Obesity is responsible for generalized inflammation in the population, a recent study confirms.

Generalized inflammation, also called asymptomatic inflammation (because you can measure it in the blood, but it doesn’t necessarily cause pain or discomfort) is closely correlated in many studies with serious disease. For example, it correlates closely with both cancer and heart disease. In fact, inflammation correlates more closely with heart disease than do LDL cholesterol levels.

As we age, generalized inflammation tends to increase, as measured by the presence of inflammatory markers such as c-reactive protein (CRP) and many other blood factors. This is one factor that makes us more likely to develop degenerative diseases as we age.

But this study showed that a larger waist circumference caused a greater rise in inflammation than a smaller waist size.

Just another reason to get that weight down.

Related articles

• Rheumatoid Arthritis and Heart Attack Risk (everydayhealth.com)

Obesity Causes Serious Diseases is a post from: Living To 150

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1. Atherosclerosis is an Immune Disease

Blood tests in USA (Wikipedia)

In America, many people have annual blood tests. It’s commonplace. In the UK it happens hardly at all. Well, it is so expensive over here.

In the USA I can get 80 or so blood tests done for around £300-400. ($450-600) That is very cheap.

In the UK, one blood test can cost over £100.

It is my aim to demonstrate to you how you can monitor your health by having regular blood tests done. To this end, I have had a series of three blood tests now. The last set was nearly 2 years ago in Denver. This time I had some done in Palm Springs, and then some done in San Francisco.

I did not intend to split them! But after the initial tests in Palm Springs, I got an email from the lab, saying they hadn’t taken enough blood! So I had to go back a second time to have more blood drawn. Fortunately, I was checking emails while in the States.

Being the third time I have had tests done, I’m beginning to get the hang of interpreting them.

The first time I had them done I really didn’t have much of a clue. I have been in alternative medicine for 30 years, but analysing blood tests has never been part of what I have done.

Now, I can see that each time I have them done, I’m beginning to understand more and more about them.

I have an adviser, fortunately, who is an expert in interpreting blood tests and can help me. Handy. But I have to learn more myself as I go along.

One particular concern this time is my borderline-high cholesterol. My partner also has this. I am researching it carefully to find out what I should be doing to deal with it. Or, in fact, if I should be doing anything.

I’m reading a book called “The Great Cholesterol Con”. This explores the hypothesis that cholesterol does not lead to heart disease. Interesting, but it might be left field. I’m  not sure though – the author has a ton of evidence.

I now need to do loads of research on the blood tests – both for myself and for my partner. I will let you know a summary of my findings, and what I intend to do about them.

More Blood Tests For Health is a post from: Living To 150

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Scientists studied 1,700 male volunteers to find their propensity to develop serious disease. They measured blood CRP – c-reactive protein – levels. CRP has been correlated with increased incidence of depression, heart disease and stroke.

Higher CRP levels – and thus chances of serious disease – were more likely in those men with high blood pressure; even higher CRP levels were found in those who smoked; but the highest levels of all were found in men who were not married!

But this doesn’t mean that married men can ‘let themselves go’!

The British Heart Foundation warns that: “Whether you are married or not, eating healthily, doing regular activity and ot sokeng are all vital.”

You have been warned.

Article on inflammation and CRP.

Married Men Have Lowest Disease Risk is a post from: Living To 150

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In the last post, I said that generalised inflammation is heavily implicated in causing or worsening the main degenerative diseases – cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

After cutting down on Omega-6 in the diet, omega-3 supplementation is the top way for most people to reduce their level of generalised inflammation.

The reason for this is that nearly everyone has too many Omega-6 fatty acids in their diet, and too few Omega-3 fatty acids.

If you are taking a 3-6-9 fatty acid supplement: stop now! Why take extra Omega-6 fats when you are already taking too many in your diet? This is a marketing ruse.

Avoid Omega-6

I haven’t found anyone who can tell me why we should need to have extra Omega-6. Omega-6 is the enemy. I really don’t understand why companies sell it as a supplement. We have loads of it in meat, milk, cheese and the common oils – sunflower, safflower and soy.

If I have missed something – tell me in the comments.

Get More Omega-3

Omega-3 is only found in quantity in oily fish and walnuts. Green vegetables have a tiny amount: hemp seeds and linseeds have fair amounts – but it is nothing as accessible as that from oily fish or walnuts.

