Category Archives: Inflammation

Posted June 16, 2013

Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira has played 15 games since returning from a wrist tear. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

An MRI on Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira revealed mild inflammation in his right wrist, but no structural damage, manager Joe Girardi said on Sunday, calling it the best-case scenario.

Teixeira missed the first two months of the season with a partially torn sheath, and was feared to have re-injured the sheath.

Girardi said Teixeira will be unavailable on Tuesday after the teams off day on Monday, and could land on the disabled list.

In 15 games since his return, the lifetime .278 hitter with a .894 career OPS is batting .151 with a .609 OPS, including 19 strikeouts in 53 at-bats. He left Saturdays game in the fourth inning and received a cortisone shot on Sunday.

From The Star-Ledgers Andy McCullough:

Thats a good thing, Girardi said before Sundays game against the Angels. If he was to re-tear it, thatd probably be it for the season. Were looking at some inflammation. Well have to see how they think its going to take to get out.

It would be understandable if the Yankees placed Teixeira on the disabled list. Hitting coach Kevin Long revealed on Saturday night that Teixeira has been unable to complete his regular pre-game hitting off a tee due to discomfort with his left-handed swing. He also referred to Teixeira as a shell of himself, with only three hits in 35 at-bats against right-handed pitchers.

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Yankees' Teixeira has mild inflammation in wrist

Posted June 16, 2013

Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira has played 15 games since returning from a wrist tear. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

An MRI on Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira revealed mild inflammation in his right wrist, but no structural damage, manager Joe Girardi said on Sunday, calling it the best-case scenario.

Teixeira missed the first two months of the season with a partially torn sheath, and was feared to have re-injured the sheath.

Girardi said Teixeira will be unavailable on Tuesday after the teams off day on Monday, and could land on the disabled list.

In 15 games since his return, the lifetime .278 hitter with a .894 career OPS is batting .151 with a .609 OPS, including 19 strikeouts in 53 at-bats. He left Saturdays game in the fourth inning and received a cortisone shot on Sunday.

From The Star-Ledgers Andy McCullough:

Thats a good thing, Girardi said before Sundays game against the Angels. If he was to re-tear it, thatd probably be it for the season. Were looking at some inflammation. Well have to see how they think its going to take to get out.

It would be understandable if the Yankees placed Teixeira on the disabled list. Hitting coach Kevin Long revealed on Saturday night that Teixeira has been unable to complete his regular pre-game hitting off a tee due to discomfort with his left-handed swing. He also referred to Teixeira as a shell of himself, with only three hits in 35 at-bats against right-handed pitchers.

See more here:

Yankees' Teixeira has mild inflammation in wrist

Public release date: 12-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Matthew Swayne aem1@psu.edu 814-865-9481 Penn State

A few cups of hot cocoa may not only fight off the chill of a winter's day, but they could also help obese people better control inflammation-related diseases, such as diabetes, according to Penn State researchers.

Mice that were fed cocoa with a high-fat diet experienced less obesity-related inflammation than mice fed the same high-fat diet without the supplement, said Joshua Lambert, associate professor of food science. The mice ate the human equivalent of 10 tablespoons of cocoa powder -- about four or five cups of hot cocoa -- during a 10-week period.

"What surprised me was the magnitude of the effect," Lambert said. "There wasn't as big of an effect on the body weight as we expected, but I was surprised at the dramatic reduction of inflammation and fatty liver disease."

The researchers reported that several indicators of inflammation and diabetes in the mice that were fed the cocoa supplement were much lower than the mice that were fed the high-fat diet without the cocoa powder and almost identical to the ones found that were fed a low-fat diet in the control group.

For example, they had about 27 percent lower plasma insulin levels than the mice that were not fed cocoa. High levels of insulin can signal that a patient has diabetes.

The cocoa powder supplement also reduced the levels of liver triglycerides in mice by a little more than 32 percent, according to Lambert, who worked with Yeyi Gu, graduate student in food science, and Shan Yu, a graduate student in physiology. Elevated triglyceride levels are a sign of fatty liver disease and are related to inflammation and diabetes.

The mice also saw a slight but significant drop in the rate of body weight gain, according to the researchers, who reported their findings in the online version of the European Journal of Nutrition.

While researchers have linked obesity-related chronic inflammation to several diseases, including type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, the reason for the inflammation response is not completely known. Lambert said two theories on inflammation and obesity that have emerged may help explain cocoa's role in mitigating inflammation. In one theory, Lambert said excess fat may activate a distress signal that causes immune cells to become activated and cause inflammation. The cocoa may reduce the precursors that act as a distress signal to initiate this inflammatory response.

Excerpt from:

Cocoa may help fight obesity-related inflammation

June 13, 2013

April Flowers for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Hot cocoa the go-to drink for warding off the winters chill might also help obese people better control inflammation-related diseases, like diabetes, according to researchers at Penn State.

The researchers fed two groups of mice a high-fat diet. One group was also fed a cocoa supplement the human equivalent of 10 tablespoons of cocoa powder, or four or five cups of hot cocoa. The cocoa group experienced less obesity-related inflammation according to Joshua Lambert, associate professor of food science at Penn State.

