Chronic inflammation is the culprit of disease

Chronic inflammation

I don’t know if readers have felt that with the increase of age, there will be various physical changes listed below?

● Increase in alcohol intake
● Fatigue easily
● Illness is not easy to heal
● It is not easy to lose weight
● It becomes easy to become constipated … and so on.

how? Everyone should have at least one or two hits, right?

These physical changes are caused by metabolic function gradually declining with age. Metabolism refers to the chemical changes that take place in our bodies.

Energy can be obtained from nutrients outside to maintain and strengthen our bodies. Different substances are constantly decomposed and synthesised by metabolism.

Taking alcohol as an example, the function of the liver decreases and the ability to decompose alcohol (metabolism) becomes weaker, resulting in a hangover, and it is not easy to excrete alcohol.

What is the relationship between physical discomfort and disease and “enzyme quantity”?

So, why does “metabolism decline” with age?

One reason is that metabolism-related enzymes are less secreted. Enzymes are catalysts that promote metabolism and do not decrease or change before and after metabolism.

Even if the active oxygen species that are harmful to the body are produced in the body, the enzymes related to the decomposition of active oxygen species can be sufficiently produced when young, so it will not cause much impact on our body.

However, after getting older, the secretion of enzymes decreases, and reactive oxygen species that have not been decomposed will remain, which will cause the body to be easily damaged.

What are the “four factors” that impair health?

As we age, we are often troubled by various ageing phenomena, and our health status is also affected. The reason for this is the following four factors: “oxidation”, “glycation”, “chronic inflammation “, and “harmful substances”.

Although our bodies are also affected by these four factors when we are young, the ability to inhibit these damages will decline as we age. The speed of damage accumulation will gradually increase, causing a great impact. The result is that the physical condition deteriorates, and it is easy to get sick.

First of all, the conclusion is that the “sulforaphane” rich in green coconut seedlings can effectively inhibit the effects of these four factors.

What is oxidation?

We use the oxygen we inhale when we breathe to burn nutrients we get from food and convert them into energy that drives our bodies.

In the process of producing energy, about 2% of the oxygen becomes “active oxygen species”.

Although it is only 2%, because you are breathing 24 hours a day, the accumulated amount is quite a lot. These reactive oxygen species combine with other substances and are very powerful and highly aggressive substances.

The cut apples will turn brown after being left for a while; the iron will become worn out due to rust, all of which are due to the relationship of “oxidation”. In the same way, oxidation in the body can make tissues and cells “rust”.

However, reactive oxygen species still have advantages. It will attack bacteria and viruses that enter the body and protect the body from harm. Hydrogen peroxide is used to sterilize wounds using the principle of active oxygen.

On the other hand, because reactive oxygen species are highly aggressive, they also attack cells and DNA, thus causing another kind of damage to the body.

Body cells make hormones that boost metabolism. When reactive oxygen species attack cells, their function will decline, and the secretion of enzymes will be reduced accordingly. In addition, the protein used to make the enzyme will also be reduced in activity due to oxidation, causing the overall metabolism to fail smoothly.

In addition, cells have cell membranes that capture hormones. After the cell membrane is oxidized, the force will be weakened, and the effect of hormones will also be reduced.

To make matters worse, DNA oxidation can fail to transmit the correct genetic information, which is one of the causes of cancer.

What are the effects of oxidation on the body?

Take arteriosclerosis associated with reactive oxygen species as an example.

Adding excess reactive oxygen species will oxidize the lipids that make up cell membranes and turn them into substances called “lipid peroxides”. It’s easier to think of lipid peroxides as cloudy cooking oils that have been fried many times in tempura and fried foods.

These lipid peroxides will attach to the lining of blood vessels and gradually thicken, eventually leading to arteriosclerosis, which is also the cause of high blood pressure.

High blood pressure caused by arteriosclerosis can rupture blood vessels that have become fragile due to lipid peroxides, resulting in cerebral hemorrhage and heart disease. In addition, lipid peroxide itself can block blood vessels, causing stroke and myocardial infarction.

In the health check results, when the neutral fat and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) values ​​are high, you will see a “need to improve” on them, which is inseparable from reactive oxygen species.

Although reactive oxygen species do not cause diseases immediately, in addition to arteriosclerosis, they can also cause lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and cancer. They also cause ageing, such as grey hair, dullness, and wrinkles.

In addition, reactive oxygen species will cause the body’s metabolism and cell function to decline, making it difficult to eliminate fatigue, and the body will also produce various symptoms of discomfort.

