Dr Weil's Anti-inflammatory Diet

Summarized by Robert W. Griffith, MD
January 2, 2006

Q: Dr Weil, what is inflammation?

A: Inflammation is a normal part of the body's healing system. It is perceptible - on the body's surface, in any case - as localized redness, heat, swelling, and pain. It indicates increased immune activity and nourishment in an area of the body that is injured or under attack. Normal inflammation also occurs internally, and is not perceptible. But it is so powerful and potentially destructive that it must stay where it's needed in the body and end when its work has been accomplished. Otherwise it can cause tissue damage and disease.

Q: And where does our diet fit into all of this?

A: The body regulates the inflammatory process very carefully, using families of hormones that either intensify (upregulate) or diminish (downregulate) it. These hormonal controls need to be balanced in order to allow inflammation to occur when it is needed to repair injuries or defend against infection and stop it when the job is finished. The key here, and what many people don't know, is that the foods we eat greatly influence these hormone levels and in turn either activate or inhibit internal inflammation. The Anti-inflammatory Diet is designed to encourage the latter state in order to prevent damage to tissue and to promote basic good health.

Q: What foods should make up an Anti-inflammatory Diet?

A: A healthy anti-inflammatory diet should include a wide variety of foods, including lots of fruits and vegetables and as few processed foods as possible. Each meal would ideally have some carbohydrates, some fat, and some protein. The basic goals are balance, variety, and freshness; meeting these requirements will ensure that you get all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs, and fewer of the unhealthy elements that are prevalent in many Americans' current diets. A complete guide to the Anti-inflammatory Diet can be found in Appendix A of ¹ Healthy Aging.

Q: In Healthy Aging, you say that acids in our food play a big role in determining inflammation. How much of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids should we have in our diet?

A: The body manufactures the hormones that control inflammation using essential fatty acids as building blocks. Essential fatty acids must be obtained from the diet; the body cannot make them. In general, hormones made from omega-6 fatty acids upregulate inflammation, while those made from omega-3 fatty acids downregulate it. Therefore, you should seek out foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These include salmon, herring, black cod, hemp seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, and omega-3 fortified eggs. You could also take a fish oil supplement.

Q: Why hasn't the Anti-inflammatory Diet hit the mainstream yet? Why aren't we all reading and talking about it?

A: The importance of inappropriate inflammation as a cause of age-related disease is a new concept in medicine, so not much attention has been given recently to designing an anti-inflammatory diet. Most of us are eating pro-inflammatory diets, primarily because we eat far more omega-6 than omega-3 fatty acids, and also because of our choices of carbohydrate foods, our increasing consumption of refined and processed foods, and our failure to consume enough of the protective compounds in fruits and vegetables.

Q: For years, we've thought that unsaturated fat was more desirable than saturated fat, which is why people have chosen margarine and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils over butter. But you feel the opposite is true. Why? And what does this have to do with inflammation?

A: Margarine, vegetable shortening, and partially hydrogenated oils are all pro-inflammatory, which is why I advise against ingesting them. The best fats to eat are monounsaturated ones like those found in nuts, avocados, and extra-virgin olive oil. People are right to believe that saturated fat (found in real butter, for instance) is basically unhealthy; it can increase production of cholesterol in the body and should be consumed in very small amounts.

Q: What changes will we notice in ourselves and in our bodies when we are on the Anti-inflammatory Diet? Can we lose weight on this diet?

A: You won't see most effects. But keep in mind that following the Anti-inflammatory Diet will reduce your risk of age-related diseases (cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer), because inflammation causes tissue damage, which, in turn, causes disease. But the benefits go beyond disease prevention. Studies have shown that the Anti-inflammatory Diet produces optimum nutrition and health. People who follow it will feel better and have more energy; they will have better immune function, better looking skin and hair, and better mental and emotional health. Weight will tend to normalize on this diet as well, especially if people also get sufficient physical activity.

Source

• Dr Andrew Weil; Interview posted on http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/weil/diet.html

Footnotes
1. You can buy Dr Weil's 'Healthy Aging' at: http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/weil/index.html or via Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375407553/qid=1134003500/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-3423156-4836066?n=507846&s=books&v=glance

Related Links
Should CRP Testing be Routine?
Dr Weil on Healthy Aging
Inflammation, Heart Disease, and Stroke

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