HOW TO DO IT

To counteract generalised inflammation, which accompanies cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s, do the following to cut down on Omega-6 and increase Omega-3:

• Reduce fatty meat. Focus on low fat meat – chicken and turkey breast are good.
• Avoid or minimise sunflower, safflower and soy oils. (Use olive oil – which has little Omega-6 or Omega-3 – it contains mainly ‘monosaturated’ fats. )
• Eat plenty of oily fish – sardines, mackerel, north pacific salmon (this type has less chance of heavy metal contamination)
• Eat moderate amounts of walnuts.
• Supplement with a top quality Omega-3 supplement. Add up the EPA + DHA delivered  it should preferably be 100mg, or at least 500mg. Many health-shop brands deliver much less.

And do get your blood checked for C-Reactive Protein (CRP). (Hopefully you can persuade your doctor to do it – and save £75 or £100 in the UK – half that in the states!) Then you will know how much of a challenge you are facing – if any. After 6 months, retest the CRP to check how you are doing.

 Book on C-Reactive Protein

Supplementing with Omega-3 Fatty Acids is a post from: Living To 150

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Over the years there have been many changes of recommendation as to what types of fats are healthy for us. There is particular confusion over whether we need Omega-3 or Omega-6 fatty acids.

The truth is: we need Omega-3s.

We should generally shoot for a 1:1 balance of Omega-3 to Omega-6 in the diet. The problem is, our diets generally contain much too much Omega-6. Thus we need to reduce Omega-6 fats and increase Omega-3 fats.

Inflammation Kills

The main reason to increase Omega-3 fats is: Omega-3 reduces inflammation. Omega-6 fats increase inflammation – it is ‘pro-inflammatory’.

What is wrong with inflammation? ‘Good inflammation’ is designed to help the body to repair damage or counteract infection. It causes redness, pain and heat.

The ‘bad’ sort is generalised inflammation. This type does not cause pain or discomfort. It is insidious: it can be detected by a blood test, but is not felt. This generalised inflammation has been linked to all major degenerative diseases: cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

A good test for generalised inflammation is to test the blood for c-reactive protein (CRP). Some UK doctors will test for CRP. They might tell you that 2-4 times normal CRP is acceptable: but check for yourself what you levels should – don’t trust the doctor’s view. Just twice the normal CRP level can double your chance of a heart attack.

Book on C-Reactive Protein

The top ways to reduce generalised inflammation are by:

1. Reducing intake of food high in Omega-6 – such as milk, cheese, and common vegetable oils, including sunflower (stick to cold-pressed olive oil), and
2. Supplementing with Omega-3 fatty acid; which means – fish oils.  Cod liver oil is fine; and eating oily fish – such as sardines, mackerel and salmon.

CRP is one proven measure of your propensity to develop all major degenerative diseases. You cannot be properly pro-active in safeguarding your own health if you do not know it.

Inflammation article

Take Your Omega 3′s is a post from: Living To 150

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The latest “Statins Beat Heart Attack” headlines would be wryly funny if they weren’t so tragic.

Short sighted journalists are fooled by profit-hungry drug companies who, as often seems to be the case, are driving partisan research chemists.

“Statins Reduce Heart Attacks”

This is not news, and it is not even surprising. Anything which reduces general inflammation in the body will reduce heart attacks. This includes Omega 3 fatty acids, and any number of herbs including nettles, ginger and turmeric. The problem with using statins instead is the many side-effects users have reported.

The New Trial

The new trial is clearly partisan. For a start, it is called ‘Jupiter’, which stands for Justify the Use of Statins… Hmmmh – little doubt about the results they are looking for, then.

The particular brand of statins it ‘justifies’ is Crestor, made by AstraZeneca which costs around £26 a month. As the predominant statins used in the UK are the generic Simvastatin which cost £1.42 a month, the trial results are great for AstraZeneca. No doubt certain sectors of the community will be calling for the replacement of Simvastatin with Crestor (is it me – or isn’t that also a toothpaste?).

Drug Company Strategy

Statins are the best thing that have happened to drug companies for a long time. They are turning into a license to print money. One prime benefit of selling statins is that they are being used by younger and younger people – and they ‘need’ them for life.

As the drug companies see their profits slashed by cheap generic replacements – they simply come up with a new twist – as in this case – to show, by a flawed study, the superiority of their new, replacement product. Then they get to milk it drug until the patent runs out.

