Nutrition Professor: How inflammation could age you | Philip Calder 

Apparently this is a huge subject area. Request more information on inflammation reduction in old age please. GREAT VIDEO!!! GREAT VIDEO

TLDR; - **Inflammation's Role**: Inflammation is not inherently harmful; it's a protective response to injury or infection, but can become problematic if unregulated or misplaced. - **Chronic Inflammation**: Long-term, improperly managed inflammation is associated with several diseases, such as arthritis, heart disease, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and possibly some cancers. - **Dietary Influence**: Certain foods can trigger inflammation. For example, diets high in simple sugars and saturated fats can promote inflammation. - **Disease Connection**: Chronic inflammation can underlie conditions like obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes by maintaining a persistent, low-grade inflammatory state. - **Nutritional Strategies**: Incorporating anti-inflammatory foods (e.g., foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, and fruits rich in antioxidants) can help manage inflammation. - **Personalized Nutrition**: Individual responses to foods vary, which can influence inflammation levels. Tailoring your diet to reduce inflammatory responses based on personal tolerances can be beneficial. - **Long-term Health**: Managing inflammation through diet and lifestyle choices is crucial for reducing the risk of inflammation-related diseases and promoting longevity and healthy aging. This advice emphasizes the significant impact of dietary choices on inflammation and overall health, suggesting that careful consideration of food intake can mitigate inflammation and its associated risks.

I went to the doctors concerned about inflammation 5 years ago. They were no help at all, even though I could have been on the path to diabetes. It's thanks to people like these guys that I figured it out and changed my health trajectory.

Farmed salmon live in very polluted water because they are confined. It creates huge dead zones in the ocean. The fish are not able to move about like they would in the wild. I would recommend staying away from it. Sardines are a much better choice and are environmentally sustainable. By eating the whole sardine fish packed in olive oil, you take in a lot of nutrients from the skin, bone and flesh of the fish plus the benefits of the olive oil.

Loved this, the interviewee was amazing at explaining things in such a clear, interesting way. More of him please!

When he mentions simple sugar, a lot of people may not realise that carbs, especially refined carbs turn into sugar in the body. I didn’t know this myself till a couple of years ago so I never now eat cereals, oats, pasta & have cut down hugely on bread & rice. Also I don’t eat as much fruit as I used to because they’re bred to be super sweet these days. Usually stick to berries. I don’t see an issue with red meat though I don’t eat lots of it but meat is basically a dirty word on Zoe!

Nigel is better this week, not interrupting quite as much as normal.

Great video .packed full of interesting,valuable information and advice .Thankyou

I can’t believe you talked about the depletion of omega 3 in farmed salmon, and yet not mention that it is easy to obtain in algae oil ( which is where all fish get it from)

Professor Calder I love you ❤️ And thank you Jonathan and the Zoe team. Sten Ekberg has a video on eating smaller fish like sardines and mackerel to avoid the heavy metals ‘Top 5 best fish you should never eat and 5 you must eat’ 👍

Very enlightening, thank you both.

Thank you for answering a question I asked in a survey a while ago about what exactly inflammation within the body was. I could understand inflammation easily enough when it was due to an external injury but I now understand what general inflammation means. It was a great talk and good to know what is thought to cause it and ways that it might be limited through diet.

Excellent show guys. Loved it. Always awesome to learn

The fish don't make the Ω3 fatty acids, they come from their diet -- which is other sea creatures to some extent, yes, but ultimately, they come from sea plants. If you farm salmon and feed them grain, not seaweed, they are no longer worth eating, are they?

Great discussion to understand the phisiology of inflammation in our body, must be seen!

Fascinating

Excellent information. Thank you.

So much good info!👍🏻

Bring Zoe to Ireland 🙏🏻💖 I’m experiencing really weird issues post covid (neuropathy, what seems like mini vein clots) really excited to listen to this episode x

This talk absolutely excellent. His choice of foods are spot on. My body has taken note, so much noticeable the reduced inflammation., consuming everything he says.

