Diabetes and heart disease are on the rise worldwide. They’re serious chronic conditions. They have a few other things in common as well. For one thing, they’re both considered “lifestyle” diseases. This means that they tend to occur in people with certain lifestyles (not-so-awesome nutrition and exercise habits, etc). They’re also both linked with excess body fat, as well as inflammation.

Inflammation

Inflammation has been getting a lot of bad press lately, but it’s not always a bad thing. As in most areas of health, it’s the balance that’s important. Inflammation is a natural process that our body uses to protect against infections, irritants, and damage. Inflammation helps our bodies eliminate damaged cells and tissues and helps them to repair. It also helps to reduce the cause of the damage, for example, by fighting the infection. The word inflammation comes from the Latin word “inflammo,” meaning “I set alight, I ignite.”

Inflammation is a natural process to protect and heal our bodies. However, it can become self-perpetuating and stick around way longer than necessary. This long-term (chronic) inflammation is often associated with several health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, and excess body weight.

Types of inflammation – Acute vs. chronic

When inflammation happens in a big way, for a short time, this is known as “acute” inflammation. Signs of acute inflammation include redness, heat, swelling, pain, and loss of function. These short durations of strong inflammation can help the body to heal injuries and infections.

On the other hand, when inflammation sticks around longer than necessary, it’s called “chronic” inflammation. Chronic inflammation can damage the body over time, without any signs or symptoms at all. It’s this type of inflammation linked to conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and excess body fat. It’s also linked with many other conditions of the body, brain, and even mental health concerns.

What inflammation does

Inflammation stems from the immune system’s response and also involves our blood vessels (arteries and veins) and other molecules. One of these molecules is the infamous “free radical.” These highly reactive molecules (oxidants) help to fight infectious agents and also help cells to communicate. But, when they are in overdrive, and they aren’t counteracted with many antioxidants, they can tip the balance and cause damage to healthy cells.

There are several other inflammatory molecules, one of which can be measured with a blood test. This is C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP is considered one of the “markers” of inflammation. This “inflammatory marker,” when found in a blood test at high levels, indicate that there is inflammation in the body. High blood levels of inflammatory markers like CRP are associated with increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. Some researchers believe that levels of inflammatory markers in the blood can actually predict whether someone is going to eventually develop diabetes or heart disease.

Chronic inflammation and diabetes

Diabetes is a complex condition of metabolism where our bodies don’t manage blood sugar levels very well. Blood sugar levels naturally go up and down throughout the day. Up after we eat; and down when we’re hungry. In a person with good blood sugar control, when blood sugar levels get high, insulin is released. This tells our cells to absorb sugar out of the blood to level it out.

Blood sugar level is a tightly controlled system.  But when the control of the blood sugar levels isn’t as good, for example, they stay too high for too long (i.e. because of insulin issues), this can lead to diabetes. And having diabetes can have many long-term serious health consequences like amputation, blindness, and kidney disease. About 95% of diabetes is type 2 diabetes (T2DM), formerly known as “adult-onset” diabetes. This is because there are a whole host of nutrition and lifestyle habits, when done for years and decades, contribute to this diagnosis.

These nutrition and lifestyle habits can promote excess body fat and inflammation, and lead to an imbalance between insulin need and insulin production. Inflammation is thought to be a key factor when it comes to diabetes. It can negatively affect insulin-producing cells. It’s also one of the causes of insulin resistance. In fact, some researchers argue that virtually all of the factors that promote diabetes are linked with inflammation.

Chronic inflammation and heart disease

Heart disease is a major cause of death in countries such as Australia, the US, Canada, and the European Union. The link between inflammation and heart disease was discovered back in 2006. The first stage of heart disease is called “atherosclerosis.” Complications of heart disease include things like heart attacks. Inflammation is a key issue linked with both atherosclerosis and heart attacks.

Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) starts when there are too many “free radicals” inside the blood vessels. This can be from high blood sugar, high levels of oxidized fats in the blood (from too many free radicals), etc.. These lead to damage of the inside surfaces of the blood vessels allowing a buildup of plaque (including immune system cells) which increases chronic inflammation. This plaque narrows the inside of the blood vessels and can lead to complications like heart attacks. And after a heart attack, inflammation increases to even higher levels.

