the body to send inflammatory messages, which disrupt the metabolic process and cause weight gain. On the other hand, studies have proven that the same foods that contribute to weight loss, such as omega-3 fats derived from fish oil or flaxseed oil, and vegetables and fruits rich in antioxidants and plant nutrients, also help to reduce inflammation.

Turn off the ignition

According to various studies, changes in diet, lifestyle and physical activity patterns may reduce the inflammatory process. Also, a diet richer in dietary fiber, olive oil and carbohydrates with a low glycemic load, which is low in fats and cholesterol and rich in omega-3 fats, improves insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammation.

Eliminating the inflammatory factors and using nutritional supplements and herbs may also dramatically improve the inflammation in the body.

The winning track

Six key steps to extinguish the inflammatory fire in your body

Step #1: Stimulate the inflammatory factors

In order to get rid of the inflammation, it is necessary to find its causes and take care of the cause. Superficial treatment of the symptoms of inflammation, even if it includes all the stock of anti-inflammatory drugs available on the market, is only a means of camouflaging the symptoms, but does not solve the problem from the root.

Finding the causes of inflammation is not such a simple task. The more common and obvious causes are poor nutrition and lack of physical activity, but there are often other causes of inflammation, which may require specialized medical tests to discover them.

This is nutritional factors such as sugars, processed carbohydrates with a high glycemic load, saturated fats and trans fats or excess calories. These are mental stressors and be sure to exercise regularly and take multivitamin supplements. It is also hidden contamination factors that trigger an allergic reaction in you or any environmental toxins.

If you were unable to locate all the causes of the inflammation, perform appropriate medical tests and follow-up by a specialist doctor.

Once you correctly identify the causes of the inflammation, you can get rid of them and more effectively cure the chronic inflammation that harms your health.

Step #2: Teach your genes to turn off the inflammatory signals

In order to turn off the inflammation in your body, you must send your genes the right messages. Remember that the food you eat speaks to your genes. Lack of physical activity, mental stress, and a diet with a high glycemic load based on processed foods, instruct your genes to produce inflammation, while antioxidants derived from food and nutritional supplements may be helpful in suppressing it.

Accordingly, be sure to eat the right fats - omega-3 fats (EPA and DHA) found in fish oil, eat plant nutrients called "flavones" found in vegetables, fruits such as berries and grapes, as well as tea and cocoa. Eat dark chocolate that contains plant nutrients called "polyphenols" (antioxidant and anti-inflammatory molecules from nature). Of course, the chocolate must be free of saturated fats and rich in cocoa, which is the source of polyphenols, antioxidants and inflammation. It is also recommended to consume fruits and vegetables, which are also a source of anti-inflammatory plant nutrients that will help you fight inflammation and obesity.

Another point concerns physical activity, which helps to reduce inflammation and decrease the percentage of obesity. For example, the main way in which physical activity helps prevent heart disease is by reducing the inflammatory processes in the body. And it's not very complicated, considering the fact that any movement, of any kind, is considered physical activity.

Another way to deal with the inflammatory processes in the body is to relieve tension and deal with stress correctly. Many studies prove that stress and tension have a noticeable negative effect on the inflammatory processes in the body, and reducing stress and tension has very significant anti-inflammatory effects.

Step #3: Consume anti-inflammatory foods and avoid the consumption of inflammatory foods

In addition to the classic inflammatory foods, such as sugars, processed foods and saturated fats, certain food allergies and gluten sensitivity may also cause weight and metabolism problems.

Remove allergy-causing foods such as wheat, dairy products, eggs, soy, corn and peanuts from the menu, and re-incorporate them into the menu in a controlled and graded manner, so that you can discover which foods you are sensitive to. You can also perform medical tests to detect food allergies.

Gluten, which affects more than 1 percent of the population, is often an undiagnosed cause of inflammation. Sensitivity to it can be detected through appropriate medical tests.

Step #4: Use herbs to reduce inflammation

Try adding different plants to your inflammation treatment plan, either as part of your diet or in the form of supplements.

The recommended plants:

Capsaicin (found in hot pepper), green tea, ginger, quercetin (found in fruit and vegetable skins), turmeric and cocoa.

Step #5: Use nutritional supplements to reduce inflammation

Nutritional supplements such as probiotics and enzymes (bromelain and other protein-degrading enzymes) may help a lot in extinguishing the inflammation. It is recommended to take them in addition to multi-vitamins, minerals and fish oil, which are also considered powerful anti-inflammatories.

Step #6: Perform medical tests to detect the inflammation and its causes

You can perform a CRP test, which measures the level of inflammation in the body without specifying the source of the inflammation, and conduct food sensitivity tests, tests to detect allergies to mold or environmental factors, and gluten intolerance tests. The results of the tests will reveal the source of the inflammation and allow you to properly deal with its causes and consequences.

In conclusion, remember that the connection between inflammation and obesity is a dizzying vicious circle that has a devastating effect on your body and your health. However, it is more important that you remember that the power to break this negative vicious circle is in your hands, and if you only want to, you can get out of it and gain solid health and a real quality of life.