There is only one organ in the body that can safely store excess fatty acids. This is the adipose tissue and this is why it holds a central role in the inflammatory process. As long as the fat cells of the adipose tissue are healthy, they can store any excess fatty acids (including arachidonic acid) in long-term storage. As the largest organ in the body, the adipose tissue is also the largest storage site for arachidonic acid. As long as the levels of arachidonic acid in the fat cells remain low the adipose tissue functions normally. However, as the levels of arachidonic acid begin to accumulate in the adipose tissue, the fat cells become compromised due to increasing inflammation. They are no longer able to sequester circulating fat (including arachidonic acid) as effectively and as result the lipotoxicity begins to develop in other organs such as the muscle, liver, and pancreas. Eventually, if the fat cells become too inflamed, they die causing massive macrophage infiltration into the adipose tissue. With this macrophage infiltration comes increased production of inflammatory mediators that accelerate the spread of silent inflammation.
To overcome the silent inflammation induced by the Perfect Nutritional Storm requires an anti-inflammatory diet. The most important aspect of such an anti-inflammatory diet is the stabilization of insulin and reduction of intake of omega-6 fatt y acids. This will reduce the production of arachidonic acid that is the key driver of the inflammatory process. This can be best accomplished by following the Zone Diet.
The second dietary approach to reduce inflammation is the increase in the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3 fatt y acids dilutes out arachidonic acid in the fat cells. As a consequence, inflammation is reduced thereby also reducing macrophage infiltration into the adipose tissue.
The final component of an anti-inflammatory diet would be adequate consumption of polyphenols that reduce the activation of nuclear factor-κB thus reducing the production of pro-inflammatory hormones such as PGE2. Other adipose tissue hormones affected by an anti-inflammatory diet will include adiponectin and leptin.
Understanding the impact of an anti-inflammatory diet on silent inflammation begins to elevate diet from simply a source of calories to being on the cutting-edge of gene-silencing technology.