Chronic inflammation is a major health concern. Long-term chronic inflammation can accelerate aging and cause cognitive dysfunction and liver, kidney, and other diseases. Dr. Zheng Yuanyu, former principal physician of the infectious disease department at Taipei Veterans General Hospital and internist at Taiwan Shangwen Clinic, said on the Epoch Times “Health 1+1” program that chronic intestinal inflammation is quite common and difficult to detect yet poses a threat to other organs. He also explained how to apply a few simple tricks to counter this inflammation.
When foreign bacteria or viruses infect the body, physical manifestations, such as redness, swelling, heat, and pain, will appear. This physiological response produced by the body’s immune system is called inflammation. Inflammation aims to keep harm done to the body at a minimum while removing dead cells and metabolic waste. Next, the body can rebuild and repair tissue.
In an inflammatory response, small arteries spread to the capillaries and increase the permeability of the microvascular network. This allows substances in the blood vessels to exit the vessels. White blood cells, lymphocytes, etc., converge at the damaged parts of the body, allowing the immune system to produce a variety of chemicals that aid in the immune response.
Dr. Zheng said that most of the noticeable inflammatory reactions indicate acute inflammation. However, long-term chronic inflammation will set in if the immune system is continuously stimulated. Some chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis have apparent signs of inflammation that cause long-term joint pain and deformation. However, chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract (GI) is less obvious, despite how common and harmful it can be in the long run.
The Theory Behind Chronic Intestinal Inflammation
The GI tract operates under extremely harsh conditions. On the one hand, the stomach secretes potent gastric acid with a pH value of about 1, while the duodenum secretes alkaline liquid to neutralize the acidic food digested by the gastric acid. These digestive juices work together to destroy bacteria and break down proteins. The GI tract helps digest food through peristalsis, extrusion, and friction, producing metabolic waste and toxins.
Dr. Zheng said these digestive processes cause a normal loss of epithelial cells in the stomach and intestines every four or five days. These cells must be replaced with new ones. If the burden on the stomach and intestines increases, the loss of gastrointestinal cells will be exacerbated. This excessive loss will cause low-level but continuous chronic inflammation.
Things that increase gastrointestinal burden include insufficient fiber intake; intake of irritating food, such as alcohol; lack of sleep; prolonged stress; and bad mood.
According to Dr. Zheng, a meat-based diet that does not include many vegetables will starve certain healthy bacteria in the GI tract of cellulose, their food source, reducing bacterial abundance. In addition to cellulose, some bacteria need the mucus secreted on the surface of the GI tract to survive. With more mucus available, these bacteria flourish, resulting in an imbalance in the symbiotic microbial system.
Since the mucus layer is an important barrier that protects intestinal epithelial cells, once certain intestinal bacteria consume it for nutrients, this barrier becomes less robust, giving pathogenic bacteria a chance to damage the epithelial cells and even invade other intestinal cell layers.
Dr. Zheng said that intestinal cell damage and bacterial invasion cause inflammation. This means that insufficient dietary fiber intake alone is enough to cause chronic, higher-level intestinal inflammation.
The Dangers of Chronic Intestinal Inflammation
Healthy cells along the intestinal wall are closely aligned, tightly connected like teeth of a zipper, providing no gaps for macromolecules other than nutrients to permeate the intestinal wall and enter the rest of the body. This is sometimes called “leaky gut.”
However, chronic intestinal inflammation increases the intestinal tract’s permeability, making it easier for harmful macromolecules such as allergens, bacteria, and toxins to circulate through the rest of the body via the bloodstream. If this happens, other organs and processes, such as the following, are affected:
Liver
The liver is responsible for detoxification. Nutrients absorbed by the intestinal tract are delivered to the liver for processing. When chronic inflammation increases intestinal permeability, harmful substances leaked into the body will go to the liver to be processed, thus overtaxing the liver while it tries to detoxify. In addition, the toxic substances the liver fails to process will continue circulating via the bloodstream, affecting other organs.
