Oct. 6--Systemic inflammation has been implicated as a precursor for heart disease and diabetes, as well as a preventable cause of other diseases, including some typically considered age related, such as osteoporosis, Alzheimer's and diabetes; even laugh lines and crow's feet. And, according to some studies, a person's diet can be a contributing factor to systemic inflammation.

It's a topic that intrigued Monica Reinagel, a board-certified licensed nutritionist and the author of several health books. "It caught my attention mostly because of reports coming out of medical literature about this low-level inflammation being linked to so many common diseases," Reinagel said in a phone interview from her home in Baltimore. "It looked to me like a kernel we could pursue for health.

In her book "The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan" (McGraw Hill, $16.95) released earlier this year, she explains why excessive inflammation is so common, what you can do about it and provides an easy-to-navigate food rating system for developing a balanced, anti-inflammatory diet. Reinagel, who is also a chef, provides sample menus and recipes to get started.

Reinegal says it's not as simple as good foods, bad foods. Some foods, she writes, have a combination of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects on the body. The individual nutrients of foods, what they are paired with and how they are cooked, also contribute to a food's inflammatory rating.

She based her IF Ratings for each food on about two dozen factors. That resulted in some expected results such as cold-water fish being "anti-inflammatory all-stars" because they are a wonderful source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. But, surprisingly, chicken and turkey have a negative IF Rating, meaning they are inflammatory, because they have an unfavorable omega-6 to omega-3 ratio from being fed a grain-based diet.

"The balance of omega-3 and omega-6 are an important part of the equation," Reinagel said. Basically, our bodies use the fatty acids in foods to make prostaglandins, which are involved in a variety of body functions including control of blood pressure, contraction of smooth muscle and modulation of inflammation. Omega-6 fatty acids are converted into inflammatory prostaglandins; omega-3s into anti-inflammatory prostaglandins, she writes. The modern diet is too heavy in omega-6 fatty acids and a balance needs to be restored. One contributor to this imbalance is a diet heavy in grain -- not only by humans but by livestock who eat a grain-based diet.

"I'm not saying any food with a negative rating is bad or unhealthy for you. It's an issue of balance," Reinagel said. "We want to have the inflammatory and anti-inflammatory side in balance ... so we don't have runaway inflammation" which leads to dysfunction in how cells work together.

Her rating system also lists a food's carbohydrates and fats to track calorie-intake. The goal is to eat a variety of foods so that at the end of the day your combined IF target value is on the positive, or anti-inflammatory, side and you are meeting your target calorie intake.

Her system is not a medical treatment, she emphasizes, but is a lifestyle support system. In addition to diet, stress, exposure to toxins and genetics are factors that can promote inflammation.

"There's more research to do," said Virginia Darrow-Menegaz, MS, RD, LN, of Nutrition for Wellness in Mount Airy .

"When you look at nutrition, there's no magic bullet," she said. But there is a broad group of foods categorized as functional foods that provide a health benefit beyond the basic nutrients.

Herbs and spices such as cinnamon, paprika, garlic, rosemary and turmeric, which is already being studied for its anti-inflammatory properties, as are omega-3 fatty acids and flax seed, and resveratrol, found in the skin of grapes.

"Aim for a variety of healthy foods to help minimize inflammation in the body," Darrow-Menegaz said. "In common layman's terms, that means eating as close to the earth as possible."

For many, that means making lifestyle changes which some of her clients are ready and willing to do, but some still want that mythical magic bullet.

"What we do eat is more important than what we don't eat," she said. "There are subtle changes we can make to modify someone's dietary intake," like focusing on healthful real foods that are less processed.

"Raw foods can be wonderful but certain foods have nutrients that are released when cooked," she said, such as lycopene in tomatoes and antioxidants in garlic.

Darrow-Menegaz takes a holistic approach with her clients, which includes the emotional and mental components of health. Also, she said, how you exercise can be just as important as the exercise itself. Walking on a treadmill while watching the daily news doesn't deliver the same effect as doing yoga in a serene setting.

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--n Monica Reinagel is also a professional opera singer (http://monicareinagel.com), blogger-in-chief and nutrition guru for NutritionData.com, and regular contributor to their popular foodie site, Epicurious.com. www.inflammationfactor.com

n Nutrition For Wellness, Virginia Darrow-Menegaz, MS, RD, LN, founder and principal, is a former adjunct instructor in nutrition and food studies at NYU; president of Nutrition Software Solutions Inc., which developed a nutrition assessment software program for healthcare professionals; and is a former restaurant owner, triathlete and fitness trainer. www.nutrition4wellness.org, 301-829-6366.

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