Best Zoe episode to date. Absolutely crucial and fascinating! Maybe Zoe could look at measuring inflammation in future versions and incorporating this in the results?

Thank you so much for all the interesting and useful information. Btw why is the last chapter not in the chapter list 😅

A simply brilliant podcast, that actually takes the metabolic debate up stream (preventative/cause) to exactly where it should be - instead of downstream (treatment/effect)

Once again, very useful information. Thanks 🌱🌱

Just a fantastic discussion, great questions asked and a great guest! Thank you from Guam

So interesting! Thanks a lot for sharing!😊

As someone suffering from osteoarthritis of the hips I'm wondering if having my hips replaced will take away the high level of inflammation in my system? i don't seem to have arthritis elsewhere.

Please could we get more information on tests available? CPR test was mentioned for high level inflammation. Are there tests for brain inflammation? Many thanks

Thanks from Australia.👍🏼🙏🏻

Thanks for your informative podcasts! A world opens up for me. Now we just have to wait until the ZOE membership is also possible from the Netherlands......

So what dosage of EPA and DHA should we take as supplément when over 65?

What about toxins and heavy metals in oily fish? What about the unsustainability of fishing? Why do some doctors never address those issues and suggest algae oil supplements and things like ground flax seeds instead?

Good discussion. I would have liked to see the issue of heavy metals in salmon included in the discussion. That skews the decision of how to eat more toward plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

You can statistically measure one person is healthier at 70 than another person who is less healthy at 70. You could also say a person at 70 has the same health statistics as the average person currently has at 50. This focuses on being healthy which, at least for me, is the goal. A slight change in diction can focus attention on being healthier.

You mentioned very specifically omega 3. Do you believe as some do, that omega 3 is good but omega 6 is inflammatory and should be avoided (or kept within a certain ratio)?

Congratulations Professor Calder. Your advice was convincing and apparently easy to implement. However, it would have been good to have more information on the role that physical and mental stress play in the promotion of the biological processes (e.g., cholesterol deposition, macrophages and phagocytosis, etc.) to which you referred. For example, in my own case, I focus on keeping my stress levels to a minimum, which I believe helps keep my blood pressure and cholesterol within ideal ranges. I avoid sugars and refined flour, but do allow myself some saturated fat in my diet, which otherwise is fish, vegetable and fruit based. For example, I eat yoghurt, butter and cheese on a daily basis. As you have suggested, everybody is different in how their bodies handle these things. Is one of the factors in this variable equation the person's stress level? I have yet to see any dietary research evidence that takes this into consideration.

Around 52.33 what three things would you reduce Prof said sugar and saturated fat. What was the third??

I find all this information is relevant, but it can also be very discouraging and so complicated to address. I eat very healthy and I exercise, but living with stress and situations that are not always under our control, can also impact our health no matter how well we eat or take supplements or have regular exercise. Many people are living under a great deal of stress that is affecting their overall health in a detrimental way. I have arthritis now in my feet, which explains the several falls I have experienced over the last few years. When I fill out forms at a specialists office, I don’t have to tick any major conditions which is due to my lifestyle I suppose, except that I have Fibromyalgia and arthritis. But I believe that many of these chronic pain conditions can also be related to living under conditions that many of us due to no fault of our own, are forced to endure. Not necessarily economically, but other influences that can be very toxic and stress inducing situations. So I do appreciate many of the podcasts on Zoe where we are given somewhat a sense of control over our health and the outcomes, but too much in-depth information at times can be rather disheartening. It often seems like a Mount Everest before us, that we need to climb!

Great podcast as always. Jonathon and Zoe team, thank you. When do you think Zoe membership will be made available in Australia? I'm very keen.

I've heard from other doctors that having a big belly is a sign of inflammation.