Research is underway specifically targeting inflammation to try to reduce heart and blood vessel injury, reduce the worsening of heart disease, and to promote healing.

Inflammation – Excess body fat

Excess body fat is linked with both diabetes and heart disease. And in 2003, researchers found that it’s also linked with inflammation. Body fat itself can promote the activation of immune cells. The fat tissue can even produce its own inflammatory markers. This is particularly true for internal fat around the belly, liver, and heart. Excess body fat also increases the body’s need for insulin, and negatively affects insulin-producing cells.

Excess body fat is also linked with the same nutrition and lifestyle factors as diabetes and heart disease. Losing weight reduces inflammation in belly fat as well as the rest of the body, and can also reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.

Nutrition and lifestyle upgrades

There is a lot of evidence that improving nutrition and lifestyle can help many factors associated with chronic diseases, including reducing inflammation. In fact, according to the NIH: “People with insulin resistance and prediabetes can decrease their risk for diabetes by eating a healthy diet and reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, increasing physical activity, not smoking, and taking medication.” “The main treatment for atherosclerosis is lifestyle changes.”

Ways to improve your nutrition and lifestyle.

Anti-inflammatory diet

A nutritious diet promotes health, reduces the risk of many chronic diseases, and can reduce inflammation. Some areas that are being researched now are anti-inflammatory diets and foods.

One diet has a lot of science supporting its health-promoting, emotional well-being improving, and life-extending properties. This is the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet includes a lot of vegetables, fruits, and legumes; some fish, whole grains, tree nuts, and dairy; and small amounts of olive oil, tea, cocoa, red wine, herbs, and spices. It also has low levels of red meat and salt, and a low glycemic index (it doesn’t raise blood sugar very high). The Mediterranean diet can lower the risk of diabetes and adverse effects of obesity, even without weight loss. One of the reasons why is thought to be because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

Foods common in the Mediterranean diet contain substances that are both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Substances like polyphenols, flavonoids, pigments, unsaturated fats (including omega-3s), and anti-inflammatory vitamins and minerals like vitamin E and selenium. These foods may also help to improve insulin sensitivity, quality of blood lipids, and the gut microbiota.

Many anti-inflammatory effects of these foods have been demonstrated in clinical testing. Extra-virgin olive oil, tree nuts, and cocoa have been associated with anti-inflammatory effects, like reducing blood levels of CRP, in people.  Even when we look at individual components in food, we should keep in mind that it’s the whole diet, with all foods and lifestyle components that help to promote health. One or two individual aspects don’t have the same effect as a holistic approach to improving overall nutrition and lifestyle.

Inflammation – Sugar and starch

Excess sugars and starches put stress on our blood sugar levels and increase our risk of chronic diseases. They also promote inflammation in the body. Animals who eat sweets and white bread, and drink a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages have higher levels of inflammatory markers like CRP. Studies in people also show that diets low in sugar and starch have lower than average levels of CRP. One possible reason is that more sugar and starch may increase the production of inflammatory molecules and free radicals by giving immune cells more fuel and increase their activity. You can upgrade your nutrition in this area by eating fewer sugars (especially “added” sugars) and starches (especially “refined” starches).

Inflammation – Dietary fat

Some lab and animal studies show that increased levels of saturated fats can increase the production of inflammatory markers and free radicals. Meals with unsaturated fats seem to reduce the inflammatory response after the meal. Unsaturated fats like omega-3’s from fish seem to be particularly healthful. People who eat more fish tend to have lower levels of atherosclerosis and heart disease. Fish-based omega-3 unsaturated fats reduce inflammation in several ways. They reduce the source of inflammation, as well as increase the number of anti-inflammatory molecules.

Tree nuts are another good source of unsaturated fats and anti-inflammatory polyphenols. While nuts do contain a fair amount of fat, many studies show that people who regularly eat nuts do not tend to have a higher BMI (body mass index) or more body fat. Even adding nuts to the diet doesn’t seem to promote weight gain compared to the number of calories they contain. And that is if there even is any weight gain at all because many studies show no weight gain after adding nuts to the diet. Several studies show an increase in the resting metabolic rate in people who eat nuts – they seem to burn more calories even when they’re not active. This may be because of the type of fat (unsaturated), protein, fiber and/or the polyphenol content in the nuts.

