Swelling, redness, pain; the symptoms of inflammation in your joints can be excruciating. But inflammation doesn’t only happen in your joints.
Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and even arthritis; there are a lot of diseases linked to chronic inflammation.
“Inflammation is the basis for many chronic diseases, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, even Alzheimer’s,” said Sampath Parthasarathy, a professor at UCF.
Now researchers say the best medicine may not come from a pharmacy but from your pantry.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, eating a three to four-ounce serving of fish, such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel, at least twice a week can reduce inflammation and protect your heart.
So can eating nuts. A study found that over a 15-year period, people who consumed the most nuts had a 51% lower risk of dying from an inflammatory disease compared to those who eat the fewest nuts.
Some other inflammation-fighting foods include fruits, such as strawberries, blueberries, oranges, and cherries; leafy greens like kale, spinach, and collards; and foods like tomatoes and olive oil. Olive oil contains a compound that has properties like ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
“We should consider taking some of these things so that we can possibly prevent, we can reduce inflammation, we can prevent a lot of disease,” said Ajay Goel, the Director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Research Cancer Prevention at Baylor Scott & White Health.
Fried foods, refined carbs, processed meats, and sugar-sweetened drinks can increase inflammation. A recent study from the University of Kentucky found people with heart failure who eat a diet high in foods that cause inflammation are twice as likely to end up in the hospital or die compared to those who eat foods known to reduce inflammation.