Man, you are top for me because you raise topics that interest me, in fact, they should interest every person. I hope you will move in this direction. We need to extract as much knowledge as possible from scientists and implement it in our lives 👍

You would expect someone who has his level of knowledge and insight to look the picture of health.

He didn’t included the modern farm vegetables no longer as nutritional as before and it’s come with tons of pesticides, herbicides, chemical via artificial fertiliser etc… which are highly inflammatory to human body.

seems to me when I eat more meat, and less sugar my joint pain is less.. 69 years old here..

Silent systemic (lowgrade) inflammation is alarming! I love that Professor Calder highlighted the effect of Omega 3! I work with a Scandinavian Personalised Nutrition Company who really emphasise the importance of Omega 3 in the role of healthy cells. They have produced a vegan oil too...and it's a best seller!

I love your Zoe podcasts and have no hesitation in following your advice. Would never follow NHS guidelines as they are hopelessly out of date.

Really enjoyed this..and now I just need a separate fund for buying extra virgin olive oil 😬 It’s unbelievable how expensive it is now 🤦🏻‍♀️

Every podcast you ask people to subscribe. I think some people don't hit subscribe because they think it will incur a cost.. as in paying a subscription. You need to explain what hitting subscribe means and that there is no cost.

When he said cholesterol causes inflammation i looked at his fatty visceral gut and manboobs and thought... youre giving me advice?

How can the problem be an excess of caulking material and not 16:33 why the holes in the arterial wall get there in the first place?

There are plant, seed and algae oils that have an anti inflammatory effect that never seem to get a mention, possibly because they are less direct. Ecologically it would be a good idea to start this discussion. The emphasis is on long term use rather than a quick fix. Can you include information about this for future talks on inflammation.

Great summary discussion if a big topic. What you eat is of course important, what you don’t eat also important to health. the state of your gut biome implicated in inflammation in the body isn't it?. All the better reasons to avoid processed refined foods and junk foods which are drip feeding seed oils. Food and nutrition is a complex science because we don’t eat macronutrients, we eat food and in the context of all the other food we eat our exercise levels and our genetics and our weight etc people respond differently to the same diets. A few thoughts (I eat everything from organs to lentils so no political affiliations with vegan activists or carnivores, not sponsored by the meat industry or the almond MYLK industry... ) Regarding DHA and the tinned fish I pulled from my cupboard and tinned fish: sardines - 780mg per 100g. very good source of Dha - wild Scottish mackerel - 1, 230mg per 100grams, almost double that of sardines without the arsenic issue limiting sardines. Strangely, a tin of mackerel in mackerel oil from another brand, DHA is only 406 mg per 100g. Wild Alaskan pink salmon is 1260mg per 100grams So mackerel wins for cost for Dha. tuna is 135mg per 100g, inclusive of Dha and Epa (so not worth eating for the Dha- I just have some for protein as a last resort). Worth reading the labels and comparing. And why should we 'cut down on meat?' mentioned casually but no expansion on why and from what to what? It’s a healthy food, especially grass-fed pastured beef, considering its micronutrient profile that no plant can match. In fact, olive oil has more fat per 100g. (three times the saturated fat of a lean beef). 100g of lean beef has 4.5 grams of saturated fat whereas 100g of olive oil has 14grams of saturated fat. As for saturated fat no one sits down to eat a plate of saturated fat, it's in a meal with a complex mix of micro and macro nutrients, each performing a function in the body. For example my sardines are 2.5grams of saturated fat per 100g, on par with full fat dairy milk. Dairy milk is full of micronutrients that are good for us but has conjugated linoleic acid which reduces inflammation. “CLA has been shown to exert various potent physiological functions such as anticarcinogenic, antiobese, antidiabetic and antihypertensive properties” And funnily enough you can buy supplements of CLA. So saturated fat comes in food, that food has benefits. Saturated fats, like proteins are not one thing, they are a macronutrient label for many things... each with different functions and effects. The total equation is much much more complicated than pouring pure saturated fat into your veins. one of the things not mentioned besides CRP is what medical tests for inflammation? (besides the normal for blood sugar and so on, and of course how you feel is the best test - if you feel great you've probably not got an inflammation problem right?). should we bother testing cytokines?

