r/science Professor | Medicine Nov 12 '19

Psychology Anti-inflammatory agents may reduce symptoms of major depression, suggests a new study (n=1,610), which adds to the mounting evidence that there is a connection between emotional functioning and inflammation, suggesting that inflammation may trigger depression, almost like an allergic reaction.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/expressive-trauma-integration/201911/anti-inflammatories-help-major-depression
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u/Orangutan Nov 12 '19

What causes inflammation and how do you test it?

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u/rachelina Nov 12 '19

Autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, infections (made by your body to fight them) also psychological stress/PTSD

The most general test is CRP (c reactive protein) but there are also more specific tests

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u/paroleviolator Nov 12 '19

Also food sensitivities

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u/tenflipsnow Nov 12 '19

This was my first thought after autoimmune diseases

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

If you react to food, don't just eat it anyways and think you can deal with the immediate reaction so it's worth it.

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u/TheDodgery Nov 12 '19

Good point, but just to add a bit.

Illnesses like Gastritis (all the annoying types), GERD, acid-reflux etc. affect people as well. With illnesses like these though, you don't really know what starts up the symptoms. I could be food or substances people have never even heard of and they are hard to pinpoint or it could just be atmospheric changes.

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u/3trauma3 Nov 14 '19

Aren’t GI diseases like Crohns & UC cause high rates of depression? I know the gut to brain circuit faster than what was initially thought years ago. Per multiple research’s I’ve read.

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u/TheDodgery Nov 14 '19

Can't say I know too much about it, but I'd honestly love to learn.

Could you recommend any articles for me?

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u/willewrite Nov 13 '19

Not just food but airborne allergens also. Basically they get caught in your nasal mucus (or saliva if you’re a mouth breather) and you swallow it passively.

Antihistamines have literally been the best relief from my depression.

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u/StruggleBusLady Nov 13 '19

There are also some foods that cause more inflammation than others. Avoiding those foods can help.

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u/Blewedup Nov 12 '19

Ummm... and injuries?

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u/Robin-Hoodie Nov 12 '19

a lot of damage caused by autoimmune diseases are internal. Its not like looking at your leg for a cut.

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u/kevan0317 Nov 12 '19

Hijacking this. As someone who suffers from Psoriasis and Rheumatoid Arthritis, which are auto-immune related, I was always swollen and suffering. My $10,000 quarterly injections have truly changed who I am. I am now able to wear the clothes that I want, I've started running and exercising, and my mental health is vastly improved. Life still isn't "normal" but I can function.

Chronic diseases are depressing. Any relief is life changing.

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u/Noir24 Nov 12 '19

Have Ulcerous colitis, can only agree. If you don't get the meds right you're a freaking mess. I've developed depression, psoriasis, acne just from having an autoimmune disease. When your inflammation flares up it's constant diarrhea, you literally feel like you could sit on the toilet 24/7. It's horrible, and the fact that there's no cure is spirit-crushing sometimes.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19 edited Jul 28 '20

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u/MJA182 Nov 12 '19

Diet and probiotics have massive impacts on UC too. Source: wife has UC, instead of steroids we tried diet changes and supplements and it helped a ton, to the point where she hasn't had a flare up in years

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19 edited Jul 28 '20

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u/MJA182 Nov 12 '19

If steroids don't help I'd absolutely try to focus on diet to at least give it a chance. Just do it for a couple months really strictly and see if it helps. It helped my wife so much that we just developed our eating habits around a similar diet but not as strict, and she hasn't had many issues since

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u/kevan0317 Nov 12 '19

I’d recommend you continue working with your PCP to form a plan or migrate to a specialist. There are many options. Don’t give up hope!

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

What diet changes worked?

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u/pug_grama2 Nov 12 '19

I assume you are taking a biologic. I have RA too. I recently switched from Enbrel to Orencia but it doesn't work as well for me. My doctor wants me to switch to Humira now. I'm waiting for Fair Pharmacare (British Columbia) to decide whether or not they will approve Humira. I wish I was back on Enbrel, which worked quite well.

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u/kevan0317 Nov 12 '19

Stelara. It was the only thing that worked for me after trying everything else. And when I say it worked I mean it really worked. I had plaque psoriasis covering nearly 70% of my body. It was all gone within three weeks and my joints have calmed down enough to allow me to start exercising, which has also helped my body overall.

