5 Foods Feeding Silent Inflammation (and What to Eat Instead)

0:00 There's something millions of people have every single day that may age your body about as much as smoking cigarettes. And the scariest part is you would never feel it because this kind of damage is completely silent. And we're talking about inflammation. And it's not the kind of inflammation that we get from a sprained ankle or an infection like pneumonia. What I'm talking about is the slow inflammation that smolders in the background for years driving things like heart disease and diabetes, cancer, and even dementia. So, in this video I want to walk you through five of the worst foods that feed that kind of inflammation and on the flip side what to eat instead. And I want to start with probably the most controversial one, the one that everybody's fighting about and that is seed oils. And spoiler alert, the honest answer there isn't as simple as the internet makes it sound and there's some nuance there that's often missed in these kind of debates. But as I go through these foods, I want to keep things grounded and I want to be clear that one food by itself eaten here and there hasn't been shown to cause disease. Your body is actually incredibly resilient. An ice cream here or that Costco hot dog every now and then, that's not a big deal. What drives dangerous inflammation is the everyday version, the same foods most days for years. So, this isn't about never again, it's about less often and what to reach for instead. And one important thing I want to emphasize is some of the worst offenders on this list are sold to you as healthy. So, it's very easy for them to slip in and become part of the routine. All right, let's talk about how to approach seed oils. This food causes endless debates and just like with anything in life, the truth is somewhere in the middle and there's quite a bit of nuance there. And by the way, if you're new here I'm Dr. Lim Eng Kean and I'm a double board certified physician and on this channel my mission is to give you the science and the practical tools to not only live longer, but to feel better today. And as always, even though I'm a physician, I'm not your physician. So, please talk to your doctor before making any changes to your health regimen because this video is educational only and not medical advice. Now, here's a very prevalent myth that we need to unpack. Seed oils are toxic or linoleic acid is inflammatory. Canola and soybean oil are poisoning you. But, is that actually the case? So, let's look what the latest evidence actually shows. And by the way, linoleic acid is just the main fat in seed oils. It's an omega-6 fat. And the data on this is pretty strong. So, there was a meta-analysis of 30 randomized control trials that found that higher linoleic acid intake did not increase any inflammatory markers. So, it didn't increase things like TNF alpha or IL-6 or MCP-1. And then pooled data from 16 studies showed that CRP, another name for that is C-reactive protein, which is just another marker of inflammation, did not go up with normal intake. Now, here's the part that is true. If you heat any oil over and over, like the fryer running all day at a restaurant, and it breaks down into harmful compounds. But, that's a reheating problem, not a seed oil problem. But, this is why some people recommend using butter or beef tallow because we have studies that show that using animal fats can produce fewer toxic byproducts during the heating process. So, why do people feel better after cutting out seed oils? Well, think about where many people live, chips and fast food, fried stuff, packaged snacks.

3:21 If you cut out seed oils, well, then you're really cutting all of that out, and that's what makes you feel better. The seed oil was just along for the ride. It's a bystander at the scene and not the one who did it. So, the swap. At room temperature, for salads, I recommend reaching for extra virgin olive oil. It's rich in polyphenols that support the growth of good bacteria in your gut. And for higher heat cooking, avocado oil or butter hold up pretty well. And ideally, we try to limit the deep fried foods whenever we can. And that raises a bigger question, because seed oil is often ride inside ultra-processed foods. And everybody says, you got to cut those things out.

3:59 we want to limit our ultra-processed food intake. But what does that even mean, and which ones actually matter when it comes to inflammation? And that's food category number two that I want to talk about, but we need to get more granular. Because the term ultra-processed food is almost too broad to be useful. It throws a plain tub of yogurt into the same bucket as a gas station donut. So instead of worrying about the label, we need to focus on the ingredients that actually have evidence behind them. And for the gut, there are two that really stand out. And unfortunately, they like to hide in the foods that often sound the healthiest.

4:32 So first is a food additive in some ultra-processed foods called emulsifiers. These additives keep things smooth and creamy, so they don't separate. and they go by names like carboxymethylcellulose, or CMC, or sometimes it's listed as cellulose gum. And then another problematic one is polysorbate 80, or P80. And they're in a lot of plant milks, and creamy dressings, and ice cream, and sometimes protein bars. So why do researchers even worry about these? Well, the lining of your gut has a thin layer of protecting mucus over it. And it's a very important barrier that keeps the trillions of bacteria in your gut from ever crossing into your bloodstream. And emulsifiers are basically detergents, the same kind of molecule that lifts grease off a pan.