This is exactly what they did with HRT (ERT); each time the evidence showed that HRT damaged health, new research unearthed a new supposed benefit of HRT so they could persuade doctors to keep prescribing it and journalists to keep writing about how good it was.

What To Do Instead Of Taking Statins

This trial was carried out by selecting people with a high level of c-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood. They were then given statins.

Agreed – CRP does indicate general inflammation in the body which gives a raised chance of heart and artery disease as well as of diabetes, various cancers and Alzheimers’ disease.

Where I don’t agree is the treatment. Drugs are not usually necessary.

To treat raised CRP a combination of herbal treatment and fish oils will usually bring it down. Take these, then recheck CRP in 2-3 months.

Ideally, CRP should be less than 0.5 mg/L (milligrams per litre) in men and less than 1.5 mg/L in women.

Avoiding Statins – or Coming Off Them

Don’t just stop statins if you are taking them. Come off them with professional guidance. Most certainly involve your doctor in this process. Similarly if you have been told that you need to take statins. Be cautious. Around 50% of people come off statins because of the side-effects; but don’t put yourself at risk by just not taking them – you need an alternative strategy.

1. The following link leads to an article which contains a list of 8 natural alternatives to lower cholesterol, based on sound science:
Natural ways to cut cholesterol

Extract from this article about avoiding statins:

“HOW TO AVOID STARTING STATINS
If your doctor advises you to begin taking a statin drug, suggest a lower dose or a delay in initiation of the drug until you have had two to three months to try natural cholesterol- and LDL-lowering agents. Patient involvement in treatment decisions is commonplace today, and most physicians will work with you. A rough rule of thumb: adherence to a low-fat, high-fiber diet (that eliminates processed foods), along with some of the nutritional supplements discussed in this article, will lower LDL cholesterol by as much as 30%. Keep this in mind when starting your program. ……..”

See the article for more detail.

2. This article covers the role of general inflammation in generating disease
Aging and Longevity – 4. Inflammation

Also, read Life Extension Revolution, by Miller, Chapter 7:  Cooling Inflammation: Disease-Proofing Your Body

Above all, don’t fall for the drug-company hype; because that’s what it is. In 2004 the pharmaceutical industry was estimated to be receiving $22 billion (£14 billion) from statin drugs.

Do your research and make your own mind up. And it’s not easy to get your CRP checked regularly – but is very, very useful to do so as it gives an early warning of problems to come.

Statins – Don’t Be Fooled By The Research is a post from: Living To 150

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Inflammation is shown, in this image, affecting some of the major joints. We all know and understand this type.

But Generalised Inflammation is something that we all need to be aware of – whether or not we have aches and pains.

Generalised Inflammation is present in many people – and they rarely know about it.

This insidious type of inflammation is implicated in all major degenerative diseases:

• Heart disease
• Artery disease
• Some cancers
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Diabetes

In other words, many studies have shown that a significant number of the people suffering from these diseases

have generalised inflammation, demonstrated by blood tests.

As these diseases occur more as we age, I think we can usefully add:

• Aging

to the list of diseases which inflammation causes.

Measuring Inflammation

Inflammation can be detected by testing the blood for c-reactive protein (molecule pictured left) and fibrinogen. If the levels of these two are high, bringing them down can usually be fairly easily achieved through the right vitamins, nutritional supplements and herbs.

More Information

As well as my more detailed article on Inflammation, here are links to some books on the topic from Amazon UK:

Stop Inflammation Now!
The Inflammation Syndrome
The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan

Essential To Address If We Are To Get – And Stay – Healthy

Inflammation is a crucial issue to address to slow down aging and the onset of degenerative diseases. I find it fascinating that this issue is:

• Easy to measure (through blood tests)
• Usually easy to treat
• Therefore within our individual control

And also that it is:

• Talked about by hardly anyone who is charged with looking after our health.

Inflammation Kills is a post from: Living To 150

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Low-level inflammation causes millions to die every year. This type of inflammation can easily be identified with a simple blood test. Usually, it can easily be treated with a combination of all herbs and nutrients. In years to come it will be measured routinely, because it is such an effective predictor of disease.

What Is Low Level Inflammation?

We generally know when we have an inflammation, because it is characterized by the classic indications of heat, swelling, redness and pain.

However when there is low-level inflammation there are no obvious external signs. But what is certain is that this low level inflammation is an accurate predictor of many serious diseases.

What Problems Does It Create?