What surprised me was the magnitude of the effect, Lambert said. There wasnt as big of an effect on the body weight as we expected, but I was surprised at the dramatic reduction of inflammation and fatty liver disease.

The team found that several indicators of inflammation and diabetes were much lower in the mice fed the high-fat diet with the cocoa supplement than in the group without the cocoa. The indicators for the cocoa group were almost identical to the ones found in the control group fed a low-fat diet. The cocoa group had approximately 27 percent lower plasma insulin levels, for example, than the mice without cocoa. High insulin levels can indicate the presence of diabetes.

The levels of triglycerides were also reduced in the mice eating the cocoa supplement by more than 32 percent, according to Lamberts team. High triglyceride levels are indicators of fatty liver disease and are associated with inflammation and diabetes. Another side effect of the cocoa diet was a slight, but significant, drop in body weight gain.

Obesity-related chronic inflammation has been linked to several diseases, including type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. However, the reason for the inflammation response is still unknown. According to Lambert, there are two theories on inflammation and obesity that have emerged which may help explain cocoas role in mitigating inflammation. One of the theories suggests that excess fat may activate a distress signal that causes immune cells to become activated and cause inflammation. The findings show that cocoa may reduce the precursors that act as a distress signal to initiate this inflammatory response.

Another theory, Lambert said, is that excess fat in the diet interferes with the bodys ability to keep a bacterial component called endotoxin from entering the bloodstream through gaps in the digestive system called the gut barrier function. The fat also interferes with the bodys ability to alert an immune response. The study shows that the cocoa which actually has a low-calorie, low-fat and high-fiber content, may help improve gut barrier function.

Most obesity researchers tend to steer clear of chocolate because it is high in fat, high in sugar and is usually considered an indulgence, Lambert said. However, cocoa powder is low in fat and low in sugar. We looked at cocoa because it contains a lot of polyphenolic compounds, so it is analogous to things like green tea and wine, which researchers have been studying for some of their health benefits.

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Diabetes And Inflammation Control From Cocoa Powder

Inflammation is part of the body's immune response; without it, we can't heal. But when it's out of controlas in rheumatoid arthritisit can damage the body. Plus, it's thought to play a role in obesity, heart disease, and cancer.

Foods high in sugar and saturated fat can spur inflammation. "They cause overactivity in the immune system, which can lead to joint pain, fatigue, and damage to the blood vessels," says Scott Zashin, MD, clinical professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Other foods may curb inflammation. Add these items to your plate today.

Oily fish, like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines, are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help reduce inflammation. To get the benefits, however, you need to eat fish several times a week, and it should be cooked in healthy ways: In a 2009 study from the University of Hawaii, men who ate baked or boiled fish (as opposed to fried, dried, or salted) cut their risk of heart disease by 23 percent compared to those who ate the least.

Not a fan of fish? Consider fish-oil supplements. They can cut inflammation, although a 2013 study found that if a diet is too high in omega-6 fatty acids (found in processed foods and vegetable oil), fish-oil supplements may spur inflammation.

The 10 Best Foods for Your Heart

Consuming most of your grains as whole grains, as opposed to refined, white bread, cereal, rice, and pasta can help keep harmful inflammation at bay. That's because whole grains have more fiber, which has been shown to reduce levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in the blood, and they usually have less added sugar.

But a 2013 Harvard study found that not all products labeled "whole grain" are much healthier than their refined counterparts. To be sure you're getting the benefits, look for foods with a whole grain as the first ingredient, and no added sugars.

Don't Be Fooled By These Food Labels

Studies have suggested that vitamin E may play a key role in protecting the body from pro-inflammatory molecules called cytokinesand one of the best sources of this vitamin is dark green veggies, such as spinach, kale, broccoli, and collard greens. Dark greens and cruciferous vegetables also tend to have higher concentrations of vitamins and mineralslike calcium, iron, and disease-fighting phytochemicalsthan those with lighter-colored leaves.

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14 Foods That Fight Disease

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3ccsjn/chronic) has announced the addition of the "Chronic Inflammation - Pipeline Review, H1 2013" report to their offering.

"Chronic Inflammation - Pipeline Review, H1 2013", provides an overview of the indication's therapeutic pipeline. This report provides information on the therapeutic development for chronic inflammation, complete with latest updates, and special features on late-stage and discontinued projects. It also reviews key players involved in the therapeutic development for chronic inflammation.

Scope:

- A snapshot of the global therapeutic scenario for chronic inflammation.

- A review of the chronic inflammation products under development by companies and universities/research institutes based on information derived from company and industry-specific sources.

- Coverage of products based on various stages of development ranging from discovery till registration stages.

- A feature on pipeline projects on the basis of monotherapy and combined therapeutics.

- Coverage of the chronic inflammation pipeline on the basis of route of administration and molecule type.

Reasons to Buy:

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Research and Markets: Chronic Inflammation - Pipeline Review, H1 2013