5:16 But in your gut, they can thin that barrier out. And in small human trials, feeding people one of these emulsifiers shifted their gut bacteria and let them creep closer to the wall than they should. And once that wall gets leaky, or permeable, pieces of those bacteria called endotoxin slip into your blood, and your immune system answers with inflammation. Now, this one is still earlier research, and is based mostly on animal studies and small human studies, so I don't want to oversell this. But the signal's real enough that we have to pay attention. So the move here is simple and you don't need to memorize any chemistry. Just flip the box over and scan for a couple of names like cellulose gum or carboxymethylcellulose or polysorbate 80 or P80 and know that those things tend to hide in the ultra creamy long shelf life stuff. And a good rule of thumb is the closer a food looks like to something you could have made in your own kitchen, the fewer of these you'll find. So plain dairy or a simple soy milk you made at home or a dressing that's mostly olive oil or a homemade ice cream that's basically cream, milk, and sugar or a sugar substitute or sweetener, which we're actually going to talk about in just a little bit, is still better than most things you can buy at the store. And the second additive in the ultra-processed food space is artificial sweeteners, which I just mentioned, and this one is tricky because going sugar-free sounds like the healthy move and in most cases it is, but it's not all harmless. There was a randomized controlled trial of 120 people where two of the most common substitutes, sucralose, which is Splenda, and saccharin, changed people's gut bacteria and raised their blood sugar response. Zero calories, yet their blood sugar still went up. Now, important reframe here so we don't overcorrect, many of these sugar substitutes overall are still better than sugar. We just don't want to treat it as an everyday thing. And personally, my current favorite substitute, and that's what I've been using for the past several years, is allulose because based on the latest research, it may actually have anti-inflammatory properties. I actually made a separate video about allulose a few years back if you want to check it out. And I'm planning on making a new one with updated research and safety data. So if you haven't already, subscribe so you stay in the loop. So that covers the sugar-free swaps. Now let's talk about the actual sugar and food number three is actually a drink and it's sugary drinks. And this is is one that can age your body as much as smoking. And yes, we all know that sugar's bad, but what I want to talk about is the sneaky sugar that can weasel its way in there, especially into the foods that masquerade themselves as healthy. So, researchers looked at how a daily sugary drink relates to how fast your cells age. And what they did is they measured telomeres. those little caps on the ends of your DNA that get shorter as you age, kind of like a plastic tip on a shoelace wearing down.

8:07 And a daily sugar-sweetened soda tracked with about 4.6 years of extra cell aging. The researchers said that that's on par with the effect of smoking, which is a lot for one drink. But, it's not just the amount of sugar, it's the absence of fiber that can get us in trouble. So, orange juice is promoted as healthy, and most people definitely see it as healthier than a Coke. But, once you strip away the pulp and the fiber that you get from eating a whole orange, the sugar in the juice isn't all that different from the sugar in a soda. And the second problem is the speed of which the sugar hits your gut. A lot of it comes in the form of fructose. And unlike glucose, which is the sugar that just about every cell in your body can burn and utilize for energy, fructose mostly has to be handled by your liver.

8:52 And when fructose trickles in slowly, like after eating a whole orange wrapped in fiber, your liver keeps up just fine. But, when fructose floods in fast all at once, like after drinking a big glass of juice or soda or boba tea, your liver gets overwhelmed. So, it starts turning that extra sugar into fat, and that whole process drives up inflammation, and it stresses the same gut barrier that we've been talking about. And the reason I talk about this in so many of my videos is because a lot of them are sold as healthy alternatives.

9:23 Cold-pressed juice, smoothies, kombucha, sports drinks, or bottled iced teas, or bottled green tea, some flavored oat milks. The front of the label may say wellness, but the sugar load says something else. Now, once again, one boba tea is not a big deal. It's only a problem if it's a pattern. And if you want the fruit, well, you eat the fruit and get the sweetness and the fiber that protects you. Which brings us to food number four, and it's processed meat.

9:51 so, we're talking about things like bacon or hot dogs and deli meat, sausage, salami. And I want to be precise here because there's a real signal, and then there's a lot of nuance. The strongest evidence when it comes to processed meat revolves around cancer. the World Health Organization's cancer research agency reviewed hundreds of studies, and they put processed meat in group one, which is their highest certainty category for things that can cause cancer in people, and specifically colorectal cancer. And for every 50 g of processed meat per day, which is about one hot dog or a few slices of deli meat, that was tied to roughly an 18% higher risk of cancer. Now, I want to be careful with the phrasing and the definitions here because saying something is in group one scares people the wrong way.

