Does Inflammation Alter Our Behavior?
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You may often hear your physician talk to you about inflammation you are suffering from and give you some medicines to counter that. This automatically paints a negative picture in our minds about the term ‘inflammation’ and assume that all inflammation is bad for us.
Before we understand how inflammation can alter our behavior, why don't we get an idea of what inflammation really is and we need inflammation to happen at the right time in our body at the right place.
Inflammation is the natural and essential process that defends our body against attacks by bacteria, viruses and other traumas like cuts or falls. When you get a cut, your immune system kicks into action and instructs your damaged tissues to cause inflammation.
The inflammation then allows the immune system to alienate the injured area from the rest of the body and meanwhile, send proteins and antibodies to kill off the attacking organisms. This is called acute inflammation. This is the good inflammation. We want acute inflammation to happen in our body.
The inflammation that we don't want is the chronic one. Chronic inflammation happens when our body is out of whack. Most of the chronic diseases are actually low-grade inflammation happening over a long period of time!
Inflammation goes unnoticed by us, until it finally shows up in the form of heart disorders, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes and even clinical depression!
A sedentary lifestyle and an unbalanced diet can lead to deep seated inflammation. Low grade chronic inflammation is associated with altered lipid and glucose metabolism in our fat cells, muscles and liver.
Causes
Lack of exercise
Inadequate sleep
Chronic stress
Alcohol and tobacco use
You can spot inflammation when you start feeling one or more of these symptoms repeatedly over a duration of time:
Bloating, gas and a leaky gut that lets toxins into the bloodstream and induces inflammation.
Fatigue, due to the presence of inflamed cells
Chest pains
Belly fat, abdominal fat cells produce inflammatory substances
High blood sugar levels
Mental issues like foggy brain and depressing thoughts
A research conducted at the Texas Christian University published a report suggests that inflammation may play a part in influencing undesirable personal and societal behaviors. Inflammation seems to affect how the mind makes decisions. This results in impulsive behavior, difficulty in focusing on certain activities.
Previous research has shown that inflammation causes a heightened sensitivity to any changes in an individual's environment. Inflammation has specific effects on the brain. A pivotal point that has surfaced in related studies is that increased levels of inflammation is often common in a person with depression.
Not limited to depression, high inflammation is also found in patients struggling with bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia.
This suggests that inflammation is found in most populations of patients with psychiatric disorders.
Inflammation could have a significant impact on the decision-making skills. This may in turn influence our interactions with others.
Though, there is more research to be done in regard to this connection, research suggests that an anti-inflammatory diet may go a long way to controlling inflammation. This will help in diagnosing and treating behavioral symptoms.
A large-scale longitudinal study that included the Women’s Health Initiative observational Study and Multi Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis suggested that a diet low in refined carbs, high in soluble fibre, high in polyphenols, high in mono-unsaturated fats and have a higher omega-3 to omega-6 ratio will be ideally suited to have anti-inflammatory effects on the body.
How To Reduce Inflammation
For reducing inflammation, follow a Mediterrenean diet that is rich in fish, olive oil, vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, and lean meat. Other interventional, and observational studies show that incorporating nuts (how long do nuts last?) and seeds like walnuts, flax seeds, almonds and hemp is also beneficial to reduce inflammation.
Turn to amazing spices like turmeric, ginger and clove which have been in use for centuries to counteract inflammation. My favorite way of eating these spices, is to brew a herbal tea with freshly crushed spices.
It is important that you maintain at least 30 minutes of activity a day which involves some form of physical activity. Mindful practices such as yoga and meditation also go a long way in reducing stress. This is another factor of long-term chronic inflammation.
Inflammation is a silent danger that will affect our body, mind and behavior and go unsuspected. The best way to reduce it is to have a wholesome diet and balance it with an active lifestyle.
Mindful eating has numerous benefits, including reducing inflammation. Here's how to get started on your own mindful eating journey.
