According to recent research, metainflammation is described as the process that results in metabolic syndrome and its subsequent health problems. Many of these health problems like diabetes and obesity are serious conditions that are often life-threatening. It may form the basis for many of the chronic illness conditions developing from Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS). It is therefore crucial to address the root cause of metainflammation to be able to lead a good quality of life.
A relatively new term, metainflammation describes a condition in which low-level, chronic inflammation resides in your body. This condition appears much like the inflammation present in a dysfunctional inflammation circuit of the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response.
Typically, your body utilizes inflammation as a necessary repair process to help heal the body. If you experience an infection, your levels of inflammation rise dramatically. But when the infection clears up, these inflammation levels recede.
Metainflammation, on the other hand, does not go away. It remains in your body at a very low level. Much of the time, this low-level inflammation comes as a result of some kind of metabolic disruption.
However, even if it stays at a low level it brings a significant risk of tissue damage. This cascade of effects throughout your body leads to an increase in aging often called inflammaging. Moreover, unchecked inflammation of this kind becomes a primary cause of chronic illness conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome.
So, what is the foundation of the metabolic disruption leading to metainflammation? Above all, excess nutrients and diminished energy expenditure lead to the metabolic issues that form the basis for metainflammation.
In addition, your gut microbiota becomes involved in the development of this type of inflammation. It forms a connection between metabolism, diet, and your innate immune system. As you age, your gut adjusts to your dietary choices and the amount of energy you utilize. If you become sedentary and continue to eat large amounts of food, you run the risk of developing metainflammation. The risk of dysbiosis of the gut also rises, especially if you suffer from AFS.
As mentioned above, high intake of food and sedentary lifestyle basically form the basis of this type of inflammation. Most importantly, a poor diet filled with sugars and refined foods, along with a lack of exercise, make up the lifestyle that leads to metainflammation. This type of diet leads to a spike in blood sugar that may last for up to two hours following a meal. It drives fasting blood sugar to the high normal range and may increase weight gain, especially around the middle of your body.
This type of weight gain increases metainflammation because fat generates inflammatory substances. Consequently, you develop inflammation from fat accumulated around the middle of your body if your body fat percentage gets high.
Similarly, lack of exercise leads to weight gain, loss of muscle, imbalanced insulin use, and affects mood.
Some medications negatively affect nutrient absorption and cause imbalances in your gut microbiota. This can lead to deficits in nutrition adversely impacting your ability to control your blood sugar levels, make energy for your cells, and handle stress.
Likewise, chronic stress can add to the levels of inflammation in your body. Stress leads to anxiety, sleeplessness, and shifting moods. It also pushes your body into fat storage mode and leads to loss of muscle.
Cigarette smoke, either first or second hand, also lead to the development of inflammation due to the chemicals in the smoke.
Due to the diet and lack of exercise component of the development of metainflammation, your innate immune system adapts to the development of this kind of inflammation. Long-term metabolic and molecular changes is the basis of this adaptation.
Part of your innate immune system remains on guard, standing by for your next intake of poor dietary choices and the metainflammation it generates. Consequently, this weakened immune system in your body makes it vulnerable to opportunistic infections and diseases. This is why often times people with chronic inflammation find they get frequent colds and illnesses.
Your metabolism consists of all reactions of a metabolic nature taking place in your body at any given time. It involves a delicate balance of biochemicals that can respond to a large number of factors. Some of these factors that you must consider include gut health, stress response, quality of sleep, history of drugs/medications, and the choices you make in your diet.
Obesity must come under consideration in discussing metabolic dysregulation and metainflammation. Obesity poses a very large risk of developing significant health problems in addition to inflammation. In today's culture, obesity is almost like an epidemic affecting every layer of our society.
Certainly, discussion of obesity and metainflammation must include the fact that not only does the accumulation of fat lead to inflammation, but also that obesity can result from chronic inflammation. Inflammation from multiple sources, can cause damage to your insulin receptors. This leads to insulin resistance and more weight gain. In addition, anything that adds to dysfunctional metabolism and weight gain can cause metainflammation. Likewise, metainflammation affects your entire body and influences a lowered metabolic rate.
Research exploring connections between nutrient-sensing pathways and pathogen-sensing pathways suggests a link that contributes to metabolic homeostasis that must survive under various metabolic and immune conditions. A family of intracellular sensors labeled NLR makes up a major component of your innate immune system.
This family develops multiprotein complexes called inflammasome to respond to a wide range of stimuli. This family of sensors enables researchers to better understand how chronic illness conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and other chronic metabolic conditions develop.
The NLR sensors activate the cysteine protease capsase-1 that then leads to the production of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1Beta and IL-18. The dysregulation of the inflammasome shows linkage to autoinflammatory and metabolic diseases.
Research shows a definite connection between inflammation and metabolic dysregulation. Likewise, a connection exists between metainflammation and aging. This connection led to a new term, metaflammaging. It indicates one cause of advanced aging comes from a buildup of low-level inflammation in your body.
This connection links back to changes in your gut microbiome. These changes come about due to consumption of a high glycemic diet. Diets high in calories, sugars, and refined flours as well as low in vegetables, fruits, and foods high in fiber lead to the production of proinflammatory cytokines.
