Foods That Cause Inflammation [Inflammatory Foods That Can Cause Heart Disease, Obesity & Diabetes]

inflammation is actually a protective mechanism elicited by our immune system which fights off any kind of a foreign agent that tries to invade our body this agent could be a bacterium virus parasite or even a dust particle for this reason inflammation is called the first line defense in our body on the other hand persistent chronic inflammation can lead to tissue damage which will eventually result in a variety of disease conditions persistent low-grade chronic inflammation is the key factor behind the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and it is also associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes obesity and insulin resistance as well as certain neurological conditions like dementia and depression interestingly certain foods can trigger inappropriate inflammatory responses in our body frequent uptake of these foods can lead to persistent chronic inflammation and associated disease conditions so in this video we are going to look at six types of foods that can trigger inflammation in our body number one sugar and high fructose corn syrup these two ingredients are the major types of added sugar in western diet one sugar molecule is made up of one glucose and one fructose molecule our intestine absorbs glucose and fructose separately into the body this fructose content is the major culprit behind inflammation fructose can be metabolized only by the liver so when the fructose content in the body is too high and liver cannot handle this some of this fructose is converted to free fatty acids the metabolic products of free fatty acids are found to play a role in triggering inappropriate inflammation in the body some of the foods that have a high sugar content include sugar sweetened beverages chocolates donuts cookies and certain types of cereals number two foods high in trans fat artificial trans fats are likely the unhealthiest fats you can eat foods that are high in trans fats include french fries and other types of fried fast foods some varieties of microwave popcorn certain types of margarines packaged cakes cookies and literally any food with partially hydrogenated fat unlike naturally occurring trans fats that are found in dairy products and meat artificial trans fats have been shown to cause inflammation and increase the disease risk consumption of artificial trans fats is linked to high levels of inflammatory markers such as c reactive protein trans fats also reduce the amount of hdl cholesterol which is the good type of cholesterol in our blood in addition trans fats may impair the function of endothelial cells that line the blood vessels which is a risk factor for heart disease number three foods high in omega-6 fatty acids omega-6 fatty acids are essential for the normal growth and development however excessive intake of these fatty acids will induce inappropriate inflammation in our body some of the foods that are high in omega-6 fatty acids include canola oil corn oil mayonnaise and sunflower oil number four refined carbohydrates refined carbohydrates are commonly found in candy bread pastries cookies sugary beverages pasta cake and certain types of cereals the problem of refined carbs is that they are produced by removing most of their fiber content so they have a high glycemic index we know that foods with a high glycemic index can raise blood glucose levels more rapidly than other foods therefore these foods can drastically promote inflammation number five processed meat consumption of processed meat is associated with an increased risk of heart disease type 2 diabetes and stomach and colon cancer common types of processed meat include sausages bacon ham and smoked meat and beef jerky processed meat can significantly promote inflammation because they contain a large amount of advanced glycation end products in addition to above-mentioned types of foods excessive alcohol consumption is another major cause for inflammation and associated disease conditions