Inflammatory effects of nutritional stimuli: further support for the need for a big picture approach to tackling obesity and chronic disease

Abstract

The discovery of a form of low-grade systemic inflammation (called 'metaflammation'), and the close evolutionary link between the immune and metabolic systems, poses questions about the supposed antigens (inducers) of such an immune reaction. Initially, this was thought to be mediated through obesity. However, we have identified a number of lifestyle or environmentally related inducers that may cause metaflammation, even in the absence of obesity. In this paper, the third of a series linking obesity with broad environmental and evolutionary factors, we identify nutritional stimuli with evidence of an involvement in metaflammation. From this we propose that components of certain foods and beverages with which humans have not evolved, are more often the inducers of an inflammatory effect in the body than those with which humans have become more familiar, and to which a neutral, or anti-inflammatory response may be expected to have developed. The implications of such a finding are considered in relation to broader aspects of the environment, economic growth, policy change and current global financial issues.

Inflammatory Marker Changes in a Yearlong Randomized Exercise Intervention Trial among Postmenopausal Women

“…Our analyses suggest that (i) the significant intervention effect on CRP levels may be partly explained by decreased dietary fiber intake in the control group that may have increased CRP levels in controls (33)(34)(35) and (ii) decreases in CRP levels were mediated primarily by fat loss. Secondary analyses implied that intervention effects on CRP levels were stronger with increasing exercise adherence, and that intervention effects on CRP levels were stronger in women who were more physically fit at baseline.…”

“…We also assessed possible confounding by unintended dietary change because some dietary components can exhibit pro-or anti-inflammatory properties (33)(34)(35). With guidance from review articles on inflammation and diet, we targeted the following variables for exploration as potential confounders: change in glycemic load, change in fruit and vegetable intake, change in intakes of total fiber, alcohol, fats (total, trans, saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated), and omega-3 fatty acids (docosahexaenoic acid, alpha-linoleic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid).…”

Chronic Inflammatory Disorders and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Coronary Heart Disease, and Stroke

“…The most attention has been focused on the role of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukins and tumor necrosis factor-α to increase oxidative stress, increase insulin resistance, and oxidize lowdensity lipoproteins. 42,43 These actions, which lead to endothelial dysfunction, are all proatherogenic and may contribute to atherosclerotic plaque vulnerable to rupture and initiate a clinical CVD event. 44 The finding that CVD and T2DM events are associated with a wide range of inflammatory conditions strongly supports the hypothesis that any source of chronic inflammation is associated with CVD and T2DM.…”

A multidisciplinary reconstruction of Palaeolithic nutrition that holds promise for the prevention and treatment of diseases of civilisation

“…As a result C 3 and C 4 plants have quite different 13 C: 12 C ratios in their tissues, as have the herbivorous animals that feed on these plants (228,232) and the carnivores that prey on these herbivores (193,206) . Differences are expressed as d 13 C values (d 13 C ¼ (( 13 C: 12 C) sample 2 ( 13 C: 12 C) standard ) £ 1000/( 13 C: 12 C) standard ) in parts per thousand (‰) relative to the 13 C: 12 C ratio in the reference standard (named Pee Dee Belemnite; PDB), i.e. the carbonate obtained from the fossil of a marine Cretaceous cephalopod (Belemnitella americana) which is highly enriched in 13 C ( 13 C: 12 C ratio ¼ 0·0112372).…”

“…The aetiologies of many typically Western diseases, also known as diseases of affluence or civilisation, have been attributed to the disturbance of this delicate balance, secondary to the rapid changes in the conditions of existence, while our genome has remained basically unchanged since the beginning of the Palaeolithic era. The former include changes in physical activity, stress, sleep duration, environmental pollution and others (12,13) , but one of the most rapidly changing conditions of existence has been the human diet.…”