What’s the Latest Advice on Lowering Inflammation? (Premium)
Are you getting tired of ever-changing dietary advice? It’s no wonder. It seems every few months there’s a new “must do” and more things not to do. That said, when updated research gives us fresh and encouraging avenues to health, it’s worth taking time to consider them.
We know that reducing inflammation is important for brain health. The gut-brain connection is well documented, and gut inflammation has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, autism, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, Tourette syndrome, stroke, traumatic brain injuries, and other conditions.
Some categories of foods are known to increase inflammation. Examples are fried foods (like French fries); red meat; shortening and margarine; refined carbohydrates, foods high in omega-6 fatty acids, excessive alcohol intake, sweets and sodas, and processed meats.
So–what dietary tools do we have to reduce inflammation?
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Harvard Health suggests the Mediterranean diet for anti-inflammatory eating: This diet is “high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, and healthy oils.” Latitudes.org has shared similar advice, based on a large body of recent research. Other investigations that zero-in on gut health recommend high-fiber diets. A high fiber diet is rich in legumes, seeds, whole grains, nuts, vegetables and/or fruits.
Could adjustments to a high fiber diet make it even more beneficial?
The answer is yes. Stanford researchers found that a fermented-food diet was better than a classic high-fiber diet.
Let’s be clear that fermented foods are nothing new! But sometimes it helps to have new research that nudges us in the direction of taking a good look at them.
A fermented-food diet increases microbiome diversity and lowers inflammation, according to Stanford researchers. They discovered that a “10-week diet high in fermented foods boosts microbiome diversity and improves immune responses while reducing signs of inflammation.” Stanford School of Medicine.
What are examples of fermented foods?
In a clinical trial, 36 healthy adults were randomly assigned to a 10-week diet that included either fermented or high-fiber foods. The two diets resulted in different effects on the gut microbiome and the immune system.
In the study, eating foods such as these below led to an increase in overall microbial diversity, with stronger effects from larger servings and more reduced inflammation than the high fiber diet:
- Yogurt
- Kefir
- Fermented cottage cheese
- Kimchi
- Other fermented vegetables
- Vegetable brine drinks
- Kombucha tea
“This is a stunning finding,” said Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology. “It provides one of the first examples of how a simple change in diet can reproducibly remodel the microbiota across a cohort of healthy adults.”
In addition, four types of immune cells showed less activation in the fermented-food group. The levels of 19 inflammatory proteins measured in blood samples also decreased. One of these proteins, interleukin 6, has been linked to conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, Type 2 diabetes and chronic stress.
“Microbiota-targeted diets can change immune status, providing a promising avenue for decreasing inflammation in healthy adults,” said Christopher Gardner, PhD, the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor and director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. “This finding was consistent across all participants in the study who were assigned to the higher fermented food group.”Justin Sonnenburg
By contrast, none of these 19 inflammatory proteins decreased in participants assigned to a high-fiber diet rich in legumes, seeds, whole grains, nuts, vegetables and fruits. On average, the diversity of their gut microbes also remained stable.
“We expected high fiber to have a more universally beneficial effect and increase microbiota diversity,” said Erica Sonnenburg, PhD, a senior research scientist in basic life sciences, microbiology and immunology. “The data suggest that increased fiber intake alone over a short time period is insufficient to increase microbiota diversity.”
The study was published online July 12 in Cell. A wide body of evidence has demonstrated that diet shapes the gut microbiome, which can affect the immune system and overall health. Read more
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