Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Medicine

Researchers Call Chronic Inflammation 'A Substantial Public Health Crisis' (upi.com) 91

Posted by EditorDavid from the health-scares dept.
UPI reports: Roughly half of all deaths worldwide are caused by inflammation-related diseases. Now, a team of international researchers is calling on physicians to focus greater attention on the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of severe, chronic inflammation so that people can live longer, healthier lives.

In a commentary published Friday in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers at 22 institutions describe how persistent and severe inflammation in the body is often a precursor for heart disease, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, and autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders. The researchers point to inflammation-related conditions as the cause of roughly 50 percent of all deaths worldwide. "This is a substantial public health crisis," co-author George Slavich, a research scientist at the Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA, said in a statement. "It's also important to recognize that inflammation is a contributor not just to physical health problems, but also mental health problems such as anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, self-harm and suicide."

In the commentary, Slavich and his fellow authors describe inflammation as a naturally occurring response by the body's immune system that helps it fight illness and infection. However, when inflammation is chronic, it can increase the risk for developing potentially deadly diseases.
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Researchers Call Chronic Inflammation 'A Substantial Public Health Crisis' More

Researchers Call Chronic Inflammation 'A Substantial Public Health Crisis'

Comments Filter:
  • It's probably due to some way we poisoned our environment. Air, water, clothing, food.
    • Food, especially. Artificial thickeners, preservatives, sweeteners, industrial oils mangled into digestible form ... remember, as long as the additive is not acutely poisonous it's ok to stick in foods (see trans fat for a recent example)

      • Modern wheat has been genetically altered for higher yield and to withstand weather. Statistics show significantly more incidences of inflammation from this newer grain than before.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by AHuxley ( 892839 )
          Would be a good book, book chapter for someone with access.
          Go back over 60 years and chart 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th world diets and when they got "modern" methods..
          See changes nation wide? No changes? Better heath? Massive jumps in lifestyle conditions?
          Level out wealth, medial care access and see what nations got what.
          What would the nation level link be? The above mentioned "thickeners, preservatives, sweeteners, industrial oils"?

          • I would love to see that study.

            However I'm not sure it would be able to pick out the culprit. Nation level diets don't change from traditional to "Western" by slow discreet steps. It's more like, five years ago zero Western food, this year there's a 7-11 on every corner selling 500 kinds of processed food-like products. And widely apparent health effects may significantly trail the introduction of poisonous nutritional elements.

            • Re: (Score:1)

              by AHuxley ( 892839 )
              Give it 60 years :) then look back over decades of autopsies.
              See what results drop out nation wide :)

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by cwatts ( 622605 )

            I went to korea for the first time in summer 2001. At that time, there was no (or very little) presence from american fast food chains. There were also very few fat Koreans. I went back in summer 2008, stayed in the same neighborhood at the same hotel, and noticed that Seoul had become overrun with american fast food. The big ones were McD's, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and (somewhat bizarrely) Papa John's Pizza. And I saw a LOT of fat koreans. I know, correlation doesn't prove causation, b

          • I attempted to do exactly this on free publicly available data, unfortunately most good data is pay walled. surprise... surprise... also don't forget emulsifiers, they are found in like 70 percent of the food we consume. Avoiding them is a life changer. Recommend that everyone avoid wheat, dairy Soy, and emulsifiers, and coffee for six months. if you must drink coffee then drink espresso black with one or two sugars and avoid the rest. and someone unconnected to Coca Cola and the like do a long term stu
        • No, lol, statistics do not show that because you pulled it out of your asshole and statistics don't visit there.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by modsec ( 6444726 )
          Symptoms like Pimples, Farts & Rash are on the rise. You can check US Google search traffic here: https://trends.google.com/tren... [google.com]

      • Re: Something environmental (Score:5, Interesting)

        by jwymanm ( 627857 ) on Saturday December 07, 2019 @11:45PM (#59496770) Homepage
        I went to Vietnam and despite the pollution and other issues I lost tons of water weight and had zero pain in joints. Food is cooked fresh daily even though its lower quality cuts they use a lot of bone and same day ingredients with zero preservatives. I felt healthier than ever and lost over 12lbs in 3 weeks. Breathing was rough because of an october flu I had and the pollution but without that I would of felt like superman probably. We're killing ourselves in modern society because of this crap we put in food to make it last a few extra days on the shelf/in the fridge.

        • How many fat fucks do you see walking around over there? Zero.

          • Exactly. When all is said and done, it's simple quantity and insurficient movement.

            There was a doctor who went on the fast food and twinkies diet. He dropped weight like a rock. His blood lipids and BP and sugar went to normal.

