Anti-inflammatory diet can end chronic diseases

The patient was suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, with muscle pain, abdominal discomfort, sleeplessness and a frustrating brain fog.

Dr. Victor Sierpina changed the patient’s diet and chased down the villains — wheat, corn and dairy foods. All had triggered inflammatory reactions in her body.

Sierpina, professor of family medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, is among a growing number of medical professionals using anti-inflammatory diets as weapons in the fight against disease.

Start with a medical checkup, he advises, and then get ready to revamp your grocery list.

“Inflammation is a hidden factor in many, many chronic diseases — we call it silent inflammation,” he said, speaking by phone from his Galveston office.

“Those conditions include diabetes, heart disease, dementia, obesity and certain forms of arthritis.

“When we have a silent inflammation in the body, it makes all of those conditions either chronic or worse.”

Many pain sufferers routinely use anti-inflammatory medications, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, to treat symptoms. But anti-inflammatory foods can be much more effective weapons.

“The anti-inflammatory diet is an attempt to stop the creation of the inflammation, instead of fixing it after it occurs,” Sierpina said.

“It sets up a situation where there is less of a tendency for the inflammation to be there in the first place.”

Sierpina is a longtime advocate of such alternative treatments. At the medical branch, he researches and teaches on ways to integrate holistic medicine, alternative therapies and wellness promotion in primary care.

What is an anti-inflammatory diet? Ingredients include:

• Foods rich with omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, canned albacore tuna, flax and walnuts;

• Monounsaturated fats like avocados, nuts and olive oil;

• Fresh fruits and vegetables;

• Whole grains, such as brown rice and bulgur wheat;

• Lean protein sources, such as chicken;

• Spices such as curry, ginger, garlic and chili peppers;

• Exercise; and

• Avoid alcohol, caffeine and processed and fast foods.

The diet might take six weeks to six months to show results, and it might not be for everyone, Sierpina cautioned. Check with your doctor first.

“I always adjust my recommendations according to people’s conditions, their culture and their health habits,” he said.

But for many patients, a diet makeover can bring blessings.

“Basically, the big picture is that many of our chronic diseases in our society are related to chronic inflammation, and if we track the cause of that down, it comes from a number of things — inadequate exercise and eating the wrong things,” Sierpina said.

“If we can reduce that inflammation, then we’re probably going to make a big difference in terms of overall health.”

By Bronwyn Turner