Tag Archives: inflammation

A plant-based diet may help those with Crohn’s disease

alternative medicine, antioxidant, cardiovascular, diabetes, digestion, fiber, Health, Health News, probiotic, probiotics, supplements, , , , , ,

Have you ever been told to eat your veggies? Many of us have been told as children that vegetables and other plant-based foods would help us grow strong. And as adults, you may have been told that eating more vegetables will help you manage your weight. But recent studies show that plant-based foods may also be good for your gut health, especially for those with Crohn’s disease.

What is Crohn’s disease?

Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can greatly impact quality of life. Those with the condition have symptoms like abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, weight loss, malnutrition, and fatigue. Also, people with severe forms of the disease can also have inflammation in their skin, eyes, joints, and liver too.

If you think you may have Crohn’s disease, there are certain tests that can help diagnose it. Such tests include a colonoscopy, a CT scan, an MRI scan, or certain blood tests like a fecal occult blood test. Once diagnosed, you can treat this condition with anti-inflammatory medicines, immune system suppressors, or antibiotics. Other medicines people may use to relieve symptoms of Crohn’s include:

  • anti-diarrheals
  • pain relievers
  • iron supplements
  • vitamin B-12 shots
  • calcium and vitamin D supplements

People with Crohn’s disease may need some vitamin supplements since the disease can sometimes cause deficiencies. For example, the disease can cause B-12 deficiency in some or may cause anemia due to blood loss from blood in the stool. Also, those with the disease  may be at higher risk for the bone weakening condition osteoporosis which can make calcium and vitamin D supplements necessary to help strengthen bones.

Why is a plant-based diet good for you?

A diet rich in plant-based foods are healthy for you for many reasons. Plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds contain not only fiber, but also antioxidants. Antioxidants help reduce inflammation in the body, and therefore can help reduce risk of inflammatory diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and digestive conditions like IBD.

In fact, research shows that a plant-based diet can improve weight, blood glucose levels, as well as mental health. In turn, such a diet can help increase quality of life of those with diabetes. Therefore, adding in at least 1.5 cups of fruit and 2 cups of vegetables a day into your daily regimen can help enhance your health for many years to come in many ways.

Plant-based diet and Crohn’s disease research

A recent case study shows promise that a plant-based diet may help those with Crohn’s reduce symptoms. One man with Crohn’s disease started a plant-based diet with no animal-based products or highly processed foods after treatment for his disease was not fully working. Although he received IV infusions of medication every two months for a year to help his symptoms, he still had not achieved remission of his symptoms. He still suffered with abdominal pain, bloating, and fatigue.

So, during his second year of using medication, he started a plant-based diet. After six months of sticking to this diet and exercising, a colonoscopy revealed “complete mucosal healing with no visible evidence of Crohn’s disease.” Now researchers are not sure if this type of diet would help everyone with the condition, but it does provide experts with the drive to do more research into this type of diet for those with the condition.

Other ways you can improve gut health

Besides eating a plant-based diet, there are other ways you can help your gut health including the following:

  • Eat more fermented foods: Foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, or drinking kombucha contain healthy bacteria. Therefore, they can provide the body with good bacteria that can help increase diversity in the gut, and in turn reduce inflammation.
  • Take a probiotic supplement daily. A probiotic supplement is another way to get more healthy bacteria into your gut. Be sure to take one daily that contains a diverse array of strains and at least 1 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) like Biovia30 by Vita Sciences. Biovia30 contains 10 probiotic strains with a total of 30 billion CFUs per serving to help promote digestive health.
  • Manage stress: Whether you use yoga, meditation, or talk therapy to help you manage stress, be sure to do something to help you stay calm. This is because stressors, even those like a lack of sleep, can disrupt the bacteria in the gut.
  • Exercise often: Research shows that those who exercise most days of the week have a greater diversity of gut bacteria than those who don’t. So, try to be active as often as you can to help your gut health.

-written by Staci Gulbin, MS, MEd, RD, LDN

References:

Centers for Disease Control (November 16, 2017) “Only 1 in 10 Adults Get Enough Fruits or Vegetables.”

Leonard, J. (May 28, 2019) “10 ways to improve gut health.” Medical News Today.

Mayo Clinic (June 26, 2019) “Crohn’s disease.”

Paddock, Ph.D., C. (June 27, 2019) “Could a plant-based diet be the answer to Crohn’s disease?” Medical News Today. 

Toumpanakis, A., Turnbull, T., and Alba-Barba, I. (October 2018) “Effectiveness of plant-based diets in promoting well-being in the management of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review.” BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care., 6(1):e000534.

 

 

Could turmeric help prevent glaucoma?

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Tunnel vision is usually used to describe someone with a narrow point of view. Taken literally however, it can describe the type of vision that results with untreated glaucoma.  With eye injury prevention month coming to a close next week, it seemed right to talk about ways to prevent glaucoma. This is because those with eye injury are at a higher risk of developing this condition.  A recent study has found that turmeric, a natural spice, may be the golden ticket to potentially prevent glaucoma and preserve eye health.

glaucoma, eye, vision, healthWhat is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is not just one eye condition. However, it is a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve and can cause vision loss and blindness. Research suggests that eye pressure is a major cause of the vision loss caused by glaucoma.

Another risk factor of optic nerve damage, and in turn, glaucoma, is high blood pressure. Even though it may seem unrelated to eat healthy to keep your eye healthy, there are blood vessels in your eye that get their blood flow from the heart. When high blood pressure constricts blood flow, it can cause pressure in the eye. In turn, this can cause vision issues.

Turmeric and glaucoma prevention

When you consider the heart health component of vision health, then turmeric as a preventive treatment makes sense. This is because turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory agent.  Since heart health issues stem from increased inflammation, then turmeric may very well benefit such conditions.

