CHRONIC INFLAMMATION AND ITS’ NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
BY William Cabot, M.D., FAAOS
INTRODUCTION
Inflammation is the body’s response to injury or infection. Regardless of whether it is
inflammation from a sunburn or from an abscess, it is typically comprised of four
cardinal signs: heat, redness, swelling, and pain. If it persists long enough it is
associated with a fifth sign…loss of function of the inflamed area (1).
What many do not know is that low grade chronic inflammation in the body exists but is
not outwardly visible like a boil or cellulitis. It is measurable by laboratory tests, the
most basic being a test called the CRP which stands for C-Reactive Protein (3).
DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC INFLAMMATION
One of the biggest medical discoveries has been that there is a direct cause and effect
relationship between chronic inflammation and coronary artery disease. We previously
thought that coronary artery disease was solely a result of consuming a diet too high in
saturated fats. We now know that it is low grade inflammation in the body affecting the
walls of the coronary arteries that starts the cholesterol deposits that subsequently block
the arteries and cause heart attacks (5). This is one reason it is possible to have
normal cholesterol levels and still have a heart attack
It is a silent killer and is also related causally to cancer, Alzheimer’s disease,
sarcopenia, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, depression, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease and a host of other maladies. This causal relationship
was significant enough in 2004 that it made the cover of Time Magazine (2).
Why is a protein company like AMCO interested in chronic inflammation? The high
quality protein products we produce either wholly or in part are in many instances
battling the sequelae of diseases caused by chronic inflammation. Sarcopenia, or loss
of muscle mass, is number one on our list (4). Osteoporosis is not far behind (6).
Coronary Artery
Disease
Cancer
Alzheimer's
Osteoporosis
Sarcopenia
Infammaotry Bowel
Disease
Arthritis
Depression
Depression
Allergies
Asthma
Psoriasis
Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease
Gullian Barre
Varying Arthritic
Disorders
Eczema
Fibromyalgia
Gerd
Lupus
Neuropathy
Anemia
Kidney Failure
Multiple Sclerosis
Scleroderma
ACUTE VS. CHRONIC INFLAMMATION
There is a tremendous difference between the acute inflammation that occurs right after
an injury and chronic inflammation that is so harmful. Let’s say you partially tear a piece
of connective tissue like a muscle. As soon as this happens the body starts to heal
itself by going through three necessary stages. They are inflammation, repair and then
remodeling.
The acute inflammatory response with its’ heat, redness, swelling, and soreness occurs
because blood vessels dilate at the site of an injury so that healing factors can be
brought into the area. Our body produces substances called eicosanoids some of
which cause pain at the sight of the inflammation. They also cause pain. Over the
counter pain medicine like Ibuprofen works by blocking the production of some of the
eicosanoids, the major one being a substance called prostaglandins.
Acute inflammation is helpful as we block off the affected area while the body does its’
work to heal it. On the contrary chronic inflammation which is widespread is very
harmful because of the multitude of diseases mentioned above that are associated with
it. Cytokines are small protein substances in the body that either promote or help stop
inflammation. The continued presence of the proinflammatory cytokines in our body
causes chronic inflammation and subsequently leads to the diseases mentioned above
(7). Two of the more common ones you may have read about are tumor necrosis factor
and interleukin.
SARCOPENIA ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY
This is a disease of muscle wasting, usually associated with advancing age, but not
always. Individuals who are obese have a greater incidence of muscle wasting and it
has been shown that those individuals have a higher than normal level of proinflammatory circulating cytokines and therefore are frequently in a state of chronic low
grade inflammation (8). Inflammatory cytokines have been found to have a direct
catabolic effect on muscle mass and may also induce insulin resistance which is a
further contributing factor in the etiology of muscle wasting.
CONCLUSION AND THE GOOD NEWS
If you watch TV you will see all the advertisements about new drugs to treat psoriasis
and other chronic inflammatory conditions. The way they work is to lower the levels of
the pro-inflammatory cytokines discussed above. The fields of rheumatology and
immunology are exploding with new treatments all the time for the chronic diseases we
battle because we may be one of those afflicted with higher than normal levels of proinflammatory cytokines. It is very important when battling chronic diseases caused by
chronic inflammation that you maintain a positive nitrogen balance via good protein
intake. So sit back, make yourself a protein shake, and educate yourself.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. J Inflamm (Lond). 2004; .Published online Punchard, NA, et al, Journal of
Inflammation, 2004 Sep 27
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1074343/
2. Time Magazine, February 23, 2004.
3. Du Clos TW; Function of C-reactive protein; Ann Med 2000 May;32(4):274-8.
4. Cabot, W., Geriatric Nutrition; http://www.amcoproteins.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/02/GeriatricNutrition_29_Jan_14.pdf.
5. Wilson PW; Evidence of systemic inflammation and estimation of coronary artery
disease risk: a population perspective; Am J Med 2008 Oct; 121(10 supply):S1520.
6. Ginaldi Lia, et al; Osteoporosis, Inflammation and ageing: Immune Ageing: 2005;
2:14Publeshed online 2005 Nov 4th.
7. Jun-Ming Shang M.D., et al; Cytokines Inflammation and pain; Int Anesthesiol
Clin, 2007 Spring: 45(2): 27-37.
8. Schrager Matthew et al; Sarcopenic obesity and inflammation in the InCHIANYI
Study; J Appl Physiol 2007Mar: 102(3)919-925.
9. Perry CG et al; Low grade inflammation is notably suppressed by conventional
anti-inflammatory treatment: a randomized crossover trial; Heart 2004Jul; 90
(7):804-5.