Before we leave lifestyle risk factors, we need to talk about inflammation. Years ago, no one talked about inflammation and heart disease. What is inflammation? My medical dictionary defines inflammation as a localized area of redness, swelling, warmth and pain which results from infection, injury or irritation. On the outside of our bodies we can see an infected bite or ingrown toenail. Many of us have experienced this condition.
Inside our bodies and at a low-grade level, we may not notice symptoms or just experience vague feelings of not feeling well. As Drs Roizen and Oz say, your body reacts to wounds caused by bad cholesterol or LDL burrowing into damaged areas of our arteries with a low-grade inflammation. “Makes sense: inflammation is how your immune system deals with many problems, like splinters, unwanted bacteria, insect venom, or other foreign invaders.” Roizen, M, Oz, Mehmet, YOU Staying Young: The Owner’s Manual for Extending Your Warranty, New York: Simon and Schuster, 2007), 57.
P.S. I like Drs Roizen and Oz’s YOU Staying Young book. They give great easy-to-understand explanations for complex health situations. I will be referring to this book the next few days.
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