There is very clear data showing that low-level inflammation makes heart and artery disease much more likely. This has been confirmed by analyzing the results of major studies.

By itself, this is a very important factor in health and aging. Ofter all, half the population of Western countries die of heart and artery disease.

But there is more. Low-level inflammation is also an accurate predictor of many other degenerative diseases, including;

1. Alzheimer’s disease
2. Arthritis and rheumatism, and
3. Some, probably many, cancers

How Can It Be Measured?

The actual causative factors of inflammation – inflammatory cytokines – can be measured; but this is expensive. It is better first to measure two blood components which indicate the presence or absence of inflammation; then home in on the cytokines only if necessary.

These two blood components, which accompany inflammation, are easily and (fairly) cheaply measured. They are c-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen. In the UK you might even get your doctor to get these measured for you.

If these two are very high and there is no obvious inflammation present (such as an infection), then some sort of low level inflammation is present. This inflammation will be wearing out body tissues and certainly leading us towards degenerative diseases.

The level of CRP you are aiming for is less than 1 mg/L (milligram per litre) for men, and less than 1.5 mg/L for women (Philip Miller, 2005, p184 – see end of next paragraph). Over 2 mg/L for men and 3.5 mg/L for women leads to significant additional risk for heart disease, and other degenerative diseases.

How Can Inflammation Be Treated?

Low-level inflammation can be treated through diet and by using supplements.

Diet: this is pretty much the standard anti-aging diet, namely:

1. Plenty of fresh vegetables, many of them preferably raw.
2. Reduce to a minimum potatoes, pasta, bread and rice.
3. Reduce all types of sugar to a minimum – honey and maple syrup included
4. Moderate amounts of fruit, mainly berries, eaten whole and not as juice.
5. Choose foods low on the glycemic index.
6. Eat healthy fats. Apart from trans fats and saturated fats, which should obviously be avoided, Omega 6 fatty acids promote inflammation. These are present in most oils except olive oil, and in meat and dairy products as well as in grains. Grass-fed meat is lower in Omega 6 fats than grain-fed meat. Omega 3 fatty acids on the other hand, are anti-inflammatory. They are found in olive oil, nuts, seeds and fish and in vegetables in small amounts.

Supplements: The top supplement to take to reduce generalised inflammation is fish oil. All adults are advised to take at least 1 gramme of DHA + EPA daily, and up to 3 grammes.  Probably 2 grammes is good to aim for. This is provided by 6 capsules a day of the typical omega 3 supplement – but check the label – some are stronger than others. Look on the label for the level of EPA and DHA and add them together.  You are looking for 2 grammes or 2000 mg. (Ignore the total amount of fish oil – you are looking just for EPA and DHA.)

Other anti-inflammatory supplements include bromelain – from pineapple, the hormone DHEA and vitamin K.

Herbs which can counteract low-level inflammation include natural, ginger, turmeric and ginkgo.

The exact treatment protocol use will be best determined by a professional you’re working with. Or you might start with that given in Philip Miller‘s excellent book “Life Extension Revolution” (2005 edition, page 194).

The 4 ‘-ations’ – Essential Indicators of Health

The 4 ‘-ations’ – which include inflammation – are four very damaging processes which cause aging and which produce the degenerative disease which kill most of us. The other three of these processes are methylation, oxidation and glycation.

The knowledge of how to deal with these 4 killers is growing rapidly, mainly among the few researchers who are interested in longevity or healthy aging.

It typically takes 25 years for the medical profession to absorb new information of this magnitude. This means it is up to us as individuals to learn about, and take control of, these processes.

Fortunately, the evidence is clear and the solutions are quite simple. To me, this is an absolutely fascinating topic. I hope I have conveyed that to you in these four articles, and that you find them useful.

Aging and Longevity – 4. Inflammation is a post from: Living To 150

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There is news currently about how statin drugs are associated with lower levels of Alzheimer’s disease.

This is not surprising – because statins lower inflammation; and there is a link between Alzheimer’s disease and low-level inflammation. 

However, the solution to low-level inflammation is NOT to take statin drugs. Just as the answer to cholesterol is not to take statin drug – except in isolated cases.

Measuring Low Level Inflammation

Currently, the best and cheapest way to find out if you have a raised level of low-level inflammation is to measure c-reactive protein, or CRP. This substance has a raised level if inflammation is present. This blood test is simple and not expensive.

