Second post of the morning:
As part of an email group of which I am a member, I asked the doctors who are members of the group to comment on the inflammation theory. Here is a sidebar response which I received.
Marc
======================
I am currently out of town and unable to respond
to the entire group. I just received the
following email this morning that partially
addresses your question. My understanding is
that inflammation is a normal bi-product of body
metabolism. It is naturally held in check by
proper diet and exercise. Simple sugar is
perhaps the single worst nutrient we ingest that
affects the body's ability to hold inflammation
in check. The excess inflammation can lead to,
among other things, etching of the lining in the
arteries of the heart and other organs. The
defects caused by the etching allows cholesterol
plaques to form that build up over time leading
to blockage. Blood tests for inflammation
levels are homocysteine and c-reactive protein.
In general, we are what we eat, but few of us
eat correctly. A diet of balanced, whole,
unprocessed foods is the way to go. Everything
I have read says not to be afraid of eggs. In
fact there was one story of a person who was
incarcerated in some third world county and fed
basically a diet of eggs for several months.
When checked after his release he had a very low
cholesterol level. Usually, people do not make
cholesterol from the cholesterol they eat in
foods. Cholesterol is made by our liver from
saturated fat. Cholesterol is necessary for a
normal life including the manufacture of sex
hormones.
RM
"Dear Dr. Mirkin: You've said that inflammation can lead to a heart
attack; aren't I causing inflammation when I exercise so hard that
my muscles hurt?
Anything that damages tissue can cause inflammation,
such as smoking, high cholesterol or hypertension. When a
germ gets into your body, your immunity produces
proteins called antibodies, white blood cells and cytokines that
kill germs. However, as soon as the germ is gone, your
immunity is supposed to shut down. If it doesn't shut down,
these same factors attack and destroy your body tissues;
this is called inflammation. Inflammation increases risk for
heart attacks, strokes, certain cancers, and diabetes and even
worsens diseases such as psoriasis, rheumatoid
arthritis, and asthma.
Many scientists have expressed concern that hard
exercise damages muscles, so it may turn on
inflammation and harm you. However, a study from Verona, Italy
shows that hard exercise does not cause inflammation (Journal of
the Canadian Medical Association, October 25, 2005). It
measured C reactive protein, a blood test that indicates
inflammation, and showed that there was no difference in levels in sedentary
people, those who cycle for fitness, competitive professional
bicycle racers and international-class cross country skiers. So
muscle damage from hard exercise does not increase inflammation.
More on inflammation at
http://www.drmirkin.com/heart/1812.html