One thing that I think I missed. Did he mention why saturated fats are causing inflammation?

What about spices reducing inflammation?

These are really interesting thoughts and support us immensely in our health quest. Virgine rapeseed oil (from organic modern varieties) and flaxseed (in moderation) are good omega 3 supplements while we are waiting for omega 3's from algae.

When you say 'arthritis' are you referring to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, or both?

Love this "not medical advice" ❤❤❤Only because many of them I have tried and tested and proved excellent. Come August 2024 and I'll be sisty six yo, yes born 1958. My last flu was 1998 when I was forty. I t was so bad I swear never again and I thought ...cliche! Whatever I have done must be working. It s all about change of lifestyle. Everything in moderation but a real conscious effort of avoiding sugar if and when I can (i love the occasional ice cream treats ha ha ). I have an active lifestyle and I do regular exercise. Walk and swim. Last November 2023 I joined kendo practice and thought to myself...no fool like an old fool. I thought a couple of weeks and I can tell myself "oh well, I tried and found out...". Yes, I tried and found out that it is very good for me but I am not sure I am a good company to the young ones 😂😂😂 as I avoid this food and that food avoiding, too, raining on their parade. Keep active, keep cheerful. Keep healthy. It is no cliche that good health is good, real wealth.

It's a smart doctor who understands the difference between biological and chronological age. I also think a person's frame of mind makes a bigger contribution than is recognised - I have a friend who is 97, she laughs, sings, takes pride in her appearance and is still driving!

Flax oil seems to be Anti-inflammatory but, is Flax oil Estrogenic & can it be affecting male Endocrine balance & cause Erectile dysfunction ? Great pain killer Tramadol dramatically lowers libido in men , how long can Tramadol be taken for faster recovery of Testosterone & libido ? Is Gynecomastia caused by inflammation additionally to Aromatization of Testosterone ? Is HRT for males causing it & if it can be prevented with Tamoxifen or something else not so strong. ?

@Zoe What about Omega 6, because a lot of plants contain Omega 6 and I hear that is pro-inflammatory and that the more Omega 6 you eat, the more Omega 3 you need to counteract....So what's the story there?

I know that I keep saying when are you going to offer Zoe in Australian. Come on Tim you grew up in Melbourne !

Not a single mention of algae?! 🧐

There is DHA/EPA supplements made from algae. It's quite expensive, so nothing for the salmon farming industry, but a good option for vegans. It is for sure not as expensive as buying the equivalent amount of high quality fish.

This podcast is very educative, I put is above others. Thank you for your good work.

Vegetable Fat is bad not the Fat in Red Meat. Also watch out for Sugar in Fruit.

Flour & Starches turn into Sugar in the body. Nothing wrong with Saturated Fat, in fact it’s good for the Brain.

Would have liked more questioning about the genetic risks for inflammation. This was ignored by the interviewer

At 16 minutes in, I turned to the comments to see if anyone else had picked up on the problem he had with cholesterol. Of course cholesterol is at the site of the inflammation, it's there as the band aid to repair the damage sugar does. Removing cholesterol is like removing fire trucks off the road because they're always present at house fires. 😂 Correlation is not causation.

Perfect anti-inflammatory methods are also sleep and simple exercise. Added to good diet, they are enormously important ways to reduce stress, and frankly: all healing and repairing processes in our bodies. Our society is hell-bent on making us feel lazy and worthless, if we sleep, relax and exercise in a pleasurable way (walking, dancing, meditating in some way, pottering in the garden, rather than running and lifting weights as quickly as possible). Consuming should be our only pastime, that's the prefabricated model. Obesity for example is common among stressed and harrassed people who feel energy-deficiency, and try to fix this problem by eating energy-dense products. Instead they are not helped to relax both mind and body, f.ex. by strolling in beautiful nature, sleep well for 8 hours, meditating already at meals savouring every bite, talking kindly to themselves, building a psychological defense for themselves, instead of trying comfort-eating.

