Posted by raybakes on October 3, 2004, at 8:56:02
In reply to Re: Inflammation question for raybakes » JLx, posted by JLx on October 2, 2004, at 18:39:41
> I remember you saying something on another thread about inflammation that indicated that you appear to understand this concept as it relates to depression. Unlike myself. :)
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> Fish oil is one thing that reduces inflammation, but what are the others? Why can't we just take ibuprofen and be less depressed?
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> This article is interesting in what it says about the immune system connection.
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> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/07/040728084924.htm
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> I was doing fairly well last winter until I had a viral respiratory infection for several weeks. During and subsequently, it seemed like my supplements were working differently and I just basically was all out of whack and went downhill. I attributed it to stress, but I wonder how much it was also the virus itself and my immune system reaction.
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> JLI think you're right, I think your virus and immune reaction are behind you going downhill. I usually go downhill for several months after a virus - managed to stay on top of things after a recent cold, I'm pretty much OK after two weeks! Amazing! (lactoferrin works really well at inhibiting the early stages of viral replication).This abstract talks about the rise cortisol caused by an inflammatory response.
Ibuprofen works as an anti-inflammatory by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins (immune system messengers made from dietary oils that are either pro or anti-inflammatory - first identified in the prostate gland, hence the name!). The cox enzyme that ibuprofen inhibits is downstream from the release of cytokines that trigger prostaglandin production, so ibuprofen will only deal with some of the inflammatory effects, but not deal with the triggers - and it's the triggers (cytokines) that have a direct effect on the nervous and endocrine system.
Fish oils are also cox inhibitors, and also inhibitors of PLA2 (phospholipase A2) the enzyme that breaks down the phospholipids in the cell membrane, that results in an inflammatory cascade. PLA2 is more upstream than COX, so it's inhibition has more effect on depression.
I've been reading about the cytokines for several years, it takes quite a while to get a handle on them, but it's worth sticking with it, because they're behind most chronic health problems - in the article you sent me it mentioned the 'IDO' enzyme that degrades tryptophan during an inflammatory response, so very little tryptophan is converted to serotonin. Also just found out that inflammation inhibits the insertion of iron into heme, and other iron containing enzymes, so oxygen transport, detoxification, energy production, stress and sex hormone production, serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline production all start to fail.So what can inhibit the cytokines?! Glutathione, inhibits the enzymes that release them, lactoferrin, DPP IV (from kirkman labs) helps break them down, niacinamide inhibits them (maybe because glutathione needs NADPH) and also helps inhibit the trytophan degrading IDO enzyme. I'm sure there's others, especially other antioxidants, but glutathione is involved in recyling antioxidants that have mopped up a free radical, so so much of it is a team effort!
on DPP IV....
and a bit about IDO and depression..
Hope that's not too much info!
Ray
poster:raybakes
thread:398076
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040928/msgs/398487.html