It’s a Nation of “āSH(ə)n”

Inflammation … Oxidation … Glycation.

Yep, these three “amigos” are the three main contributors to aging, disease, and illnesses that many adults face in our country.  But, what are they and how do they happen?  Buckle up, buttercup because — dah dun DUN — it’s the food! Well, let’s tear it down a bit.

Oxidation. It’s pretty much what you think it is (if you’re thinking it means “rust”).  We burn a lot of oxygen in our bodies and have so many biochemical processes happening that the by-products (aka free radicals or oxidants) start to overcome our clean-up system (antioxidants).  These by-products attack cells and tissues if there’s nothing to stop them and are responsible for hardened arteries, stiff joints, blurry vision, and wrinkled skin. If you’ve ever sliced an apple or an avocado, left it out for a bit then returned to it… that yucky brownish tint?  Yeah, that’s oxidation attacking the cells of the fruit — imagine that going on inside you everyday.

Glycation. No, it’s not a spa treatment. Not even close.  It’s what happens when there’s too much glucose (blood sugar) molecules free-floating then they hitch a ride onto unsuspecting proteins.  This changes their structure and turns them sticky, stiff even. Yeah, real fun stuff. These proteins are actually called Advanced Glycation End products or — you guessed it — AGEs.

It prevents healthy cell growth and literally makes your blood “sludgy”. Think about what that can do to your blood vessels and how much longer it’s going to take to get nutrition and oxygen to organs that need it.

Inflammation. Everyone’s heard of this one. Inflammatory this and inflammatory that — leads to any of the “-itis” words like colitis, dermatitis, arthritis, etc.. But, no one’s really talking about what it really means. When you pair up years and years of an unhealthy lifestyle and a nutrient deficient diet, your cells start to change their genetic code. Enter oxidation and glycation which change the cells to something that the immune system doesn’t quite recognize sending it into red alert attacking those cells.  Nevermind that it’s just those poor joint fluid cells trying to get their work done in a sickened condition to begin with but now they have to contend with an all-out ground attack from the immune system. Next thing you know, it hurts to bend your fingers or your knees.

Everything’s connected in this cycle: Glycation changes those proteins and causes the body’s immune system to not recognize cells as friendly which then causes inflammation and that leads directly to oxidation and aging.

So, what’s a person to do?  Well, there’s a few things we can do to avoid or lessen the chances of these things happening. A quote from Dr. Sears’ book “Prime Time Health” that I particularly like is: “Nature makes the right fuel for the body; factories don’t”.  Yeah, I know, too simple, right?  Ok, add some exercise to that and there you go. The most amazing thing about the human body is that it can, pretty much, reset itself as long as we give it what it needs: antioxidants, nutrient dense foods, clean water, and movement.  Movement is so important but you don’t have to go out and run a 5k — just head into the backyard with a hula hoop and imagine you’re on the sandy beaches of Hawaii, maybe even get some Hawaiian music going on your smart phone.  Hey, whatever it takes to get those muscles moving.