            Processed food, added processed sugars, antibiotics, corn syrup, none of that has anything to do with it. It's the quantities, especially in the context of a sedentary lifestyle.

            • Re: Something environmental (Score:5, Informative)

              by religionofpeas ( 4511805 ) on Sunday December 08, 2019 @04:39AM (#59497106)

              Processed food, added processed sugars, antibiotics, corn syrup, none of that has anything to do with it. It's the quantities, especially in the context of a sedentary lifestyle.

              Quality of food is still important. You can survive on the Twinkies diet for a few weeks, and you may even improve some blood markers, but if you do that for a few years, you're still going to be miserable. Fructose, for example, is highly reactive and will bond to proteins, forming AGEs (advanced glycation end products) that are very hard for the body to clear up.

              Also, it's very hard to eat processed food in modest quantities, because it has been carefully engineered to override your sense of satiety.

              • If you can find some guava tea, it's great for treating inflammation.

                • What does it taste like?

                  • What does it taste like?

                    Short answer: Guava leaves.

                    Long answer: It depends on the quality of the leaves and how long they were allowed to cure. I grow a few trees organically and I have leaves that have cured for over 7 years. The taste of that tea is very good. If you went out and pulled some fresh leaves and made tea with them, the taste is much less palatable, but it's not gross or anything.

              • A practical example: a diet of just Twinkies is deficient in protein, only containing 1 gram of protein per Twinkie cake of 135 kcal. If you ate 2000 kcal worth of Twinkies in a day, you'd be getting 15 grams of protein, which is not enough. For a few weeks, it's not going to kill you. In some cases, a low-protein diet may even help clear up some problems. But if you do this for a long time, you'll end up with kwashiorkor.

            • There was a doctor who went on the fast food and twinkies diet.

              That was Mark Haub, a researcher at the Kansas State University, and the "research" was funded by Coca-cola.

              https://medium.com/cokeleak/th... [medium.com]

            • If you think all of sugars are processed by and have the same impact on the body then I have a bridge I'd like to sell you... (hint: the bridge doesn't lead anywhere...)

            • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

              by I75BJC ( 4590021 )
              Don't be so ignorant as to think that there is only one cause for chronic inflammation.

              Look at families of sufferers for a cause in some people.
              The stupid of do-gooders and SJWs for others.

              There are a multitude of reasons for chronic inflammation and a multitude of cures.

              I deal with the community of chronic inflammation sufferers and no one source hits every sufferer. To think otherwise, is ignorance at best and bigotry at worst with a lot of narcissism thrown into the mix.

              • Re: (Score:1)

                by jwymanm ( 627857 )
                My 73 year old mom went with me. My sister had shipped her walker so she could use it. They broke it at the airport so she went 3 weeks without it. By the end of the trip she was walking up/down stairs without help and had little pain or inflammation in her knees. She lives in Arizona also so temp isn't the issue. There is something going on over here that isn't going on over in Asia.
            • I visit foreign countries often and I literally PIG out when I am there. Duration of visits is usually 10-14 days. Always, without exception I come back lighter than when I left and I eat more of everything. Quality of food abroad is better and you can taste it.
        • If I went to Vietnam the main reason I would feel awesome would be the sunshine and temperature. My joints ache in the cold. Food would be a bonus though - fresh and spicy, and cheap
      • If you think preservatives are bad for you, think about eating food that is rotting for lack of preservatives.

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by olfdag_kerfunke ( 6260520 )
          Many semi-parasitic organisms produce anti-inflammatories or immunosuppressants and can be thought of as an example of biological mutualism. Preservatives in food may be preventing us from ingesting the normally healthy microscopic life living on garden plants or aged foods without preservatives, leading to higher rates of inflammatory diseases.
        • preservatives are probably hiding rot to some extent rather than preventing it

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by rapjr ( 732628 )
      This article lists causes of chronic inflammation:

      https://www.medicalnewstoday.c... [medicalnewstoday.com]

      Inflammation is a defense mechanism in the body. The immune system recognizes damaged cells, irritants, and pathogens, and it begins the healing process.

      When something harmful or irritating affects a part of our body, there is a biological response to try to remove it.

      What is chronic inflammation?

      This refers to long-term inflammation and can last for several months and even years. It can result from:

      failure to e

      • Might seem random, but almost all garlic in the US now comes from one supplier in China. I had a serious problem with inflammation emerge around 2013 and went on an elimination diet and eventually pinpointed garlic as the cause. Since then, I've met quiet a few others who have identified the same thing. Just as a fun challenge, try going out once to eat and avoid garlic...

