How Inflammation Could Be Messing With Your Metabolism

Written by Jamie, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Highlights:

Why we need inflammation — up to a point
The runaway train of chronic inflammation
Stress, obesity and our metabolism
Nutrition wisdom from 2.5 million years ago
Good nutrition and Almased

Most people think inflammation is a villain. Who wouldn’t think it’s bad when our ankle swells up after we sprain it, causing so much pain?

But really the swelling happens because the body is flooding the area with chemicals and white blood cells to not only prevent infection but to also protect the area with a cushion of swelled-up tissue.

Or when we cut a finger, inflammatory white blood cells rush to the scene to close the wound and prevent infection.

But when inflammation doesn’t quit and causes other problems, then when we have what’s called “chronic inflammation.”

The Runaway Train of Chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation develops when these immune chemicals and cells are in a state of constant alert over a long period of time.

Not only can this bring on chronic swelling (such as edema) in different areas of the body, it can additionally be a cause of obesity, metabolic syndrome (also called insulin resistance syndrome), type 2 diabetes, arthritis, psoriasis, heart disease and more.

On top of that, stress is a big part of the connection between inflammation and metabolism, and our adrenal glands are what the body uses to respond to stress.

In fact, sitting on top of our kidneys are two triangle-shaped glands — the adrenal cortex, which produces critical hormones that need to be in balance, like cortisol (which regulates metabolism and helps us react to stress) and aldosterone (which controls blood pressure) — and the adrenal medulla, which produces adrenaline.

Adrenaline, as we know, is the fight-or-flight hormone that mobilizes the body to spring into action in a stressful situation: a fight, an argument, traffic, screaming kids, yelling bosses — you name it.

This was great for our ancestors when they were responding to occasional attacks by wild animals or invaders but not so great when our adrenals are overtaxed by constantly responding to stressful situations 24/7.

While stress can contribute to weight gain and inflammation, being overweight, itself, can be distressing for people, which in turn causes stress eating, adding to the growing health risks due to increasing obesity and a sluggish metabolism.

In his book, The Inflammation Syndrome, author Jack Challem wrote that, people who are overweight, especially with more belly fat, have greater levels of inflammation.

Part of this is due to excess intake of sugars and refined carbs, which boost blood sugar levels and produce more free radicals, which in turn maintain unhealthy inflammation.

Challem explains that these extra belly-fat cells release compounds that fuel the flames of inflammation.

Can diet hold the key to getting off the metabolism-sapping inflammation rollercoaster?

Caveman Nutrition to the Rescue?

Researchers from Colorado State University believe so, but the key is further back in time than we might expect.

They point to reconstructed nutrient profiles of our Paleolithic ancestors who lived 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 B.C.

Bottom line, our Paleo ancestors might have had to hunt or forage for their food, but their diet had a much higher percentage of good nutrients than does the diet of many Americans today.

The meat they consumed was very lean, their carbs were from vegetables, their fats were balanced, and they had a lot of fiber.

As far as specific nutrients go, they had six times the amount of riboflavin (vitamin B-2) in their diet than we have today — 6.49 mg a versus the paltry 1.71 mg per day that we get now.

It’s reassuring that Almased gives us a paleo-friendly level of riboflavin, clocking in at a whopping 6 mg per serving, but more on Almased below.

Good Nutrition Can Help!

Regarding nutrition, the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, which involved over 93,000 women, confirmed that an appropriate-calorie diet low in refined carbohydrates, high in fiber, high in good fats (including omega-3s), and high in natural plant polyphenols is an anti-inflammatory diet.

Another large analysis, the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) study, came to the same conclusions about how our food choices can be anti-inflammatory.

Fortunately, soy contains bioactive peptides, including lunasin and soymorphin, which, according to research, can help curb appetite and fend off inflammation.

Almased — What Your Metabolism Has Been Asking For

In fact in a 2016 study of 83 overweight adults over 24 weeks, Almased supplementation helped people achieve “significant weight loss,” improved their levels of a hunger hormone (leptin), supported levels of healthy fats and helped with certain markers of inflammation, such as interleukin-6.

This, and other research, suggests that Almased can “deflame” the body over time due to its low-glycemic high-protein formula.

And that’s good news, especially because every power-packed serving of Almased is brimming with 27 grams of high-quality protein and essential amino acids, in addition to vitamins and minerals.

Unlike many diets out there, Almased has no artificial fillers, flavors, added sugars, preservatives or stimulants. Almased is also diabetic-friendly, gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians.

With Almased, you can finally give your metabolism that “push” it’s been waiting for!

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