Turmeric is a root plant grown throughout Asia and Central America. It is an important part of ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for inflammatory-related conditions like pain, fatigue, arthritis, and breathing problems.  Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric due to its antioxidant properties which help prevent cell damage that can lead to chronic disease.  Although it is consumed as a spice in foods, turmeric can also be consumed in tablets, capsules, tea, or extracts.

A recent study shows that eye drops containing curcumin may help treat or prevent glaucoma. A rat study found that twice-daily use of the curcumin drops for three weeks helped reduce retinal ganglion cell loss.  In other words, the eye drops helped preserve the cells in charge of delivering visual information from the eye to the brain.  This study suggests that curcumin eye drops may be a treatment or preventive treatment for those at risk for glaucoma upon further study.

How to help eye health

Besides curcumin, there are things you can do today to help improve eye health.

  • Eat right by consuming lots of antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables every day.  This will help reduce inflammation in the body and in turn keep your eyes healthy.
  • Keep your weight in a healthy range since obesity can increase risk of diabetes, which can in turn increase risk of vision loss.
  • Protect your eyes with sunglasses or other eyewear like goggles or safety glasses. This is because you can prevent eye injury from sports or work accidents if your eyes are protected. Also, shielding your eyes from the UV rays of the sun can reduce eye damage.
  • Quit smoking or don’t start since it can constrict blood vessels. This can in turn negatively affect blood vessel health of the eye and increase risk of eye diseases.
  • Reduce screen time each day since looking at a computer, television, or phone screen too much without taking a break can put strain on the eyes. Therefore, experts suggest taking a break from the screen every 20 minutes by looking 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds.
  • Take a eye health supplement daily like Ocutain by Vita Sciences. Ocutain contains antioxidants such as lutein and beta carotene that can benefit vision health.

-written by Staci Gulbin, MS, MEd, RD, LDN

References:

Boyd, K. (April 13, 2018) “Who is at risk for glaucoma?” American Academy of Ophthalmology Online.

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (accessed July 24, 2018) “Turmeric.”

National Eye Institute (September 2015) “Facts About Glaucoma.”

National Eye Institute (accessed July 24, 2018) “Eye Health Tips.”

Science Daily (July 24, 2018) “Turmeric-derived eye drops could treat glaucoma: study.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free your gut from inflammation with probiotics

alternative medicine, cardiovascular, digestion, fiber, gut health, Health News, heart health, probiotic, probiotics, , , ,

probiotic, fermented foods, health, gut healthProbiotics have become the talk of the town, and for good reason. Every day more research shows that taking probiotics can reduce inflammation in the gut, and in turn, may help reduce risk of inflammatory conditions such as heart disease, eczema, and inflammatory bowel disease. Therefore, adding a probiotic to your daily routine may be the answer to help free your gut, and in turn your body, from inflammation.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is a response to injury, infection, or foreign bodies in the body. This process is often linked with redness, swelling, and pain. In the body, however, can be a good thing since inflammation helps to get rid of any toxins and help the body heal.  However, too much of just about anything can be a bad thing.

Oxidative stress, along with inflammation, is often associated with chronic disease risk. When the body’s cells encounter oxidative stress, cell damage may occur, and in turn, chronic disease risk may increase.  Oxidative stress occurs, by definition, when there is an imbalance in prooxidant stress and antioxidant defense.  This occurs when free radicals, or any species with one or more unpaired electrons, steal electrons from other cells to become paired. In doing this, a chain reaction of free radical formation is set off. This  in turn can lead to cell damage.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are living organisms such as bacteria or fungi, that have health benefits.  You may see probiotics in your local grocery store or health food market. It can be confusing to know which strain(s) will be most beneficial for you.  The key will be to find a probiotic product that is diverse in the amount of strains that it contains, so that you can benefit from a wide variety of bacterium.

For example, one diverse probiotic product is Biovia 30 by Vita Sciences. This probiotic product contains 30 billion colony forming units of 10 important Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains.

How can I benefit from probiotics?

Probiotics can help restore balance of bacterium in the gut. This can help reduce inflammation in the body and reduce chronic disease risk.  The benefits of probiotics range from lowering cholesterol to strengthening the immune system.  In addition, probiotics can help improve symptoms in those with digestive conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. Furthermore, there is evidence that those with skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and acne may benefit from probiotic treatment.

You can add probiotics in your diet by consuming more fermented food or by taking a probiotic supplement. You can add some probiotic-containing foods to your diet such as:

  • sauerkraut
  • kimchi
  • kefir
  • yogurt
  • miso
  • tempeh

It is also beneficial that if you consume probiotics in any form, that you also consume prebiotics, or foods to help feed the probiotics in your gut.  Examples of prebiotic foods include:

  • fruits such as bananas
  • vegetables such as asparagus, soybeans, garlic onion, leeks, and artichokes
  • whole-grain foods such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, and bran cereal
  • Flaxseeds

Therefore, free yourself from inflammation in your body today by adding some pre- and probiotics to your daily routine.

References:

Baek, J. and Lee, M-G. (2016) “Oxidative stress and antioxidant strategies in dermatology.” Redox Report, 21(4): 164-169.

Biswas, S.K. (2016) “Does the Interdependence between Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Explain the Antioxidant Paradox?” Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, Volume 2016(Article ID 5698931): 9 pages.

Nagpal, R., et al. (2012) “Probiotics, their health benefits and applications for developing healthier foods: a review.” FEMS Microbiology Letters, 334(2012): 1-15.

NIH News in Health (May 2017) “Keeping Your Gut in Check: Healthy Options to Stay on Tract.”

Wolfram, MS, RDN, LDN, T. (February 27, 2018) “Prebiotics and Probiotics: Creating a Healthier You.” Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Online.