You can upgrade your dietary fats by eating more fish and nuts. Fish and nuts contain unsaturated fats that have anti-inflammatory effects. They can also improve insulin sensitivity and even improve the health of insulin-producing cells. When it comes to fish oil supplements, many studies show a reduction in risk factors for heart disease by improving the way our bodies metabolize fats and its ability to “thin” the blood.

Inflammation – Dietary fiber

People who eat more fiber tend to have lower risks of diabetes and heart disease. There are a few ways this is thought to work, one is from reduced inflammation. This is because people who eat more fiber, fruits, and vegetables tend to have lower levels of CRP. In fact, animal studies show that eating fiber reduces the levels of inflammatory markers and also reduces excess body fat. This effect can be because fiber slows down the absorption of food from the body, reducing blood sugar spikes. It can also be because of its interaction with the friendly microbes in our gut. Foods that are high in fiber include whole grains, legumes (i.e. beans and lentils), cocoa, seeds (e.g. sesame), tree nuts (e.g. almonds), avocados, raspberries, and squash.

Inflammation – Exercise

Regular exercise helps with many chronic diseases, as well as helping to reduce inflammation. Levels of inflammatory markers are lower in people who exercise regularly, than those who do not. Plus, the people who exercise at a higher intensity tend to have even lower levels of CRP. In fact, adding regular moderate exercise to a nutritious anti-inflammatory diet has benefits beyond the dietary benefits, like even lower levels of inflammatory markers in the blood (i.e. like CRP).

Inflammation – Sleep

Both acute and chronic sleep deprivation causes an increase in inflammatory markers in the blood. In fact, sleep loss is a risk factor for insulin resistance and diabetes. When healthy volunteers have restricted sleep, this causes decreased insulin sensitivity.

Conclusion

Diabetes and heart disease are serious conditions. They have a few things in common, namely excess body fat and increased levels of inflammation. Inflammation can be healthy if it is fighting an infection or healing a wound, but chronic inflammation is associated with many serious conditions. There are a lot of nutrition and lifestyle issues that can contribute to chronic diseases. There are several ways they can do this; inflammation is just one of them. The good news is that there are are several nutrition and lifestyle factors you can improve. These include eating fewer sugars and starches, eating more fish, nuts and dietary fiber, and getting regular exercise and quality sleep.

Wellness at Belcara Health

If you are ready to improve your health, performance, and quality of life, we can help. Our world-class wellness specialists are renowned for providing unparalleled experiences and solutions that change lives. We will listen carefully to your concerns and goals, answer all your questions, and help you make informed choices.

Integrative Medicine views and treats the body as one integrated system instead of as isolated parts. Our medical team uses extensive, proprietary diagnostic assessment methods to identify the root causes of disease, as well as any early indicators of future disease. We then recommend the treatments you need to restore your body to a healthy, balanced state that is energized, youthful and sustainable. Our program begins with a comprehensive Diagnostic Assessment.

Our Diagnostic Assessment provides a baseline of vital information about your overall condition. Our team considers your medical history, concerns, and goals, and examines all your major body processes to learn how they are working together. Testing can include thorough lab workups of your blood, saliva, urine or stool. This provides a deep understanding of your current condition and identifies the root causes of your symptoms. We then design a treatment plan that works with your specific body chemistry and lifestyle to help you improve your health and proactively prevent future ailments from ever occurring. Treatment options include:

• Micronutrients
• Pharmaceutical Grade Supplements
• IV and IM Therapies
• Food Sensitivity Testing 
• Nutrition Counseling
• Bioidentical Hormone Therapies
• BH Fitness
• and more

Belcara Health

Exceptional patient care is the core of our philosophy at Belcara Health. Our goals are for you to feel as if you just received the best care possible and look and feel your best. Located in a welcoming, sophisticated, luxurious facility, our 5-star services and staff provide an unparalleled experience. At each stage, we make every effort to surpass all your expectations. We are constantly upgrading our knowledge, technology, and services – and it shows. Our strong reputation and the trust of the community validates this commitment. Learn more about Belcara Health.

Getting Started

If you’re ready to begin your journey towards better health, performance, and overall wellness, schedule your private consultation today by calling 410.296.0414 or contact us online.