It's a frightening thought: that the body is inflamed and you don't notice anything. What exactly are silent inflammations?
DR. ANNE FLECK: They attack our fat cells without us noticing. Specifically, here's what happens in the body: when you eat carbohydrate-rich foods, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin. It unlocks the fat cell and pushes the food calories into the cell. If you eat a lot of carbohydrates very often, at some point you will overtax your fat cells. They become fuller and larger, and as a rescue for themselves, they finally form an inflammation as an SOS reaction and start releasing inflammatory messengers.
What is the consequence of this?
The walls of the blood vessels stick together - with quite dramatic consequences: Arteriosclerosis, heart attacks, strokes. The inflammation blunts the diseased fat cells, they become insulin resistant and no longer manage to hear the call of the key hormone insulin. In this way, the distressed fat cells protect themselves. The fat taken in with the food must then look for a new place - so inflamed fat cells also become fatteners.
Silent inflammations are therefore like ticking time bombs. Aren't there any signs that could alert me to this?
Yes, there are. Constant fatigue, exhaustion, recurring colds, or infections, for example. Reduced physical performance, low-stress tolerance, and irritability can also be indicators. Alarm signs are a rise in blood pressure and fasting blood sugar.
Can sufferers be recognized by their excess weight?
Not necessarily. Thirty to 40 percent of slim people are thin fat people - or TOFIs, as we doctors call them: "thin outside, fat inside." topics have exactly the same risk of disease as overweight people.
And you can't tell by looking at them?
No, because on the outside they look slim. But they have too much fat and too little muscle. They can be recognized by flabby arms, small rolls of flab on the abdomen, and narrow joints. Internally, the abdominal organs, the heart, and the arteries are fatty.
This so-called visceral fat produces messenger substances that fuel chronic inflammation throughout the body. Studies speculate that thin fat people potentially have more risk factors than thick fat people because they have little active muscle mass.
This is because it produces myokines - hormone-like messengers that have anti-inflammatory effects. That's why TOFIs with pre-existing heart disease have the highest mortality among all obesity risk groups. And they often remain medically under the radar.
So better fat and fit than thin and unfit?
In fact, some overweight people exercise a lot, are significantly fitter and healthier, and have fewer disease risks than thin fat people with low-threshold inflammation. However, not everything can be corrected with exercise. People who eat lots of grains, factory-farmed meat and sausage, sugar, convenience foods, and fast food, but few vegetables, fiber, and good, omega-3-rich fats from flax oil and fish, fire up inflammation in the body.
Are poor diet and little exercise the only reason silent inflammation occurs?
No, chronic stress also fuels it. It produces free radicals in the body that kick off the inflammatory cascade. Stress hormones such as cortisol further stimulate inflammation. Smoking is also a risk factor. And the oral cavity is a gateway. It has been proven that inflammation of the gums, oral cavity, or even unhealed sinus or tonsil infections promote systemic inflammation in the body. Good oral care with brushing, flossing, and also oil pulling, and tongue scraping is therefore sensible.
What else can you do to fight the smoldering fire in your body?
In addition to stress management and deceleration, regular exercise, and a positive attitude to life, nutrition is the decisive factor: What do I eat? When do I eat? And how do I eat? In nutrition research, there is a clear stand on what belongs on the plate: Fiber, vegetables, and good fats, especially sufficient omega-3 fatty acids.
On the other hand, if you eat very frequently during the day and are very high in carbohydrates, that can be a risk factor.
The body needs breaks, at least four hours between meals, to lower blood sugar levels. At night, it should be at least ten to twelve hours. That's when a cleaning crew goes through the intestines and the body's cells, ridding them of cellular debris.
The "how" is also important: chew thoroughly and eat slowly, otherwise, the anti-inflammatory, slimming intestinal bacteria are sent to the ghetto, and over the years the mucosal barrier becomes more permeable. This, by the way, also promotes food intolerances.
Why are grains also part of the problem?
Cereals contain many omega-6 fatty acids, and in excess, these have a pro-inflammatory effect, in contrast to the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. The right ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids is crucial; it should be 1:3. For many, however, it is more like 1:20 - partly because we eat too much bread, pasta, and cereals.
Is whole grain flour better?
From a blood sugar response standpoint, almost any carbohydrate tends to be unfavorable. Only whole grains set a slower stimulus. Finely milled flour - whether white or whole-grain - promotes an insulin spike, which sets off the inflammatory cascade when it gets out of hand. Whole-wheat flour simply contains more fiber. Tip: You can recognize a healthier carbohydrate by its high fiber content. For example, bread made from coarsely ground flour with lots of grains, seeds, and nuts is very good.
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