Yearning for a calmer life?

The latest diet craze is nothing like the usual offerings. You don't have to count calories or cut your food intake drastically. There's no promise of instant weight loss, though you will become trimmer.

What this diet will do is help prevent illnesses such as heart disease, Alzheimer's and possibly cancer, and significantly ease the pain of chronic conditions such as arthritis.

The anti-inflammatory diet is based on the principle that many health problems are linked to chronic inflammation caused by an over-active immune system. It uses select foods, including oily fish, pomegranate and ginger, that help calm the immune system - and prevent a handful of ills.

What sets this latest trend apart from other dietary fads is the growing number of medical experts who agree there's much to gain from it.

The idea that chronic inflammation can lead to ill health is well established. It occurs when the immune system begins attacking the body. It's not clear why this happens, but, as a result, the body tissues are damaged. In turn, they release chemicals that cause inflammation.

Because this initially causes no pain, people often don't realise they're suffering from chronic and "silent" inflammation until years later - when the symptoms of arthritis or other conditions emerge.

Until recently, scientists were unsure of the role diet played in preventing inflammatory disease, but evidence suggests it might be more helpful than previously thought.

The key foods are oily fish, fruit and vegetables, legumes and spices.

Research has shown certain nutrients, such as the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oils and compounds in spices, have direct anti-inflammatory properties.

"These nutrients dampen the production of the chemicals that trigger inflammatory processes," says nutritional immunologist Professor Philip Calder at Southampton University.

Antioxidants in fruit and vegetables help curb the action of free radicals, which destroy healthy cells, worsening inflammation damage.

While each of the anti-inflammatory diets takes a different approach - some concentrate on anti-ageing, while others focus on preventing specific diseases - the principles remain the same: eat plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and fibre.

At the same time, limit or cut out foods thought to cause inflammation, such as trans fats (artificially created fats) and saturated fats (found in red meat and dairy foods), processed foods and refined carbohydrates (white bread) and sugars. - Daily Mail

• This article was originally published on page 17 of The Sunday Tribune on September 27, 2009