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The answer is: Inflammation
The first thing you need to know about inflammation is this: It comes in two flavors.
You’re probably familiar with one if them, but its the one you’re less familiar with that’s at the core of heart disease.
Let me explain.
Almost all of us have experience with acute inflammation. It happens every time you bang your knee, get a splinter in your finger, feel your aching back, shoulder or a rash on your skin, that’s acute inflammation.
The other flavor of inflammation is: Chronic Inflammation.
Acute Inflammation hurts, Chronic Inflammation kills.
Chronic Inflammation is much like high blood pressure, it has no obvious symptoms yet it is a significant component of virtually every single degenerative condition, including Alzheimer’s, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, cancer, chronic liver and kidney diseases, and most especially heart disease. So how exactly does inflammation happen and more importantly, what can we do about it?

One of the prime initiators of inflammation is oxidation. If you’ve ever seen rust on metal, that is oxidation. You’re also familiar with oxidation if you’ve ever left apple slices out on the counter, exposed to air. They turn brown: that’s oxidative damage. Going back to high school chemistry, electrons travel in pairs and orbit around atoms. Every so often one of these electrons gets “loose.” The unpaired electron is known as a “Free Radical.” Free radicals “hit” on existing, stable pairs of electrons thousands of times a day, trying to find another electron to pair/bond with and meanwhile, inflicting enormous damage upon your cells and DNA, causing oxidative damage.

The free radicals that come from oxygen are the most deadly and damaging. But there is help! Antioxidants are a class of substances, including certain vitamins, minerals, and many plant chemicals that help neutralize free radicals, soaking them up like little sponges, thus limiting the damage they can do to your body.

Tune in next week for more exciting info!