Saturday 6 December 2014

The ABCs - I is For Inflammation & Inflammatory Food (Part 4)

FIGHT & FLIGHT

When our body perceives that we are under an attack, it triggers a release of the stress hormone called 'cortisol' from our adrenal glands. In our normal, everyday life, cortisol is needed to convert proteins into energy, to release glycogen (which functions as the secondary long-term energy storage) and to counteract inflammation.

No human can live without cortisol.

But imagine constantly living with your body constantly under 'threat'. Immediately pictures of those humans in Walking Dead come to mind. You get my drift. They must be ridden with all sorts of inflammation as they are constantly on high alert.

Being on a constant mode of high alert will cause your immune system to crash. And when the immune system crashes, inflammation will be having a party.

Even though we have become an advanced society (I mean, who would have thought that babies could navigate the iPad better than us adults?), depression and stress is on the rise. (Yes, I am a very good example of a stress-machine. And my gut is paying the price!) And when the human body is under stress, the *CRP rises too.
(*CRP is the pro-inflammatory marker for the silent inflammation that happens in our bodies)

So go and de-stress and give your body a break!


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