10:35 group one as a category is about how sure we are there's a link, not how big the risk is. Smoking is also categorized as group one, but that doesn't mean that a hot dog equals a cigarette. It's a difference between a bee sting and a snake bite. now, I'd rather avoid both, but they're not the same size problem. Now, when it comes to inflammation specifically, big population data does link more processed meat intake to higher markers. Now, some of that can be explained by body weight.

11:04 If you account for body fat, a good chunk of the signal shrinks. So, I don't want to overstate this and tell you that processed meat is torching your gut. The cancer data is the stronger reason to keep it low. And again, a Costco hot dog once a month is not a big deal. It's the daily intake that gets us in trouble. And by the way, I know this is the second time I'm bringing up Costco. I am not sponsored by Costco. I just recently listened to a choir podcast on Costco, and I've been blown away by their history and their mission.

11:34 What an amazing company. Oh, and I love their $1.50 hot dogs. I wish I could eat them every day, but I know I can't. All right, back to the science. Processed and unprocessed meat are not the same risk, and it's worth separating them. Their group one label is for the processed stuff, but plain unprocessed red meat lands in a different category. It's in group 2A, which is a probably not a definitely. And a lot of that weaker signal may not even be about the meat itself. It's about what I think what the meat crowds out, which is fiber. There was a randomized study where people ate 300 g of red meat a day, and their marker of DNA damage in their colon did go up by 21%, but when researchers added a type of fiber called resistant starch, well, that increase disappeared completely. So, ideally, we'll lean on fresh and unprocessed meats first, so poultry and fish. And if you do reach for red meat, we want to keep it as unprocessed as possible, and we want to pair with fiber. Just that one habit changes the whole picture. And that brings us to the last one. Food number five is alcohol, and this is the one that people are most convinced is actually good for them. How many times have you heard a daily glass of wine is good for the heart? It's even part of the Mediterranean diet, so it must be fine, right? Well, it's not as straightforward. So, the largest analysis of alcohol and health ever done, published in The Lancet, looked across 195 countries, and their conclusion, in their own words, was that the amount of alcohol best for your own health is zero. Now, why do we believe the wine thing for so long? Well, a lot of the older studies compared drinkers to non-drinkers, but some of those non-drinkers had quit because they were already sick. So, the light drinkers look healthy by comparison. It was a measuring problem and not a wine benefit. Wine was never the part making the Mediterranean diet healthy. It was the olive oil and healthy fats and fiber and lean meat and seafood. And it ties right back to your gut, especially that important protective barrier. Alcohol is one of the fastest thing to break that barrier down. It makes the lining leakier, so more of the bacterial endotoxin slips into the blood, and there's your inflammation again. Same door we've been talking about the whole time, and alcohol just kicks it open faster than any food on this list. And look, I'm not saying you can never have a drink. A glass of wine at a wedding or a drink or two with your buddies occasionally. I mean, not ideal, but it's not the end of the world. In the end, it's a balancing act. But what I want to emphasize is to let go of this idea that alcohol is helping you. So if we step back and look at what all five of these have in common, seed oils for writing inside fried junk and fast food, emulsifiers and sweeteners tucked into healthy packaged foods, sugary drinks and processed meat, alcohol, almost every one comes down to the same story. They wear down that gut barrier and let the fire keep smoldering. So the pattern that we see over and over in our modern food environment is taking real food and stripping out the fiber, concentrating the sugar, adding sweeteners, and making it incredibly easy to overeat. And then a lot of companies put health buzzwords on the packaging like high protein or no added sugar, so it feels healthier than it really is. But real food comes with built-in brakes. processed food takes those brakes away. But I also don't want to leave you with a list of things to avoid because it's just as important to add the right things instead. So we want to start with a wide variety of soluble and insoluble fiber from foods like beans and lentils and your favorite vegetables. And that will feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut. But one quick heads-up though, if you're increasing fiber, we want to do it gradually and drink plenty of water, because otherwise you may cause a a of GI distress if you go too fast. And then we want to add fermented foods, things like kefir and kimchi and sauerkraut and miso, which will help reseed and increase the variety of the good bacteria that you want. And ideally we want to eat fatty fish, if you eat seafood, at least once or twice a week.

15:37 And top it all off with extra virgin olive oil. Just look for one in a dark bottle with a harvest date on it. The dark bottle protects olive oil from UV light because otherwise it can degrade pretty fast and lose its healthy antioxidants. And olive oil is not shelf stable. It actually behaves more like fresh juice. So you want to consume it within at least 18 months from harvest and the earlier the better. And over time, that's what helps your gut and it will help you bring down the inflammation and put out that smoldering fire. All right, I hope this was helpful. Stay healthy and I'll see you in the next one.