Cognitive Function
A review of studies published in January showed substantial evidence that Parkinson’s disease patients have different gut microbiomes and metabolites than healthy controls.
Another study published in the journal PLOS ONE in July analyzed data from samples of 500,000 people from the UK Biobank and found that inflammatory biomarkers were associated with cognitive performance.
Emotions
A review of studies published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health in 2020 showed that taking probiotics alone or combining prebiotics and probiotics can significantly improve symptoms of anxiety or depression.
Skeletal and Muscular Systems
Bone metabolism and muscle synthesis are related to the ecological balance of intestinal bacteria. An imbalance can cause osteoporosis and chronic arthritis and affect muscle metabolism and synthesis.
Lungs
Chronic respiratory inflammation, chronic bronchial inflammation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and fibrocystic and other lung problems are related to intestinal microbial imbalance.
Kidneys
Abnormal intestinal permeability caused by chronic inflammation allows inflammatory substances and toxins to flow into the body, increasing the risk of chronic kidney disease.
Inflammation, uremic toxins, and GI symptoms improved in patients with end-stage renal disease after receiving a course of probiotics, according to a meta-analysis published in 2019 in Digestive Diseases and Sciences.
Spleen
The spleen serves an immune function, and chronic intestinal inflammation will adversely impact it.
How to Build an Inflammation-Free Body
A leaky gut and an imbalance of intestinal microorganisms allow inflammation and bacteria to permeate the intestinal tract and become a systemic problem thanks to blood circulation. If the situation persists, various organs and tissues will be impacted, accelerating aging.
Dr. Zheng said that chronic inflammation can cause a lot of harm, including dementia, the three highs (blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar), obesity, sarcopenia, joint degeneration, weakened immunity, and physical frailty.
To improve intestinal health and combat inflammation, Dr. Zheng provided the following six strategies:
1. Supplement Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber is essential in cultivating healthy bacteria in the gut and balancing the ecosystem of gut microbes.
Dr. Zheng suggested a daily intake of 20 to 30 grams (0.7 to 1.1 ounces) of dietary fiber. In addition to vegetables and fruits, at least one of the three meals should have whole grains as the primary source of calories, such as oatmeal and brown rice.
In addition to supplementing cellulose, eating various fruits and vegetables can provide other nutrients. For example, tomatoes contain lycopene, peppers have capsaicin, eggplant has anthocyanins, pumpkins and spinach contain lutein, and carrots have beta carotene.
2. Consume High-Quality Fats and Oils
Dr. Zheng said some oils have anti-inflammatory effects. Choose oils containing omega-9 fatty acids, such as olive or camellia oil, for cooking.
In addition, you can eat fish with relatively higher oil content, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines. These are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and have better anti-inflammatory effects.
3. Reduce Chemical Exposure
Pesticide residues in food such as insecticides, and chemical additives in shampoo, facial cleansing products, sunscreen, and skin care products may also be related to chronic inflammation.
4. Improve Sleep Quality
Sleep plays a crucial role in physical, mental, and emotional health. A 2021 review of research mentioned that people with sleep problems are at greater risk of developing immune and chronic inflammatory diseases, and the relationship between sleep quality and immunity seems to be bidirectional. Improving sleep quality may positively affect immunity by reducing the incidence of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.
5. Regulate Mood
In May, an article published in Nature mentioned that psychological stress can exacerbate intestinal inflammation caused by certain intestinal diseases. It also pointed out that signals from the brain reach intestinal nerve cells, releasing inflammatory chemicals. Another study found that psychological stress can trigger inflammatory activity and emotional and cognitive changes. Therefore, reducing stress and adjusting mood is good for both the body and the mind.
6. Maintain Positive Relationships
A 2021 study published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity identified social isolation and loneliness as factors that exacerbate chronic inflammation and significant contributors to poor physical and mental health.
Maintaining face-to-face social interaction between people and establishing good social relationships is not only good for the spirit but also good for physical health.