As a vegan my omega 3 DHA and EPA come from algae!

You cover very interesting topics but it would be better if the were half the length. Make it more dynamic, short, vibrant!

I thought olive oil reduces inflammation. So then isn't total fat not the factor but total bad fats?

Just read the heavily criticised review of the Zoe programme in the Guardian. The scientists slaughtered you guys. How would you respond? My partner and I fell out over the review yesterday! I’m for Zoe and personalised nutrition as I’m a progressive type. My partner called Zoe Elitist. I really want to do Zoe soon, but felt really upset and confused about the review in the Guardian. Can you respond to this?

Farm raised fish have no place in a healthy diet as well as fish oil supplements. Wild caught salmon like sockeye or Alaskan are wonderful as well as grass fed grass finished fed animals.

Wow, 75% of global fish oil is used to feed farmed salmon, that's absurd! I would much rather eat the small fish that are used to produce fish oil directly because that's a seriously inefficient way of using the planet's resources to provide us food. It's a bit like in the UK, the government mandated feeding cows iodine supplements to improve the health of the cows, and it's had the accidental benefit of reducing iodine deficiency in people who drink cow's milk. This is great for our health but given how much land and energy are used to farm cattle it doesn't feel particularly sustainable for the future as climate change greatly reduces global farmland. Might be better added to table salt or bread. Also the fish oil being fed to salmon reminds me of the huge amount of land used to grow soy, mostly just to feed livestock a high calorie/high protein diet ... when we could eat soy directly instead.

Good Fat satisfies for longer. So is good for Insulin Resistance.

The expert doesn't look too healthy himself!

Is it true that those taking DHA & EPA from FISH or other ANIMAL sources, are shooting themselves in the foot because they are also producing INFLAMMATION at the same time?

Healthy OLIVE OIL also has SATURATED FAT (14%)!

Bullet point summary or some condensation is essential. 1hr + is FAR too long! Even though the topic is v interesting!

I wouldn’t touch farmed salmon

Why does this guy who is a "Nutrition Professor" not explain to the audience why we should not have a lot of RED MEAT? Very Strange! Saturated FATS are NOT the Problem!!! Also, High-Sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) Needs to be taken instead of the normal CRP test

The entire food chain is inflammation

Today’s headline news: fish oil raises risk of heart disease and stroke. Please respond!

37:49

The speaker looks like he has inflammation

Why do the French have so little heart disease / atherosclerosis when they eat so much saturated fat? Is French fat not inflammatory?

There is some good information in this video, but do we really need to sacrifice over an hour on most of this repetitive matey flannel? The first 15 minutes could be condensed into 3 sentences. An ordinarily well-informed adult can skip the first 35 minutes, and you have to pick the nuggets out of the kindergarten explanations in the rest. Is it not possible to provide a written precis for those not staying for the entertainment?

Doctor certainly skirted the important issue of blood tests to indicate inflammation. Likely as not, anyone on this site already knows C-reactive protein, so not a very informative video. Factory fish farms are grain fed, i.e. high Omega -6... not a useful allotment of time...

Very disappointed that the good doctor here mentioned eating fish many times when talking about omega-3, but Jonathan didn't press him to talk about better cleaner plant based sources of omega-3. 😒

Please, dobt eat any animal, not necesary and its an injustice

Aren't farmed salmons also full of anti-biotics, which is having a big impact on how resistant we become to anti-biotics ? Being vegan, I wouldn't touch any meat in any shape or form anyway... you almost need different podcasts for those of us who don't go there....