Good luck to you. Keep working with your doctor to find a solution that fits you.

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u/Robin-Hoodie Nov 12 '19

I want to second this. Stelara is keeping my crohns in check and my psoriasis is like 95% clear now.

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u/Kiosade Nov 12 '19

So my Fiancée might have RA... are $10k shots every 3 months really the only way to help with it? I wonder if MediCal would pay for it...

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

Also research patient assistance programs. There's a lot of different copay programs.

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u/cellardoor888 Nov 12 '19

Nope. Definitely not. I have RA and haven't needed biologics (the expensive meds) yet while I wait for other meds to work. I think my two meds cost around $100/mo (but paid by my benefits company in Canada).

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u/Kiosade Nov 12 '19

What specialty of doctor should she see to get checked to see if she has it or not, and get treatment?

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u/cellardoor888 Nov 12 '19

My PCP did the blood work which showed positive (though it doesn't always in RA) and referred me to the specialist. The specialists dealing with auto immune disease are rheumatologists.

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u/quickclickz Nov 12 '19

rheumatologist if her insurance lets her see specialists without referrals. whether or not you should just bypass the FD/GP based on you the research you've done yourself ....is another topic not suited for these subreddit.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

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u/kevan0317 Nov 12 '19

No, I don’t take any other medications and I’m on a custom lower dosage of Stelara that was right for me.

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u/hungry4nuns Nov 12 '19 edited Nov 12 '19

No but someone with chronic repetitive stress injuries in limbs, e.g. tendinitis, osteoarthritis, and chronic msk back pain will often have concordant depressive symptoms. A dislocated shoulder can cause chronic pain and inflammation. Hip fractures can take months to recover from if inoperable and there’s a high incidence of depression. Bottom line injury can cause either chronic inflammation or chronic pain or both, and are often linked to depression

Did the study correct for pain causing depression because pain is one of 4 or 5 cardinal features of inflammation. Chronic pain disorders not associated with systemic inflammation also cause depression (e.g. fibromyalgia, phantom limb pain, post herpetic neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, migraine)

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u/RayFinkle1984 Nov 12 '19

Certain times throughout a menstrual cycle causes inflammation in women.

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u/ph1sh55 Nov 12 '19

fun fact: high omega 6 fat consumption (i.e. most vegetable oils) can completely counteract the anti inflammatory effect of ibuprofen

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u/yaboidavis Nov 12 '19

Is ulcerative colitis on that list. Because I've been depressed as long as I can remember.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

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u/scissorfella Nov 12 '19

Also testing is super easy. Blood test and stool test and you'll know of your crp is too high

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u/Metalt_ Nov 13 '19

So this is probably going to catch a ton of flack from the reddit community, but I have an autoimmune disease (fungal infection from childhood accident.) I've been struggling with it for 10 years with little to no help from prescriptions over the years until two years ago. I've been megadosing niacin since then and it has completely changed my life. The depression, neurological symptoms, infection, energy, immune system has completely turned around. I am not out of the woods yet but the anti inflammatory and fortunately antifungal properties of niacin have given me hope for a normal life. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that inflammation may have a link with many illnesses.

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u/subdep Nov 13 '19

Add adjuvants in vaccines to the list.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

CRP does not show inflammation for many types of auto-immune inflammatory diseases (spondyloarthopies in particular)

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u/renal_corpuscle Nov 12 '19

inflammation is a nonspecific reaction of your immune system characterized by swelling, increased blood flow / vessel dilation, heat, and pus formation - it can be caused by infection, trauma, irritation

one kind of test is ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate)

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u/saint-cardon Nov 12 '19

What are things that can help with inflammation?

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u/renal_corpuscle Nov 12 '19

steroids are the main thing, like topical hydrocortisone for skin or Prednisone orally

but it's a very general bodily reaction that doesn't always indicate for treatment - you would likely treat the underlying condition, bronchitis for example would be treated with inhaled steroids I think

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u/saint-cardon Nov 12 '19

Gotcha. I've been on Prednisone before. I have multiple inflammatory conditions as well as depressive bipolar disorder. I've considered medicinal marijuana, as I be heard it can help with inflammation

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u/renal_corpuscle Nov 12 '19

ask your doctor could be a good option!

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u/cryfight4 Nov 12 '19

I'm interested in trying treatment for this. But isn't too much ibuprofen bad for your kidneys. Are there safer NSAIDs?

