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Well-being of our joints and prevention of inflammation: let's talk at the table.
As Hippocrates said, food should be our first medicine: Diet plays an important role in the articular field.
For all patients, regardless of their pathology, losing a few excess kilos is always recommended, not only for mechanical reasons, but also because research has highlighted that adipokines have a key role in articular-rheumatic disorders.
The type of nutrition which helps to keep joints healthy has to be balanced and varied. It should also be rich in antioxidants and contain little amounts of alcohol. The diet should also not contain too many elements of animal origins.
“Friendly” food:
Eat with moderation, and be careful to:
● plenty of seasonal fruit and vegetables;
● extra virgin olive oil is a panacea for our articulation, thanks to the molecule of oleocanthal which can inhibit the Cox enzymes, which are the cause of the inflammation;
● fatty fish, such as fish who live in cold water like salmon or trout, as well as fish oils: anchovies, sardines, mackerel. These types of fish increase the ratio of Omega-3 and balance its relation with Omega-6.
● processed foods such as chips, biscuits and snacks;
● industrially made bread; refined, treated and preserved foods; some types of margarine and butter; these foods lead to large intakes of trans-fats, unsaturated and saturated fats, and therefore increase the ratio of Omega-6 fatty acids which are transformed into inflammatory compounds;
● foods originating from animals/animal products.
Balancing Fat Acids Omega-3 and Omega-6
Dietary fats deserve a special mention, as they compose the membrane of our cells. If our diet is rich in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, they (and especially the arachidonic fatty acids) may become the source of powerful inflammatory substances: such substances are useful when they are kept in relation with other less inflammatory substances derived from omega-3 fatty acids, but they can have very dangerous outcomes when taken in excessive quantities. According to a number of researches, the suitable ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 should be 4:1, whereas the membrane of the cells of a typical Western person usually shows a ratio of 15:1.
A perfect diet that suits everyone doesn’t exist, but the difference in these ratios is obviously important and a large number of researchers believe that the imbalance of an excessive quantity of omega-6 could lead to an increase in the production of prostaglandin which has an inflammatory action. This ratio has been thrown even more off balance by the increase in the intake of vegetal oils used in industrially prepared food.
A piece of advice: pay attention to the product’s label, this will help you to better chose what to put in your shopping bag.
Abano.it thanks, for the in depth information:
Dr. Angelo Bianco Specialist in nephrology and food science Specialist in acupuncture, Bach flower therapy and Australian flower therapy.
