Inflammation can be a cause or a symptom of many diseases. When
controlled, it is also an important part of maintaining good health. Reactive oxygen
substances (ROS) are produced as part of normal, healthy aerobic metabolism, such as
electron transport in the mitochondria of cells. Many foods, spices, herbs and dietary
supplements contain antioxidants that can destroy ROS and prevent diseases, including
arthritis, cancer, heart disease, stroke and brain diseases. Some important dietary
antioxidants include vitamins A and E, oleic acid, polyunsaturated fats, omega-3 fats,
resveratrol and polyphenols. Inflammation is a significant factor in many diseases,
including arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease,
hormonal diseases, osteoporosis, inflammatory bowel disease, pelvic inflammatory
disease, and many others. Smoldering inflammation is a relatively low level of
inflammation that occurs in diseases such as obesity, type-2 diabetes, asthma, and
atherosclerosis. In many cases, these diseases of inflammation can be prevented by
avoiding obesity, trans fats and saturated fats that are in the typical fast food diet
consume by many people in the USA. Instead, unsaturated fats are much better. Omega-
3 fats can be taken as dietary supplements such as fish oil and flaxseed oil. They are
also present in fatty fish, such as salmon. Omega-3 fats are also very important in the
brain, where they play an important role in cognitive function and behavior.
Inflammation plays an important role in all stages of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular
disease. Inflammation is also an important factor in stroke.
Keywords: Inflammation, ROS, arthritis, cancer, heart disease, stroke,
Alzheimer’s disease, omega-3 fats, trans fats, saturated fats.