Consumption of this kind of diet leads to a change in your microbiota. The sugars and refined foods feed unhealthy bacteria. The resulting compromise of your microbiota leads to disruption of your immune system.
As a result of this change in your microbiota, bacteria begin dying off. This die-off releases lipopolysaccharides (LPS), a type of endotoxin.
The LPS gains access to your bloodstream often through a ‘leaky gut’, resulting in triggering of proinflammatory cytokines. This then causes a significant increase in inflammation.
The gut endotoxins coming from LPS can cause damage to the heart muscle and stimulate heart attacks. This forms a link between metainflammation, heart disease, and even kidney disease.
Research indicates a clear connection between your metabolism and your immune system. With the likewise clear association between metabolism and metainflammation, it only takes a small step to see this connection includes metainflammation.
The overlapping and redundant pathways involving inflammation play increasingly important roles in metabolism. Likewise, the state of your metabolism clearly determines the health of your immune response.
Also, research shows how parts of the adaptive and innate immune system affect metabolism. Both cellular and systemic responses to nutrients came to light through research.
Researchers now focus on how these responses can become re-wired through response to the stress of chronic nutrient excess and increase the risk of individuals developing chronic illness conditions such as Type 2 diabetes. Such a process becomes important in light of the current epidemic of obesity.
Other research investigates the potential of what scientists call innate immune memory. Your acquired immune system already expresses this type of memory due to its adaptation to your responses to immune triggers. Over time, your innate immune system also can develop this type of memory related to how you respond to multiple presentations of the same or similar stimuli that trigger an immune response.
This memory process may become detrimental to the outcomes of chronic inflammatory or immune-modulated diseases. The ‘memorized’ response may prove contradictory to a favorable outcome in these types of diseases. It appears much better to continue with flexible immune response.
In addition to the above specifics regarding causes of metainflammation, you must consider the dysfunction of the inflammation circuit of the NEM. When your diet consists of the kinds of foods already discussed, an imbalance can occur in your microbiome. This leads to the development of 'leaky gut' or a loosening of the normally tight junctions between the epithelial cells lining your gut. A loosening of this type allows foreign particles, bacteria, and viruses access to your bloodstream. Once these substances get into your body, your immune system activates. This brings on inflammation to fight these foreign invaders.
With continuing foreign substances accessing your bloodstream, your immune system may go into overdrive or hyperactivity. This dramatically increases inflammation. Even after this hyperactive state subsides, some inflammation will remain at a low level. This leads to a state of metainflammation.
Three primary areas of change can lead to a decreased risk of developing metainflammation.
Change your eating habits. The keys here consist of lowering your caloric intake in order to control weight gain and staying away from foods that lead to spikes in blood sugar and insulin after eating them. You should always consult your healthcare professional before starting any change in your diet.
Eat more whole foods and many fewer processed foods. Rid your diet of sugars and refined flour. Consume many more vegetables and limit high glycemic foods to no more than one-fourth of your plate. Eat fruits and high fiber foods. Consume nuts and seeds to supply your body with trace minerals that help control blood sugar. Make sure you eat organic foods to avoid ingesting pesticides that decrease thyroid activity and lead to insulin resistance.
Make sure the beneficial flora in your gut receive the nourishment they need. This may include probiotics. Low sugar, high fiber diets provide the kind of nourishment needed by beneficial flora. Eat fermented foods that can contain active live bacteria.
Whatever you can do to lower overall stress and not harm your body will benefit your entire system. Deep breathing exercises provide great benefits if done on a daily basis. Before long, this kind of breathing will become habitual. Adaptogenic herbs may also help. Be certain to consult a healthcare professional well acquainted with the use of herbs before trying any blends.
Lowering stress will increase your ability to sleep. Sleeplessness definitely contributes to and results from stress.
A relatively new concept, metainflammation defines a state of low-level, chronic inflammation that significantly and detrimentally affects your overall health. It is strongly linked to metabolic dysregulation, increased risk of developing heart disease and obesity, along with impaired immune function. In addition, this kind of inflammation links closely with accelerated aging.
Research strongly suggests one of the major causes of metainflammation comes from excess nutrition and decreased expenditure of energy. A reciprocal relationship exists between obesity and metainflammation. This relationship increases the risk of developing chronic illness conditions common to obesity.
Drivers for this type of inflammation include a poor diet that contains high levels of sugar and refined flour, along with a sedentary lifestyle. The nutrient deficits that come with this kind of diet contribute to the uncontrolled blood sugar often seen in this condition.
If you are suffering from metainflammation, here are a few things you can do to alleviate the situation:
Whatever course of action you take, however, please do so with the guidance of your healthcare professional. He or she will help you understand the options you have and will recommend the proper dosage of any supplements.
If you would like to know more about or need assistance with supplements for metainflammation, the team at Dr. Lam Coaching can help. We offer a free** no-obligation phone consultation at +1 (626) 571-1234 where we will privately discuss your symptoms and various options. You can also send us a question through our Ask The Doctor system by clicking here.
Metainflammation is the low-level, chronic inflammation that leads to the development of many chronic illness conditions. It results from significant weight gain, especially around the middle of the body. It also contributes to this weight gain, setting up a reciprocal relationship with obesity.
