Pro-inflammatory foods

We know that some foods have the inherent power to inflame the intestinal wall, as the immune system recognises them as "foreign agents" and prevents them from crossing the intestinal barrier, while others only inflame the intestine if they are poorly digested.

     Examples of pro-inflammatory foods are cereals containing gluten or other types of lectins, which we will discuss later, dairy products and foods containing omega-6 fatty acids (most seeds and their oils, cereals, etc.). When we speak of a food allergy, we are referring to an immune reaction produced by contact with certain substances in food, mediated directly by the cells of the immune system or by IgE-type antibodies, in which pro-inflammatory cytokines and other substances are released and a real inflammatory reaction is set in motion, which can be very dangerous. When we refer to a food intolerance, however, in principle it is usually a non-specific reaction of the digestive system, not mediated by immunity, due to deficiencies at the level of some enzymes of digestion or alterations in the microbiota that prevent a good metabolisation of some ingested substances. Although in this case there is no direct activation of the intestinal immune system, the reality is that the presence of poorly digested substances and an alteration of the local microbiota will, in practice, most likely lead to a state of inflammation at the intestinal level. Excessive activation of intestinal immune cells will cause them to massively produce molecules called pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are released into the bloodstream and serve to attract more immune cells to the inflamed area (as if the cells were "calling for reinforcements" from other units of the immune system). Thus, the cytokines will serve to increase the local inflammatory response. If exposure to the substance that has triggered the inflammation persists, for example, if we eat a food every day that we do not tolerate well, this local inflammation may become chronic, even if it is not an allergy. Thus, if the intestinal wall is inflamed, its cells, called enterocytes, which are actively involved in digestion, will not perform their function correctly and therefore, the processing and digestion of those substances that occur at the level of these enterocytes will be altered. Also, the absorption from the intestine of numerous beneficial substances will be less efficient, which may lead to certain nutritional deficiencies. In addition, certain molecules such as gluten or casein in milk are very similar to certain molecules on the surface of our cells, such as the cells of the thyroid gland for example. Thus, if our immune system reacts to these substances, an autoimmune reaction to our own cells can occur by mistake, leading to diseases such as autoimmune thyroiditis.

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