10 Foods That Fight Inflammation
Inflammation is one of the ways the body defends itself. It begins with a process where the immune system recognizes the harmful stimuli, tries to remove it, and begins the healing process. Inflammation can be broadly categorized into acute and chronic inflammation.
Acute inflammation can be induced by noxious compounds, trauma, and microbial invasion. It generally begins rapidly and can become severe in a short time. Subacute inflammation usually last between 2 to 6 weeks. Chronic inflammation refers to the slow and long-term state of inflammation that can last from months to years. Inflammation can be due to the failure of elimination of an agent that caused the acute inflammation, prolonged exposure to foreign materials or irritant, autoimmune disorder, recurrent episodes of acute inflammation, or the presence of biochemical or inflammatory inducers that cause mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.
Chronic inflammatory disease has been identified as the world’s most significant cause of death. It has been ranked by the World Health Organization as the greatest threat to human health. The prevalence of diseases that cause chronic inflammation is estimated to rise steadily in future years. In 2000, surveys found that about 125 million Americans had chronic conditions with 61 million suffering from more than one. In 2014, almost 60 percent of Americans were estimated to suffer from at least one chronic condition. Globally, 3 out of every 5 individuals die due to chronic inflammatory diseases such as cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, arthritis or joint disease, asthma, and other chronic respiratory disease. Besides the conventional treatment and medication, many experts believe that adopting an anti-inflammatory diet may also be beneficial.
