Adding a blend of spices to a meal may help lower inflammation

Adding an array of spices to your meal is a surefire way to make it more tasty, but new Penn State research suggests it may increase its health benefits, as well.

In a randomized, controlled feeding study, the researchers found that when participants ate a meal high in fat and carbohydrates with six grams of a spice blend added, the participants had lower inflammation markers compared to when they ate a meal with less or no spices.

“If spices are palatable to you, they might be a way to make a high-fat or high-carb meal more healthful,” said Connie Rogers, associate professor of nutritional sciences. “We can’t say from this study if it was one spice in particular, but this specific blend seemed to be beneficial.”

The researchers used a blend of basil, bay leaf, black pepper, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, ginger, oregano, parsley, red pepper, rosemary, thyme and turmeric for the study, which was recently published in the Journal of Nutrition.

According to Rogers, previous research has linked a variety of different spices, like ginger and tumeric, with anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, chronic inflammation has previously been associated with poor health outcomes like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and overweight and obesity, which affects approximately 72 percent of the U.S. population.

In more recent years, researchers have found that inflammation can spike after a person eats a meal high in fat or sugar. While it is not clear whether these short bursts — called acute inflammation — can cause chronic inflammation, Rogers said it’s suspected they play a factor, especially in people with overweight or obesity.

“Ultimately the gold standard would be to get people eating more healthfully and to lose weight and exercise, but those behavioral changes are difficult and take time,” Rogers said. “So in the interim, we wanted to explore whether a combination of spices that people are already familiar with and could fit in a single meal could have a positive effect.”

For the study, the researchers recruited 12 men between the ages of 40 and 65, with overweight or obesity, and at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Rogers said the sample was chosen because people in these demographics tend to be at a higher risk for developing poorer health outcomes.

In random order, each participant ate three versions of a meal high in saturated fat and carbohydrates on three separate days: one with no spices, one with two grams of the spice blend, and one with six grams of the spice blend. The researchers drew blood samples before and then after each meal hourly for four hours to measure inflammatory markers.

“Additionally, we cultured the white blood cells and stimulated them to get the cells to respond to an inflammatory stimulus, similar to what would happen while your body is fighting an infection,” Rogers said. “We think that’s important because it’s representative of what would happen in the body. Cells would encounter a pathogen and produce inflammatory cytokines.”

After analyzing the data, the researchers found that inflammatory cytokines were reduced following the meal containing six grams of spices compared to the meal containing two grams of spices or no spices. Rogers said six grams roughly translates to between one teaspoon to one tablespoon, depending on how the spices are dehydrated.

While the researchers can’t be sure which spice or spices are contributing to the effect, or the precise mechanism in which the effect is created, Rogers said the results suggest that the spices have anti-inflammatory properties that help offset inflammation caused by the high-carb and high-fat meal.

Additionally, Rogers said that a second study using the same subjects, conducted by Penn State researchers Penny Kris-Etherton and Kristina Petersen, found that six grams of spices resulted in a smaller post-meal reduction of “flow mediated dilation” in the blood vessels — a measure of blood vessel flexibility and marker of blood vessel health.

In the future, Rogers said she, Kris-Etherton and Petersen will be working on further studies to determine the affects of spices in the diet across longer periods of time and within a more diverse population.

Ankylosing spondylitis – signs, symptoms and what it is really like to have AS!




ankylosing spondylitis

ankylosing spondylitis

As many of you know by now May is Arthritis Awareness Month. As part of our support for the month we have decided to highlight a few different arthritic conditions. For those who are interested we have looked at Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Fibromyalgia in some detail in previous blog posts on PatientTalk.Org.




Today we wish to focus on Ankylosing spondylitis. Primarily it is a spinal condition though it can also affect other parts of the body. There are two objectives to this blog post. Firstly to raise awareness of Ankylosing spondylitis among our readership and the wider community. Secondly to give an opportunity for people with AS to share their experiences and story. Hopefully it will provide useful information and support for those who have just been diagnosed with the condition .

Normally the symptoms develop over a period of time (in fact, several months is common). Typically they include:-

a) Back pain. Interestingly rest seems not to help here but exercise does.
b) Fatigue
c) Pain and swelling often in the arms and legs.

The inflammation can cause the spine to fuse which is referred to as ankylosis. Causes are as yet unconfirmed but it is believed to have a genetic link. Typically in the Uk around 1 in 300 people have been diagnosed with the condition. Interestly around three quarters of those affected are female. And most cases seem to start when the person with AS is in their twenties.

Treatments include

a) Pain Management
b) Exercise – check out our previous blog post on exercise for people in pain!
c) Physiotherapy.

In severe cases of AS surgery is used to help with the fusion of the spine.

So over to you. We would love to hear the voices of people in the Ankylosing spondylitis community. It would be great if you could use the comments box below to share your story. Please feel free to include anything you think may be of interest but you may wish to consider the following questions?

1) At what age did your first symptoms appear?
2) What were those symptoms?
3) How have the symptoms progressed over time?
4) How supportive have you family and friends been?
5) What treatments have you used for AS and how effective have they been?
6) Is there one piece of advice you would give to somebody who has just been diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis?

If you can suggest any good blogs, groups and sources of info that would be great as well.

Many thanks in advance for your help!




Behçet’s disease – what are the signs and symptoms of Behçet’s disease? Find out more about this autoimmune condition!




Behçet's disease  and the Silk Road

Behçet’s disease and the Silk Road

Welcome to the latest in our series of informational blog posts looking at some different auto-immune conditions.  For a fuller explanation of what it means to have an auto-immune condition please go to our previous blog on the subject – https://patienttalk.org/?p=939




Behçet’s disease (also called Behçet’s syndrome) is a rare medical condition which leads to inflammation of the blood vessels.  This in turn can cause some of the following symptoms:-

1)   Mouth ulcers.  In fact almost all people with Behçet’s disease will get mouth ulcers.

2)   Genital ulcers.  Again around 85% of people with the syndrome will develop very painful genital ulcers.

3)   Skin lesions such as acne appear in most cases of the condition.  The skin in general can also become more sensitive.

4)   Inflammation of the joints can occur leading to arthritis like symptoms.

5)   Inflammation of the eye.  While only a minority of people with Behçet’s disease develop this symptom it can lead to permanent loss of vision.

6)   Inflammation of the veins and central nervous system.  This is rare however.

Currently the causes of Behçet’s disease are unknown.  However some theories suggest a combination of genetics combined with environmental factors such as infections like Herpes or Hepatitis.

One of the interesting features of the condition is its incidence across the globe.  In the UK for example there are only a few hundred people with the condition. But in Turkey it runs into the tens of thousands.  In fact it is most common in countries which were once part of the Silk Road.  This includes much of the Middle East, Central Asia and China.  Though Japan has high rates as well.  This, of course, does point to a genetic origin.

Because Behçet’s disease is widely considered to be an auto-immune condition typical treatments involve immunosuppressants.

One of the features of these kinds of blogs is that we really like feedback from our readers.  It would be great if people with Behçet’s disease could use the comments box below to tell their stories.  You might like to consider the following questions though any aspect of your story will be of interest to our readers.

a)   What were your original symptoms of Behçet’s disease?  How did the condition develop?

b)  Which healthcare professionals have you seen as part of your diagnosis and treatment?

c)    What treatments for Behçet’s disease have you used and how successful were they?

d)  What do you think the causes of your Behçet’s disease might be?

We look forward to reading your contributions.

 

Many thanks in advance.