Treatment

If CRP is high, treatment to lower inflammation is a combination of herbs and nutrients. Some important options are:

- Fish oils/Omega 3 fatty acids
- The ‘master hormone’ DHEA
- Bromelain – from pineapple
- Nettle leaf
- Ginger
- Turmeric

For more details, check out Philip Miller’s excellent book: "Life Extension Revolution", p 191.

Alzheimer’s treatment protocol

And – as a general rule – don’t take the statins!

Statins & Alzheimers – Right For Wrong Reason is a post from: Living To 150

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A friend was concerned about arthritis as she aged. Having an aging father in law in poor health made her think of her own state of health. Systemic inflammation is one factor to take seriously.

Systemic inflammation is when there is general ‘background’ inflammation without pain or symptoms – at least initially. For this reason it is insidious as it can just creep up on you. The joints and muscles can slowly degenerate without you realising it.

The same inflammation is a major cause of a host of other diseases including heart and artery disease; some cancers; Alzheimer’s disease, as well as conditions due to thickened blood such as angina and clouded thinking.

Systemic inflammation can be indicated through blood tests for C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen. If both of these are low, this is a good sign that systemic inflammation is not rampant in your body.

My own measures for these two are: CRP – 0.82 mg/L, and 149 mg/dL of fibrinogen. The ‘reference range’ (range within which the lab suggests the results are ok) for CRP is 0-3 mg/L and for fibrinogen 193-423 mg/dL.

This makes my CRP within the good range; but I think .5 is even more desirable than .82 (says Philip Miller).

My fibrinogen level is lower than the reference range. The lab’s doctor says this is a good thing. I wonder why it is so low. High fibrinogen thickens the blood; low fibrinogen should thin the blood. This might be expected to make me bleed more easily, which I do not experience – at least not yet  

Systemic inflammation is one of the 4 key ‘-ations’ identified by Philip Miller (Life Extension Revolution, Ch 7) as being crucial to address if you wish to achieve healthy aging.

Treatment is simple; change your diet to exclude inflammatory factors (such as Omega 6 fatty acids) and take a mixture of herbs including:

• Nettles
• Circumin (Turmeric)
• Ginger

and supplements, including:

• DHEA
• Vitamin K
• Bromelain

Then you need to retest the blood to see if what you did worked. A lot of hassle, but it’s worth it to help avoid degenerative diseases.

Afterwards, an annual blood test will check everything is still ok. This should be part of a regular health routine.

Arthritis and Inflammation is a post from: Living To 150

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I now have to decide on my initial treatment for longevity, based on my blood test results.

I have taken Life Extension Foundation‘s Life Extension Mix (a very special multi-mineral/vitamin mix) for around 6 months. I did this on purpose prior to taking the blood tests. This may well have boosted levels of certain blood components up to their current good levels.

Eg, chromium, zinc and selenium are often found to be deficient; my chromium and zinc were fine; the selenium I don’t know because that was the one test which did not come out for technical reasons.

My 3 aims for treatment now are:

A reduction in fasting glucose levels. (Because of the generally damaging effects on the body of any more than a low level of blood glucose)

A reduction in total cholesterol. Mine is 235mg/dL (6mmol/L), and the target is around 180mg/dL (4.6mmol/L).

A reduction in C-reactive protein (CRP). Mine is good at .82mg/L; ideal is less than 0.5mg/L. CRP is a strong indicator of low-grade inflammation in the body which promotes heart and artery disease, cancers and arthritis.

Next – my programme to achieve these aims.

Aims Of Treatment For Longevity is a post from: Living To 150

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An overactive immune system is the main cause of degenerative disease and aging, according to Mark Liponis, a Director of Canyon Ranch health resorts. He puts forward this theory in this new book.

He points out that white blood cells are closely involved in arteriosclerosis, cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer’s Disease, for example.

He also has observed that aging takes place in ‘spurts’, rather than steadily. He aims to help us to reduce these ‘spurts’ to a minimum in his book Ultra-Longevity.

One way to see the level of immune system overactivity is to measure C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood. This should be at or below 1.5 mg/L for women and 0.6mg/L for men. (Philip Lee Miller, Life Extension Revolution.) If you are having blood tests taken to assess overall health, CRP should certainly be one of them.

Take Liponis’ light-hearted quiz to find out how your immune system scores out of 100.

Immune System – Key to Aging? is a post from: Living To 150

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