Although reactive oxygen species seem to be terrifying existences, as long as human beings still breathe, they cannot disappear, and we cannot get rid of the damage caused by them. Having said that, reactive oxygen species are actually not a big problem when you are young. Because our body actually has a protective mechanism that can prevent the body from being damaged by the increase in reactive oxygen species. That is “the enzyme that decomposes reactive oxygen species”. The human body secretes various enzymes that can decompose reactive oxygen species. When the reactive oxygen species increases excessively, the body will secrete enzymes that are sufficient to balance the degree of damage.


However, stress, food additives, smoking, strenuous exercise, excessive drinking, ultraviolet rays, etc., will cause an excessive increase in reactive oxygen species, and the body’s protective mechanism will not work enough, which will cause damage to tissues and cells. Such a state is referred to as a “state exposed to oxidative stress”.

In addition, as age increases, the damage of reactive oxygen species and the decline of metabolic functions that have been accumulated in the past will be caused by the continuous production of reactive oxygen species, which will cause the breakdown of the balance of decomposition. Ultimately, it results in increased oxidative stress and various physical discomforts and is prone to adult diseases.

The sulforaphane rich in broccoli seedlings promotes the secretion of enzymes that reduce reactive oxygen species in the cell layer of our body. In other words, its antioxidant effect is something to look forward to.

What is inflammation?

Everyone should have experience with bruised knees or red and swollen skin caused by mosquito bites. Injuries, burns, etc., are physically stimulated; or bacterial and viral infections; when encountering foreign objects such as chemicals and pollen, the body will have a defensive response. This reaction is called “inflammation”.

Inflammation is a normal response that occurs to prevent damage to the body. For example, during colds and flu, immune cells such as white blood cells called macrophages gather in various parts of the body and release various inflammatory substances to attack invading bacteria and viruses. Then there are symptoms such as fever and sore throat.

Inflammation is arguably evidence of immune cells fighting in the body. That is to say, causing inflammatory symptoms is associated with physical recovery.

Inflammation is supposed to be a protective mechanism for the body, but if left unchecked, it can lead to tissue destruction, reduced body function due to organ damage, and cancer. Details are as follows.

Inflammation can be divided into “acute inflammation” and “chronic inflammation”. The course of acute inflammation is rapid, with symptoms ranging from a few days to up to several weeks.

Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is less likely to cause symptoms, but in the long term, it can be affected for weeks to years. Acute inflammation is often accompanied by pain and can be treated immediately. However, in the early stage of slow-moving inflammation, symptoms are usually not felt, and the process is very slow, making it difficult to detect on your own.

However, chronic inflammation is also an important factor in ageing and disease and is therefore gaining increasing attention.

How does inflammation affect the body?

Let’s take a look at the mechanisms by which chronic inflammation negatively impacts health.

When the body becomes inflamed, the site releases substances called “pro-inflammatory cytokines.” After being summoned by pro-inflammatory cytokines, immune cells such as macrophages gather in the affected area, release reactive oxygen species, and attack foreign bodies such as viruses and bacteria.

In this way, the area that caused the inflammation will gradually recover.

In acute inflammation, the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines stops for a short period. In chronic inflammation, pro-inflammatory cytokines will continue to be produced, expanding the scope of inflammation.
The reactive oxygen species released by immune cells such as macrophages attack viruses and bacteria and damage surrounding cells, resulting in weakened cell functions.

In addition, the affected area that has caused inflammation will become “fibrotic”, and the cells will be hardened and unable to return to their original functions. For example, cirrhosis is a disease in which chronic liver inflammation leads to fibrosis and hardening of cells. Once the liver function is lost, the worst case can be fatal.

Reactive oxygen species can damage the DNA of cells, resulting in incorrect transmission of genetic information, which is also associated with the occurrence of cancer.

The trickier part of chronic inflammation is that when the body continues to release pro-inflammatory cytokines, they are transported throughout the body with the blood and body fluids. The pro-inflammatory cytokines are then transported to places where new inflammatory symptoms are induced, leading to inflammation and dysfunction of various organs. Then, as previously described, it may develop into cancer.

In addition, often accompanied by chronic inflammation, there are also some commonly heard diseases, such as allergies such as hay fever, asthma, atopic dermatitis, and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Repeated occurrences like this evolve into long-term chronic inflammation, which will cause the function of tissues and organs to decline and may accelerate aging.

In fact, the secret to maintaining good health also depends on the degree to which chronic inflammation is suppressed. The report shows that people over 100 years old who are still healthy have lower inflammation indexes than others.

In order to reduce the chance of chronic inflammation, it is necessary to inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines. In fact, our body also secretes various substances that can inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines, making the body less prone to inflammation. But as you get older, the amount of secretion will gradually decrease.

Studies have pointed out that blue broccoli seedlings contain a component called sulforaphane, which can inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

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