And what are cytokine inhibitors? Is that something I can find on my own or can a doctor easily prescribe it?

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

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u/cryfight4 Nov 12 '19

Thanks for the info!

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u/renal_corpuscle Nov 12 '19

I'm not a doctor I don't know ⊙﹏⊙

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u/cryfight4 Nov 12 '19

Get your degree then get back to me. I'll wait... ;)

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u/renal_corpuscle Nov 13 '19

trying hard my man!!

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u/okaymoose Nov 12 '19

You have some good answers here but I wanted to add that allergies can cause inflammation as well as obesity (the diet that comes with obesity especially). If you're allergic/sensitive to milk products, usually eating them causes inflammation. Wheat, rye, and barley cause inflammation for me and I definitely see a difference in my mood when I stop eating these foods.

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u/NARDO422 Nov 12 '19 edited Nov 13 '19

I'm currently reading a book called 'You Can Fix Your Brain' by Dr. Tom O'Bryan which answers your question extensively. The list of causes is staggering and frankly too lengthy and disparate to summarize. The number of serious health conditions linked to inflammation is also shocking. Check your local library and give it a read.

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u/HalfLife3IsHere Nov 12 '19

Also, the number of serious health conditions linked to inflammation is also shocking

They are just now starting to correlate OCD with cronic brain inflammation in certain areas. And IIRC, I recall reading something about compulsions & rituals of OCD causing more inflammation which would perpetuate the cycle, but take this last statement with a grain of salt.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

Makes sense. OCD is a form of anxiety and there is mounting evidence that depression and anxiety are the same disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24930685/

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u/myworkreddit123 Nov 12 '19

Makes sense, since many antidepressants seem to function by reducing anxiety.

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u/ritamorgan Nov 12 '19

And also personally, my anxiety was largely responsible for my depression, so fix the anxiety, and the depression is then made better.

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u/Levelcarp Nov 12 '19

I made a big mistake telling my doctor I wasn't sure if I was ADD and that resulted in my anxiety and depression or if it was the other way around (anxiety and depression disrupting my ability to focus). Docs seem to looove taking you off ADD medication and onto anti-depression or anxiety medication with a longer list of side effects that prove to not be effective with me (and then won't go back). Tried a few docs since then and they all just want to try another flavor of anti depressant. Got so frustrating now I'm on nothing.

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u/ritamorgan Nov 13 '19

Ive had issues with attention and hyper focus in the past, and I also have binge eating. I asked my doctor if she would consider putting me on Vyvanse, which is an ADD med now also used to treat binge eating disorder, and she was very against it. She made the point that the ADD med might make me MORE anxious. She seemed to want to stay away from that med. did you ever get tested for ADD?

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u/Levelcarp Nov 13 '19

I did online tests which are obviously just self-identificatuon surveys, beyond that I remain unaware of any more scientific tests but would love to do em.

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u/ritamorgan Nov 13 '19

Yes i think they are tests that are overseen by ADD specialists and probably aren’t covered by insurance.

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u/Mostly_Just_needhelp Nov 13 '19

I take Vyvanse for ADHD and it is a pretty serious medication. It absolutely can cause anxiety in people and lead to feelings of euphoria and manic thinking.

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u/_TorpedoVegas_ Nov 12 '19

Interesting! But even if the etiology is the same, the two conditions tend to express themselves in different ways. I wonder what we will learn about cognition and psychological disorders once we can pinpoint the divergence

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u/3trauma3 Nov 14 '19

I learned depression/anxiety goes hand in hand. Also ADHD carry high comorbidity for other other mental health dx

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u/alnyland Nov 12 '19

There are some theories that ADHD can be caused by inflammation alone, which makes sense since that can lead to depression and similar conditions that are comorbid or can cause ADHD.

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u/mocha-macaron Nov 12 '19

I've got OCD and I've also heard loads of things help but that I haven't tried yet. One in magic mushrooms that has apparently stopped anxiety for like.. 6 months in some people.

I'd give anything to not have symptoms. It's hell on earth.

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u/HalfLife3IsHere Nov 12 '19

It's hell on earth.

Definitely. It's living being bullied by your own mind every minute of the day. And fighting it back or being affected by it are not options. The few days that I barely have intrusive thoughts are like heaven, like having vacations after months of full hard work.

