Get Easy Health Digest™ in your inbox and don’t miss a thing when you subscribe today. Plus, get the free bonus report, Mother Nature’s Tips, Tricks and Remedies for Cholesterol, Blood Pressure & Blood Sugar as my way of saying welcome to the community!
Popular pantry staple fights driver of aging and disease
Inflammaging is defined as a state of systemic, low-grade inflammation that increases with age, independent of infectious pathogens.
In other words, inflammation in our body increases as we age, without any external help.
And as inflammation increases, so does our risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other conditions known as the diseases of aging.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. While inflammaging is a natural part of aging, there are steps that can be taken to mitigate its effects…
«SPONSORED»
Cocoa supplements slow inflammatory aging
Cocoa extract has been shown in previous, smaller studies to reduce inflammatory biomarkers. Those benefits were attributed to its high content of flavanols — small, bioactive compounds found not only in cocoa beans but also in berries, grapes, tea, and other plant-based foods.
Between 2014 and 2020, Brigham and Women’s Hospital led the COSMOS trial (COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study), a large-scale clinical trial with 21,442 participants over 60 years old. They found that cocoa extract supplementation decreased cardiovascular disease mortality by 27%.
While this was good news, the researchers weren’t exactly sure how or why this happened. So this year, they ran another study…
«SPONSORED»
They collected and analyzed blood samples from 598 COSMOS participants and measured several inflammaging biomarkers (a biomarker is a measurable substance in the body that indicates a specific health condition or disease).
When they compared changes in these biomarkers after two years to levels at the start of the study, they found that levels of hsCRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) had dropped by 8.4 percent!
A high hsCRP level is a direct sign of inflammation in the body, indicating a higher risk for atherosclerosis, blood clot formation, and oxidative stress, all of which add up to heart disease.
Cocoa supplements reduce inflammation and are known to control blood pressure and prevent arterial stiffness. This explained how they were able to decrease death from cardiovascular disease by almost 30%.
«SPONSORED»
Prevent inflammaging: slow aging and disease risk
If you’re interested in healthy aging, cocoa could help. Cocoa supplements are becoming widely available, but I have friends who swear by grabbing the cocoa powder from the pantry and adding it to their coffee.
There are other researched ways you could tame inflammaging:
- Eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Studies show diets like the Mediterranean diet can lower CRP levels by as much as 20 percent. And don’t forget about the five foods that douse disease-causing inflammation identified by the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease.
- Supplement with fish oil. The fatty acids in fish oil can curb chronic inflammation. In fact, studies show that taking 960 mg per day of EPA and 600 mg per day of DHA can lower CRP significantly.
- Increase your vitamin C intake. Research suggests that taking 1,000 mg of vitamin C per day can lower CRP levels by 25 percent.
- Try to maintain a healthy weight. Obesity mimics the effects of inflammaging on the body and accelerates aging.
- Consider the Mediterranean diet. It’s known to fight frailty and reduce risks for the diseases of aging, including cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes and cancer.
Editor’s note: What do you really know about stroke? The truth is, only 10% of stroke survivors recover almost completely, and all doctors can offer is what to do after a stroke occurs. That’s unacceptable considering 80% of strokes are preventable! Click here to discover how to escape The Stroke Syndrome: 5 Signs it’s Stalking You — Plus the Hidden Causes and Preventive Measures You’ve Never Heard About!
Sources:
Study finds cocoa extract supplement reduced key marker of inflammation and aging — EurekAlert
The inflammation theory of disease — EMBO Reports
By Joyce Hollman
«SPONSORED»