      • Re:Something environmental (Score:5, Insightful)

        by dgatwood ( 11270 ) on Sunday December 08, 2019 @12:42AM (#59496850) Homepage Journal

        So air, water, clothing, food, plastics all seem like prime candidates. Some unknown virus or bacteria could cause it as well or a known one that is thought harmless. Stress can make inflammation worse too.

        You're not thinking broadly enough, and thus are most likely going in precisely the wrong direction. :-)

        Our bodies work because a bunch of bacteria do useful things for us, so long as they remain in balance. When they get out of balance, they produce too much of some toxin that your body doesn't like, and your body starts attacking them, and then it's all over.

        For example, clostridium difficile was thought to be basically harmless, because it appears in a decent percentage of people's guts at all times. Forty-three years later, scientists finally realized that it was killing people. When you take too many antibiotics, you end up in a situation where there aren't enough other bacteria competing against it for resources, at which point c. diff becomes a very dangerous pathogen that is notoriously hard to get rid of.

        Similarly, statistically speaking, autoimmune disorders are relatively rare in countries with poor sanitation; this is probably true for a bunch of other inflammatory diseases as well. Evidence suggests that these diseases are quite literally first-world problems, not because we're being exposed to things that are bad for us, but rather because we aren't being exposed to bad things often enough. :-)

    • It's probably due to some way we poisoned our environment. Air, water, clothing, food.

      Food. It's the food.
      Seed oils - Impared ROS signaling.
      Sucrose - Visceral fat accumulation promoting inflamation and metabolic disregulation
      p-lectins - promoting gut permeability and resulting inflamation
      Oxalates - Cutting you up from the inside.

      Individually, maybe not a disaster. All together and you have the Western diet and all that goes along with it.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      Smart nations have experts and epidemiologists to look for that.
      Unless all autopsies stop and health reporting becomes a gov/mil matter?
      50% to 100% of people getting sick in one area over decades? That would show up on maps and GUI software.
      Peer review by experts looking for fraud, looking fro medical staff who cant work and make mistakes?
      If such results are granular down to the staff and a hospital then wider "sick" areas would show up too...

      Poisoned? In all food? Most food? Near some in use indu

    • "It's probably due to some way we poisoned our environment. Air, water, clothing, food."

      No, it's the lack of movement, scientists found, that exercising causes muscles of elderly people to have the same low inflammation ratio as young people.
      If you want to get old and healthy, go to the fucking gym.

      • If you think about it, we just breathe dust all the time, even in the house. Technological emissions and clogged ducts do their job and clog our lungs with trash .. This is one of the important stages for the possibility of self-purification of the body .. I'm not surprised that latent inflammations lead to allergies and chronic bronchitis. McDonald's gives us food with antibiotics, which means drugs will be less effective afterward.
        • This is actually a common problem. You can use home air purifiers. I bought a couple of robotic vacuum cleaners for myself to constantly remove dust. These small home gadgets work pretty well while I'm at work. You can read about it, discover this info here [cleanup.expert]. People have learned to deal with dust well over the past five years.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by MrKaos ( 858439 )

      It's probably due to some way we poisoned our...

      ...minds.

      And consequently our brains. When looking at this quote from the article:

      It's also important to recognize that inflammation is a contributor not just to physical health problems, but also mental health problems such as anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, self-harm and suicide.

      all of which instantly screamed "cortisol response" to me which causes a inflammatory response. Impaired cortisol response to acute stressors in patients with coronary disease. Implications for inflammatory [wiley.com]

    • Actually it's quite likely that killing our environment prevents a bit of this. Chronic inflammation can mean anything - a wooden splinter lodged deep inside, an infection that the immune system is dealing with, a non-infection that the immune system can not deal with effectively. AIDS is more or less a chronic inflammation in your blood stream.

      Classics that we know depend at least partially on the persistent infections that may cause chronic inflammation include cervical cancer, anal cancer, head & nec

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by I75BJC ( 4590021 )
      It's partly due to the way we poison ourselves. Ask a PTSD or an ACES sufferer.

      And don't be so "One Size Fits All"!
      Many causes and many remedies.
    • it's because those people don't use blockchain

  • Crisis won't be solved... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by blahplusplus ( 757119 ) on Saturday December 07, 2019 @11:33PM (#59496748)

    .... since it's rooted in inequality current societies produce.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by aliquis ( 678370 )

      Tss.

      Also making life worse though equal isn't going to help.