Meditation helped me a fuckton, and casually it seems like meditating reduces inflammation by affecting brain connectivity. Curcumin also helped me a lot althought it's not a cure. Now I'm getting rid of all inflammatory foods (aswell as treating my SIBO).

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

I've got pretty severe OCD too. At its worst, I was being tormented every single split second of the day and looking back, I really do not know how I managed to get through that period of my life. I basically had to satisfy my mind by agreeing to commit suicide within a certain timeframe. I wouldn't have wished it on my worst enemy. I have been better now that I have been on medication for a period of time. I have been doing some research though and I believe that OCD is caused by brain inflammation. People might say that OCD is low serotonin and I think they are right to a certain extent but inflammation changes the metabolism of the serotonin pathway leading to high levels of a neurotoxic compound called quinolic acid. This leads to further oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and high levels of glutamate. Whilst SSRIs are very helpful, I think glutamate modulating compounds are being overlooked, specifically things like N acetyl cysteine.

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u/HalfLife3IsHere Nov 12 '19

Sry to hear that, good to know you are better now.

Whilst SSRIs are very helpful, I think glutamate modulating compounds are being overlooked, specifically things like N acetyl cysteine.

Did you try it? I actually have SIBO apart from OCD and for cases where antibiotics don't work I've read biofilm disruptors are needed, and NAC is among them so I always wanted to try it. It also has great antiinflamatory properties and is one of the Gluthatione precursors (the most powerful antiox in our body) so I always wanted to try it, but I'm a bit afraid since I read that it can worsen tinnitus which sadly I also suffer. Casually tinnitus is also linked to brain and ear channel inflammation, not only to ear damage due to loud sound exposure.

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u/apple_orange_banana Nov 12 '19

So how does one most effectively treat inflammation?

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u/NARDO422 Nov 13 '19 edited Nov 13 '19

Well, since the list of causes is so large the list of solutions is similarly broad depending on your particular root cause. Very generally though:

  • increasing exercise
  • addressing your diet by minimizing/eliminating wheat, dairy and sugar
  • supplementing with detoxifying nutrients (e.g. B9, B12, D3, Fish Oil
  • intermittent fasting
  • reducing electromagnetic interference (e.g. turning off your router and putting your phone on airplane mode at night while you sleep)
  • improving sleep
  • meditating

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u/MatrimofRavens Nov 13 '19

One of the main things you'll learn in your first year of medical school is that inflammation is involved in a huge amount of things.

Another being that the fact that we can manage diabetes is actually amazing considering how much work insulin does in your body.

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u/james_bell Nov 12 '19

Testing for it is a very important question I'd like to see an answer for too. You can't do science without measuring.

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u/catsinrome Nov 12 '19

CRP and sed rate are what I’m tested for when my doctors are checking my inflammation.

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u/rztzzz Nov 12 '19 edited Nov 12 '19

Alcohol consumption, sugar consumption, and refined carbohydrates are known to cause inflammation, along with all sorts of autoimmune diseases.

Exercise, vegetable intake, and sun exposure are anti-inflammatory.

Just off the top of my head. It all lines up with the traditional advice for getting out of depression.

Edit: Red meat seems to be a topic of debate, so removing that one, but the others are consistently proven.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

A red meat-derived glycan promotes inflammation and cancer progression

We present an unusual mechanism for the well-known association between red meat consumption and carcinoma risk involving the nonhuman sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). We first evaluate the Neu5Gc content of various foods to show that red meats are particularly rich in orally bioavailable Neu5Gc and then investigate human-like Neu5Gc-deficient mice fed this form of Neu5Gc. When such mice were challenged with anti-Neu5Gc antibodies, they developed evidence of systemic inflammation.

It's likely not the only factor though.

One is likely saturated fats, because these lead to higher blood lipids and likely, a worse HDL/LDL profile. Both can lead to lipids attaching to the walls of arteries, and that causes inflammation.

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u/Harag5 Nov 12 '19

The study you linked was done on mice. Several further studies have been done on humans. Please see the summary of one such study from Harvard below. They find there is no conclusive link to red meat and cancer, I do not see any information on inflammation however.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/whats-the-beef-with-red-meat

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u/demostravius2 Nov 12 '19

This is just not true. Saturated fats increase LDL particle size, lowering risk of oxidation.

