Inflammation

High fat high carbohydrate fast food linked to "inflammation"

More and more diseases like heart disease, stroke and cancer are being linked to "Inflammation".

Ordinarily, inflammation is triggered by our immune system to protect the body from viruses, bacteria and physical injury like cuts.When we have an injury or irritation the body sends disease fighting white blood cells to the site by increasing the blood supply to the area resulting in redness, heat and swelling. The white blood cells enter the tissue to prevent the spread of infection by destroying bacteria/viruses and cellular debris. During this process, the tissue is also damaged and then repaired - however, the repair may not be 100%, especially in blood vessels where there has been extensive inflammation. Scientists have known for the past decade that inflammation is linked to heart disease. Inflammation associated with damaged blood vessels (due to smoking, hypertension, fatty plaques/atherosclerosis) can cause vessels to swell and narrow increasing the risk for heart attack and stroke.

A study published in the April 2004 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Aljada et al) found that eating a 900 kcal breakfast of Egg McMuffin and Hash Browns flooded the bloodstream with undesirable inflammatory components for 3-4 hours resulting in the blood vessels becoming "inflamed". In addition, free radicals increased by more than 100% and stayed elevated for more than three hours after eating the breakfast. Free radicals are destructive particles that have been linked to a higher risk of atherosclerosis. In contrast, a 900kcal breakfast consisting of fruit and fibre did not have this effect on inflammation.

The researchers stated that people who experience repeated short-lived bouts of inflammation resulting from many such unhealthy meals can end up with blood vessels in a chronic state of inflammation, a primary factor in the development of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries leads to clogged arteries and heart disease. Scientists speculate that a fatty fast food meal may trigger genes to produce more powerful enzymes to deal with the high influx of fat and carbohydrates. This process however could result in causing more damage to the lining of the blood vessels.

Last Updated: Junel 2004s