The Anti-Inflammation Zone Quotes

“Usually, cortisol production shifts back in gear after you get past that blip. But if you have certain bad habits in your lifestyle on a permanent basis, you might have chronically high cortisol levels. These bad habits include: Prolonged or intense exercise Stuffing yourself with large meals Skipping meals Excess intake of stimulants, such as caffeine Being overweight Low blood sugar from a very low-carbohydrate diet”
― Barry Sears, The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That's Destroying Our Health

“Now fast-forward to present-day America. We have no more famines, and we’re constantly feasting on unlimited amounts of inexpensive food that is rich in carbohydrates. But our DNA still lives in the Stone Age, even if we don’t. Our genes haven’t had time to adapt to the Krispy Kreme doughnut generation. So if we eat too much on a regular basis, our cells pump out more and more insulin. As a result, we sock away more and more fat, and voila! We now have an obesity epidemic on our hands and that means a corresponding epidemic of silent inflammation. The very genes that saved us tens of thousands of years ago are now our biggest liability. The same is true of our ability to generate a strong inflammatory response. This was the only way to survive microbial or parasitic invasions. As recently as seventy years ago, we had very few weapons against infectious diseases except a strong inflammatory response to kill such organisms. All we could do was hope and pray that our immune system would protect us against these ravages. Picture the Norman Rockwell painting of the physician wringing his hands over the patient, hoping the fever would break. That’s the way medicine was practiced seventy years ago. Those of us with overactive immune systems had a better chance of survival than those with weaker immune defenses. Thus, we’ve inherited a genetic predisposition for an intense inflammatory response from our ancestors who were the only ones to survive these constant microbial attacks. Today, we are faced with far fewer infectious disease threats. Vaccinations, clean water, and increased sanitation have banished many of these microbes. What’s more, we have a whole arsenal of drugs to take against microbial infections. Unfortunately, we no longer need our genetic propensity for mounting an excessive inflammatory response. Yet, again, we are stuck with this propensity since our genes haven’t had time to evolve. This sets the stage for increased silent inflammation, which gets activated by our diet and lifestyle. Our dramatically increased intake of vegetable oils (rich in the building blocks for pro-inflammatory eicosanoids) and our decreased consumption of fish oil (rich in the building blocks for anti-inflammatory eicosanoids) is one dietary habit that has activated this inflammation. It’s like adding kerosene to the already burning fire of silent inflammation that’s fueled by the obesity epidemic.”
― Barry Sears, The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That's Destroying Our Health

“To call off these storm troopers in your inflammatory army that are derived from AA, you need to increase the “good” anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. These are derived from long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Ultimately, the balance of AA to EPA in your blood determines the levels of silent inflammation in your body. That’s why I call this ratio of these two fatty acids your Silent Inflammation Profile (SIP). The higher the SIP, the less well you are and the more likely it is that you are going to develop some type of chronic disease. In other words, the SIP gives you a glimpse into your future. This is why I believe it is the single best test in medicine—because it reveals your state of wellness (or lack of it) with laserlike precision.”
― Barry Sears, The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That's Destroying Our Health

“Control your eicosanoids, and you control your levels of inflammation and thus your wellness. It’s that simple, and in the process you will change your future.”
― Barry Sears, The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That's Destroying Our Health