Obesity is a growing health concern in the United States and
all around the world. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC),
obesity rates in the U.S. are about 35.7% in adults and 17% in children.
Obesity is such a health concern, because it is characterized by chronic
inflammation and can lead to type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even
cancer. The biggest link between obesity and inflammation is the release of
adipocytokines from adipocytes. Adipose tissue is seen in greater
concentrations in the obese and therefore there is a greater release of
adipocytokines causing inflammation. In addition, macrophages from adipose tissue
release pro-inflammatory mediators such as TNF-a, IL-6, MCP-1, and ROS. These
pro-inflammatory mediators are present in much higher concentrations in the
obese and can lead to further complications.
Researchers
suggest that an agent that suppresses the ability of macrophages to release
pro-inflammatory cytokines should decrease inflammation and prevent the
development of obesity-related disease. Woo and fellow researchers decided to
look into spice-derived compounds such as diallyl disulfide (DADS), allyl
isothiocyanate (AITC), piperine, zingerone, and curcumin to look for
suppression of macrophages and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The results of their
experiments showed that all of the spice-derived components significantly
reduced the migration of macrophages. In addition, AITC, curcumin, and
zingerone were the only ones that significantly reduced the concentration of
nitric oxide and TNF-a. Meanwhile Curcumin, DADS, and Piperine had the greatest
inhibitory effect on MCP-1. With a reduction in these inflammatory cytokines,
there is likely to be less damage to the body from inflammation.
The
research in this article shows that spices and their derivatives can play an
important role in reducing inflammation from obesity. These spice-derivatives
could potentially help cause weight loss, reduce atherosclerosis and insulin
resistance. With these potential effects of spices, do you think there is any
possible danger to incorporating high concentrations of spices into our diet?
Do you think spices alone could prevent the onset of other obesity-related
disease or potentially reverse obesity all together?
The results look promising, but I don't think spices like these should be used as a treatment, especially when speaking about a "treatment" for obesity. I think they only healthy and safe way to go about it is diet and exercise. I think they could show great promise in prevention, and I would be extremely worried about reducing my macrophage's ability to release pro-inflammatory cytokines. And no, I don't think just using certain spices is going to keep you healthy. Just like almost every other study we've been looking at this whole semester, diet and exercise seem to be a far better treatment.
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ReplyDeleteI liked this paper because it shows significant results in reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines explicitly in adipose tissue. I think some spices in moderation could be promising. We do not want to have too much inflammation, but at the same time not shut down the process completely. The paper definitely shows a decreased level of inflammation from obesity, which might ultimately prevent cancers and other complications from developing. However, I do agree William that the best option would be diet and exercise. This study was also done in a few mice and might not translate into the human model
ReplyDeleteMany of us in class have said that diet and exercise are definitely the best home remedies. Obesity is something that we've caused in ourselves, and as a result, we end up pouring millions into research to see what kind of things we can put in our bodies to counteract our modern lifestyle. It's just a never ending cycle, and we want to find those quick fix solutions without cutting out the main source of our problems.
ReplyDeleteAs with spices, some populations already incorporate many of it into their daily diets. As for those who have inflammatory problems, finding out that something as simple as a spice can help is definitely a step forward. However, I think it's important to remember that as we put more research into these spices, we are effectively making it into a medication. High concentrations of any kind of "medications" or foreign substances to alleviate our symptoms will one day come back to bite us in the butt with other side effects. Lots of medications we have now are plant-derived anyway, but that doesn't mean that we should ingest large quantities of them all.
I agree with William...I think that focusing on our diet (and perhaps gradually adding the beneficial spices to the diet) would be a better way to reduce inflammation resulting from obesity than to completely change our diet to a spice-filled one. And like what Dr. Cohen said in class...isn't it wrong if our body is not producing any inflammatory cytokines? After all, it is inflammation in our body that tells us that we are in the process of healing. However, it is true that we want to be able to control the inflammation and keep it local and not allow it to expand to systemic inflammation. Thus, instead of consuming an abundance of spices, I would rather focus on my overall diet and see what I could do/eat to keep my body in balance. Homeostasis of the body seems key to controlling and preventing inflammatory diseases.
ReplyDeleteReading about the spices and their potential effects on inflammation reminded me of all the great things I've heard about matcha green powder over the years. I'd been told before to put matcha powder in whatever I drink all the time to significantly reduce risk for cancer. I think all dietary measures taken to prevent an illness should be done in moderation to have their optimal effects.
I definitely agree that many treatments are good in moderation. It could be potentially very harmful to eliminate all types of inflammation from over treating with spices. The last article I wrote about was an anti-inflammatory diet. In the article it suggested that the best treatment was diet and exercise. This article also caught my attention, because the study seemed to only be done in 6 male mice. Some of the results were not even reported. So I am wondering how amazing these results really were.
ReplyDeletePersonally, if I had an obesity issue I think I would try just about anything to prevent the onset of other diseases including diet, exercise and supplements in moderation.
I don't think spices alone are going to prevent these diseases. Like mentioned many times the best thing for you is going to be a healthy diet and exercise. It seems promising that these spices have these kind of effects that can help with inflammation but we still need more research done on higher doses because we don't know how that will effect our body overall. I don't think totally suppressing our macrophages would be good because obviously we have them for a reason. So while spices may be helpful I think we should be cautious about incorporating high doses until we know for sure the effects.
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