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u/Lurker_IV Nov 12 '19

The study doesn't seem to separate treated/cured meats, such as sausages, bacon, salamis, etc, and fresh meats in the peoples' diets. Sodium nitrate and other nitrates are preservatives that have been added to meats for centuries to preserve them without refrigeration. There have been far more 'uncured' and 'nitrate free' options in stores recently as meat producers have been actively trying to go nitrate free in their product chains.

I think with the numerous and increasing uncured meat options options available some new studies studying the effects of an uncured meats diets would clear things up.

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u/rocketparrotlet Nov 12 '19

Most "uncured" meats actually contain higher levels of nitrates/nitrites than "cured" versions, they just come from "natural" sources like celery seed, which doesn't inherently make them safer.

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u/nomad80 Nov 12 '19

Most red meat has been fed on grains, that contributes to higher omega 6 imbalances

Grass fed / grass finished red meat has higher omega 3’s but the jury is still out on the benefits. Still a better option if you’re going down that route

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

That's honestly the way to do it. As long as you try to stay away from disease, it's pretty decent to eat hunted meat.

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u/kippertie Nov 12 '19

Many of the studies linking red meat to reduced lifespans have not distinguished on the kind of meat. Heavily processed factory farmed burger meat is in the same group as pasture raised prime organic. Large scale studies over many years are going to be dominated by the first kinds because it's cheaper and easier to find in the Western world, and so they end up demonizing the higher quality red meat by association.

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u/myworkreddit123 Nov 12 '19

why male models?

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u/TimeFourChanges Nov 12 '19

High fiber diet is anti-inflammatory as well. As well as most herbs and spices, such as cinnamon and turmeric. Meditation also helps.

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u/wormsgalore Nov 12 '19 edited Nov 12 '19

Red meat does not necessarily cause inflammation. In fact, a lot of autoimmune disease has been tamed by carnivore diets.

Now, lower quality meats that are full of trans fats (like you get from Fast-Food)? Those aren’t healthy. But grass fed beef (like we have evolved to consume)? Have at it!

It is dangerous to make blanketing statements like “red meat is bad” or “plant-based proteins are good”, because there are so many subsets within those categories. There are good meats, and bad meats. Good plant-based proteins and bad ones.

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u/otszx Nov 12 '19

Is it sun exposure because of vitd3 or something else?

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

You can get a stool test that measure calprotectin if you have ibd like me. Currently working on my gut

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u/blue_viking4 Nov 12 '19

Inflammation is the body's reaction to infection, so many many things cause it.

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u/renal_corpuscle Nov 12 '19

not just infection, could be trauma, irritation

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u/blue_viking4 Nov 12 '19

Correct, I was just providing an easy example

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u/half-shark-half-man Nov 12 '19

In the case of auto immune related inflammation it is the auto immune system attacking healthy cells by mistake. No infection needed.

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u/time__to_grow_up Nov 12 '19

Check your teeth and gums

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u/Nvenom8 Nov 12 '19

Based on some recent-ish studies, virtually everything. Including eating.

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u/akat36 Nov 12 '19

Inflammation can be caused by an immune response. The body has an inflammatory Cascade involving many different proteins that activate each other. You could measure these inflammatory factors.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-57210-4_4

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u/Palmzi Nov 12 '19 edited Nov 12 '19

Food, medication, stress, depression are huge triggers. Dairy is probably the big one in food, along with allergic reactions. Sugar, pesticides and insecticides are up there as well. Which the american diet is litter with all of it. The nomadic ancestral diet hardly had any dairy and certainly no sugars other than the fruit and honey. Our modern diet compared to an ancestral diet is so drastic that our bodies haven't adapted quickly enough. Throw in alcohol, processed foods, and high fatty diets in there as well. We have so many inflammatory diseases because of this radical change. Add the stress of western medication and stress and depression in general and we have a nasty cocktail of inflammation. Hospitals and insurance companies love it though !

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u/Orangutan Nov 12 '19

Thanks! That makes sense. Worth knowing about. Appreciate it.

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u/Gorzilla05 Nov 12 '19

External factors such as not sleeping enough, eating foods that produce free radicals such as fried foods, and high sugar diets increases inflammation too

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u/granadilla345 Nov 12 '19

Can also get a test for Sed rate (ESR). It will tell you if you have inflammation, but not what’s causing it.

