Inflammatory Disease Processes and Interactions with Nutrition

Abstract

Inflammation is a stereotypical physiological response to infections and tissue injury; it initiates pathogen killing as well as tissue repair processes and helps to restore homeostasis at infected or damaged sites. Acute inflammatory reactions are usually self-limiting and resolve rapidly, due to the involvement of negative feedback mechanisms. Thus, regulated inflammatory responses are essential to remain healthy and maintain homeostasis. However, inflammatory responses that fail to regulate themselves can become chronic and contribute to the perpetuation and progression of disease. Characteristics typical of chronic inflammatory responses underlying the pathophysiology of several disorders include loss of barrier function, responsiveness to a normally benign stimulus, infiltration of inflammatory cells into compartments where they are not normally found in such high numbers, and overproduction of oxidants, cytokines, chemokines, eicosanoids and matrix metalloproteinases. The levels of these mediators amplify the inflammatory response, are destructive and contribute to the clinical symptoms. Various dietary components including long chain ω-3 fatty acids, antioxidant vitamins, plant flavonoids, prebiotics and probiotics have the potential to modulate predisposition to chronic inflammatory conditions and may have a role in their therapy. These components act through a variety of mechanisms including decreasing inflammatory mediator production through effects on cell signaling and gene expression (ω-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, plant flavonoids), reducing the production of damaging oxidants (vitamin E and other antioxidants), and promoting gut barrier function and anti-inflammatory responses (prebiotics and probiotics). However, in general really strong evidence of benefit to human health through anti-inflammatory actions is lacking for most of these dietary components. Thus, further studies addressing efficacy in humans linked to studies providing greater understanding of the mechanisms of action involved are required.

Influence of Ascorbic Acid Supplementation on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Observational and Randomized Controlled Trials; A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

“…AA has various functions against the oxidative process. This vitamin can scavenge ROS, inhibit the launch of chain reactions that lead to protein glycation, and protect against lipid peroxidation (71)(72)(73). Ascorbyl radical and dehydroascorbic acid are oxidation products of ascorbic acid that can be reduced back to AA by glutathione.…”

“…Ascorbyl radical and dehydroascorbic acid are oxidation products of ascorbic acid that can be reduced back to AA by glutathione. In the meantime, the AA can support recycling back of VE and glutathione from their oxidized forms (71,74).…”

Nutrition and sarcopenia: evidence for an interaction

“…Inflammation is now known to be an important part of the mechanism of many diseases (54,55) and as suggested by Little and Philips (8) , while inflammation is certainly part of the mechanism leading to severe muscle wasting in several disease states there is evidence of its involvement in the aetiology of sarcopenia. As indicated above abdominal adiposity and sarcopenia can be linked through inflammation deriving from adipocytes (3,4) .…”

Perspectives on the use of seed oils in the South African diet

“…The degree of saturation and the total amount and ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids in the diet are of the essence. [5][6][7] The fact that it was concluded following a recent meta-analysis of prospective epidemiological studies that there was no significant evidence that SFAs are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease 8 should be seen in context, and interpreted in the light of the fact that the replacement of SFAs with PUFAs lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease in both prospective cohort studies 9 and randomised controlled trials. 10 Limiting SFA intake should always be considered in the context of the nutrient that replaces it.…”