Anti-Inflammatory Foods - Rising Functional Foods Trend?
4 May 2011
Juan Valverde
According to a recent article in NutraIngredients, the term "Inflammation" is slowing becoming a marketable term. Some newly finished products claim to be "inflammation balanced"... but does really the term "inflammation" mean the same concept for marketeers and consumers?
By definition, chronic inflammation is caused by an over-expression or lack of control of the normal protective mechanisms.
In a review in Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases (2004, Vol. 14, pp. 228-232), Katherine Esposito and Dario Giugliano from the Department of Geriatrics and Metabolic Diseases at the Second University of Naples in Italy noted that "obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes are associated with a pro-inflammatory state, which in turn is associated with increased cardiovascular risk".
Chronic inflammation has also been linked to a range of conditions linked to heart disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline and Alzheimer's, type-2 diabetes, and arthritis.
How is inflammation measured?
Clinically inflammation can be measured by the quantitative measurement of biomarkers (a biomarker is a susbtance that is used as indicator of a biological state). A list of established biomarkers for inflammation exists, with commonly touted markers including C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, IL-18, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). The link between inflammation and chronic disease has been strengthened by identification and acceptance of these biomarkers. Many research centers and institutes and funding agencies (including EU) have shown a great interest in the discovery and in depth understanding of these biomarkers.
Anti-inflammatory nutrients
A number of nutrition studies have aimed to reduce levels of these biomarkers. One of the best studied is the omega-3 fatty acids. A study by Professor Manohar Garg from the University of Newcastle in New South Wales found that increased blood levels of the omega-3s DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) were associated with reduced levels of CRP (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2009, Vol. 63, pp.1154-1156).
The mechanism of omega-3 anti-inflammatory effects is reportedly linked to its ability to inhibit arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism to inflammatory compounds. DHA and EPA are also reported to produce compounds that are less inflammatory than those produced from AA or that are anti-inflammatory.
Other nutrients with potential anti-inflammatory potential include Pycnogenol, an extract from French maritime pine bark. In a 2006 study , German and Slovak scientists reported that a 200 mg dose of the pine bark extract for five days was associated with a 25 percent reduction in matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) levels (Journal of Inflammation, 2006, 3:1).
Other studies on anti-inflammatory effects of fruit and vegetables and/or phytochemicals include:
Fruit and Vegetable Concentrates
The Nutraingredients website has recently released a special issue on inflammation, for further details, check:
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/The-rise-of-anti-inflammatory-nutrients