    • Nonsense - just the opposite. It's a fact that caloric restriction (not having enough to eat) actually has beneficial effects on human longevity. Even renowned boozer Charles Bukowski observed that many of the homeless he hung around with on skid row looked better than the pale stressed-out pudgy stiffs racing to work at 6am in their cars.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by HiThere ( 15173 )

      It's not that simple. Yes, social stress is one facilitating component, but it isn't either the only or the major one in most cases. I'd guess that patterns of child raising was a more significant factor. So is diet. So is the news. So is...well, lots of things.

      And another factor is that chronic inflamation is caused by multiple results of aging. One way to reduce it a lot would be if everyone while to die while they were young....but few would accept that as a viable solution.

      Personally, one of the f

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by AHuxley ( 892839 )
        Lack of sport? Wonder what nations who do some sport for "education" find after 50 years and over generations?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by HiThere ( 15173 )

          Sport is tricky. It can reduce stress, while simultaneously adding other problems. Short term studies can't address this. And you can't equate all sports...and even the names don't tell you enough.

          Basically, generally low impact sports are good, but high impact are bad. But the devil is in the details. Swimming is probably the best sport for reducing inflamation, with hiking a somewhat distant second. But hiking for this purpose wouldn't include, e.g., rock climbing. And swimming wouldn't include div

  • Interesting Risk Factor (Score:3)

    by Roger W Moore ( 538166 ) on Sunday December 08, 2019 @12:02AM (#59496794) Journal
    According to the article "risk factors for chronic inflammation include .... lack of physical inactivity". Did they really mean that or did an extra negative creep in there unnoticed?
  • Its the same mentality as carbon emissions, health procedures, used cars and beachfront property timeshares in New Mexico... Once the sale is complete, the concequences are your problem.

    Since diets are cumulative, having a beverage with 50g-100g of sugar or a high-calorie count, plus an appetizer with high levels of BPA, followed up by a main course with overuse of antibiotics, pesticides unknown foodstuff ingredients or unknown genetic mutations, finally a sensible dessert to round out the meal and you

    • It's the quantities, not any of that crap.

    • Since diets are cumulative, having a beverage with 50g-100g of sugar or a high-calorie count, plus an appetizer with high levels of BPA, followed up by a main course with overuse of antibiotics, pesticides unknown foodstuff ingredients or unknown genetic mutations, finally a sensible dessert to round out the meal and you have a daily ritual thats guaranteed to produce comedy gold.

      Your above statement makes some sense. Diets are cumulative, and we've been accumulating inflammation for years.
      1. Learn about food. Not food like what comes packaged, or in restaurants, but what food actually is and what it's made of
      2. Learn what food does to your body. Two critical ones are the effects on inflammation and hormones. If you can reduce inflammation and fat accumulation, you're 90% of the way there.
      3. Learn the science. related to the above, but don't stop there. Quit trying fads. T

      • Interesting. Have you looked into autophagy? I'm facinated by the whole concept of garbage collection on the cellular level when your body needs more energy during a low-intensity workout or task. With a normal western diet, the calorie surplus limits the need for these normal functions, which only matters if you expect to live 80+ quality years.

        https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik... [wikipedia.org]

        Re: I don't understand your reference to "comedy"...

        The jokes pretty much write themselves in the western world nowadays
      • From the article you linked and other sources: ketosis is more efficient than burning sugar and uses less oxygen. That alone is enough to account for your underwater swimming results.
  • Slumping at a desk with poor posture can lead to pain and inflammation. Get up stretch get some circulation. Not a silver bullet but better than getting stiff.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by geek ( 5680 )

      Slumping at a desk with poor posture can lead to pain and inflammation. Get up stretch get some circulation. Not a silver bullet but better than getting stiff.

      Yep. Dealing with the after effects of this now with my osteoarthritis. People don't grasp little things anymore, like gum disease being a leading cause of heart attacks due to it being an infection over a long period of time. Same goes with posture on your skeleton.

      If inflammation is going to be the new boogie man then fine, lets start dealing with all the little shit that kills us daily.

      "Before healing someone, ask whether they are willing to let go of the things that made them sick"

    • Honestly everyone (who is physically able) should also do a few deep bodyweight squats daily.

      Can do weights once or twice a week too. Everyone doesn't need to be a powerlifter... but doing SOME squatting and deadlifting a few times a week would be a massive improvement for everyone as they age.

  • Inflammation is the new bogeyman being hocked by the alternative medicine crowd, which shares a lot of venn space with the antivax crowd.

    Just put lavender oil in the water and it'll all be fine.

  • Oh gee (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    And here is the DEA and CDC telling us that people are just making up those aches and pains and shouldn't be taking so many opioids...
  • 1 - Widespread. 2 - Chronic. 3 - Nonspecific. What more could they ask for?

Slashdot Top Deals

If you want to put yourself on the map, publish your own map.

Close