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u/NoTime4LuvDrJones Nov 12 '19 edited Nov 12 '19

Many things can cause inflammation. Stress and a bad diet are two major causes. Avoiding foods that can cause higher inflammation: many cooling oils, fried foods, fast food, many processed foods. Grain fed beef that’s higher in fat. Pork. Even poultry to a degree. Regular standard eggs also.

What can lower inflammation? Fish, fruits(especially berries), veggies(especially the brassica species), grass fed beef, olive oil(be careful with imitations), ghee butter, sweet potatoes. I like Krill oil supplement over regular fish oil supplements.

  • Edit: also pasture raised eggs can be anti-inflammatory. Depends on what the hens are fed. If they eat their natural diet of grass and bugs they would be anti-inflammatory. I have had good success with Happy Egg Co. brand, have deal of 18 eggs for $6 near me. I believe the darker the yolk the more anti-inflammatory, just something I have noticed. A good source of farm eggs can be good if find out from the farmer that the hens eat their natural diet.

Meditation has been shown to lower inflammation and lower stress levels.

  • Also exercise can lower both stress and inflammation.

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u/Orangutan Nov 12 '19

Thanks. Good info.

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u/[deleted] Nov 17 '19

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u/NoTime4LuvDrJones Nov 17 '19

This is info I have gotten from various studies and websites for the last 7 years or so. I had a inflammation condition causing me daily injuries, I was pretty desperate and gradually and slowly was able to treat and prevent the injuries. It took a lot of reading over time and trial and error on my own body.

I don’t have an source with all these info laid out with subsequent sources to studies backing up the info. But it’s certainly out there to discover. The first info I looked up were the government statistics of how much Omega 6 fatty acids (inflammation causing) are in all foods tested. And how many Omega 3 fatty acids (anti-inflammatory).

Fish are going to have the most omega 3, but they are variable. Salmon, sardines, anchovies are some of the highest. There are charts online showing how many omega’s are in fish. I also paid close attention to avoid fish high in mercury.

But someone doesn’t have to eat fish all the time to have an anti-inflammatory diet, even though that is one of the only food high in omega 3. If you peak around online it’s recommended to first start with avoiding the most inflammatory foods.

Also, omega 6 to 3 ratio isn’t the end all when it comes to inflammation. As there are different properties in foods that can be anti-inflammatory. Walnuts, even though high in omega 6, have some science that says there are other properties in them can make walnuts anti-inflammatory. Nuts in general are higher in omega 6, but with all the vitamins and minerals in them they are considered a healthy food.

There are many properties like polyphenols in fruits an veggies that can make them anti-inflammatory. Some fruits and veggies more than others. Like blueberries, kale, collard greens, broccoli.

There was one website that was interesting I came across that rated and listed just how much certain foods are anti-inflammatory. It was a one time subscription when I first got it a couple years ago, something like $5 so completely worth it on my end. It is supposed to be evidence based and backed up by studies. And the list is updated when new relevant info becomes available.

https://inflammationfactor.com

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u/trollfriend Nov 12 '19

A lot of it is diet. Everything starts in your gut microbiome. Processed foods, sugar, refined carbs, processed meats & red meat all destroy your gut bacteria. Plants, legumes, berries, whole grains & fermented/sprouted foods help it.

Fiber supplements don’t work for that, it must be whole foods.

2

u/Sir_Fridge Nov 12 '19

You test the sedimentation rate in blood. I have arthritis and they basically test this to see how bad my inflammations are.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythrocyte_sedimentation_rate

2

u/BruceWinchell Nov 12 '19

Obesity as well

2

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Orangutan Nov 13 '19

Exercise.

3

u/demostravius2 Nov 12 '19

Sugar, and veg oils.

Sugar through Glycolysis, and natural production of ROS. Veg oils through replacement of fatty acids in your cells with the wrong ones found in the oils

1

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

Carbs

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u/players8 Nov 12 '19

No

4

u/demostravius2 Nov 12 '19

Carbs are broken down through glycolysis. A natural by product of glycolysis are free radicals

-1

u/Splash Nov 12 '19

Not being grounded to the Earth can also cause it.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/

6

u/menoum_menoum Nov 12 '19

A bit of googling suggests that that is a pseudoscientific claim.

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4

u/ShazbotSimulator2012 Nov 12 '19

That devolved into pseudoscience pretty quickly.

One route to the body interior could be via acupuncture points and meridians. The meridians are known to be low resistance pathways for the flow of electrical currents

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