8 Supplements to Reduce Inflammation

The best supplements to naturally block inflammation!

Did you know that inflammation is a result of an immune system response when your body thinks it's in danger? While there are countless methods (lifestyle & medication-based) to reduce inflammation, we are here to assure you that a supplement may be a great alternative to help reduce or prevent inflammation. Keep reading today's blog to learn the top 8 supplements for inflammation!

What is Inflammation?

“Inflammation is the body’s response to a noxious stimulus such as an injury, infection or allergy,” notes Edwin McDonald IV, M.D., assistant professor in gastroenterology at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Chicago.

Inflammation is uncomfortable and can cause joint pain and stiffness. Correspondingly, inflammation can cause limited joint mobility, which can prevent you from doing daily activities or engage in usual workout activity.

While we have an entire blog discussing inflammation and ways to reduce it, this article will focus on daily supplements to add to your diet that can help reduce inflammation.

Why is it important to reduce inflammation?

When inflammation is present, it can come with many unpleasant symptoms such as pain, stiffness, swelling, and achy joints.  In those cases, it's important to take the steps to control or reduce what triggers this uncomfortable inflammation.

Those with an underlying health issue may have anywhere from acute to chronic inflammation and might be beneficial to seek additional ways to reduce or alleviate inflammation. Luckily, there are many vitamins and supplements to reduce and help prevent inflammation!

Good news! Today's article discusses the top 8 supplements you can add to add to your diet when searching for alternative ways to help fight inflammation!

8 Supplements to Reduce Inflammation

1. Curcumin

You may have seen this name attached to the supplement, “Turmeric Curcumin," found in the spice turmeric.

Curcumin helps decrease inflammation and symptoms of osteoarthiris and rheumatoid arthritis. This is done by the compound working to reduce oxidative stress and ROS production. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), an accumulation of oxidative stress which essentially enhances inflammation by activating transcription factors associated with inflammation.

Current evidence suggest that curcumin is effective in reducing labels of inflammatory mediators and decrease inflammation in diabetes, heart diseases, and inflammatory bowel disease.

An interesting study found that people with metabolic syndrome who took curcumin had significantly reduced levels of inflammatory markers compared to the placebo group.

MicroActive Curcumin® is a more highly bioavailable, sustained release form of Curcumin. In a clinical trial, it showed to have 10x greater absorption compared to standard powder, as well as proving to reach the blood stream faster offering two peaks in a 12-hour period.

2. Ginger

3.Bromelain

Bromelain is an enzyme naturally found in the stems of the pineapple plant. This enzyme can be found in supplement form and promotes pain and swelling reduction (NIH, 2020).

Bromelain has also been a supplement treatment promoted for osteoartitis, cancer, digestive issues, and muscle soreness. Additionally, bromelain can also be used for muscle sprains and acute tendinitis.

Drinking pineapple juice itself is does not provide enough bromelain per serving, so a vitamin or capsule is advised.

4. Resveratrol

Resveratrol is a natural compound found in some berries and nuts. Based off of recent studies, researches have found that resveratrol has the potential for widespread medical applications such as help to fight aging, promote brain health, and can even help prevent cancer (Cleveland Clinic, 2022).

Other studies have concluded that there may be a link between resveratrol and alleviation of inflammatory markers (Timmers, et al, 2011). In particular, resveratrol may be useful in reducing inflammation for people with a range of health conditions like liver disease, colitis, and obesity.

5.  Quercetin

Quercetin is a flavonoid found in fruits and vegetables. This compound has unique biological properties that may improve mental/physical performance. Quercetin has been studied to have many potential benefits to overall health and disease resistance and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects (Li, et al, 2016).

The anti-inflammatory effects of quercetin is due to its ability to suppress the accumulation and activation of immune cells, including anti-inflammatory cells (Li, et al, 2016).

Quercefit®, otherwise own as Quercetin phystosome,derives from flower buds of Sophora japonica L and is formulated with Phytosome® proprietary technology to optimize its biological absorption. Listed as the #1 ingredient in  AstroFlav'sJoint Plus, Quercefit's ability to inhibit pro-inflammatory activities can be utilized against a number of conditions caused by inflammation.

6. Fish Oil

It's no surprise that our bodies don't make omega-3 fatty acids on our own. Fish oil supplements are loaded with omega-3s and can also be found in oily fish like salmon or sardines. Not only are omega-3s good for brain health, but they have also been linked to reduce inflammation and may help control arthritis.

How is this?  Fish oil may reduce inflammation by increasing anti-inflammatory mediators that help regulate inflammation. "A review of 73 studies published in International Immunopharmacology found that adults who take an omega-3 fatty acid supplement, including fish oil, improved markers of inflammation in various health conditions such as cancer, kidney diseases and diabetes" (Forbes, 2023).

Additionally, it’s full of essential nutrients that help the human body function properly (Stabile, 2022). Consumption of fish oil has been linked to:

• Lowered blood pressure

• Lowered cholesterol and triglyceride levels

• Reduced risk of heart disease

7.  Green tea extract

Green tea has powerful antioxidant properties that essentially help to reduce inflammation. This is because of its primary polyphenal, epiogallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).

"A small clinical trial with 40 participants, half of which had metabolic syndrome, found that people who consumed the equivalent of 5 cups of green tea per day experienced reduced blood sugar, gut inflammation and gut permeability in both those who had metabolic syndrome or who were healthy"(Forbes, 2023).

In addition, there have been similar studies that suggest green tea extract supplements may be even more effective at reducing inflammation when paired with exercise (Hedari, 2019).

8. Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps control the level of inflammation that is involved in immune response and helps to ensure that the inflammatory response is appropriate for healing and doesn't become overbearing toward healthy tissue. Along with Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D has potent ant-inflammatory properties that contribute to reduction in pro-inflaBuymmatory mediators and an increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines (Frontiers, 2022).

"According to studies, there’s a strong correlation between vitamin D deficiency and increased inflammation. As a well-known antioxidant, vitamin D neutralizes free radicals before they have a chance to cause cell damage that can provoke an inflammatory response from your body" says Jillian Foglesong Stabile, MD, FAAFP.

The Bottom Line:

Inflammation is a natural occurring response in the body when injury or infection is present, but can easily become over-bearing and too much for the body to handle. When this happens, symptoms such as pain, swelling, and stiff and achy joints can occur.

While there are many ways to help reduce inflammation (both lifestyle and medication-based), supplements are a great alternative method to help alleviate some of these symptoms!

Supplements such as curcumin, bromelain, resveratrol, and ginger are all great for inflammation. It just so happens that AstroFlav's Joint Plus contains 3 of the best supplements to inflammation:

• MicroActive Curcumin®is a more highly bioavailable, sustained release form of Curcumin. In a clinical trial, it showed to have 10x greater absorption compared to standard powder, as well as proving to reach the blood stream faster offering two peaks in a 12-hour period.

• Quercefit®derives from flower buds of Sophora japonica L., formulated with Phytosome® proprietary technology to optimize its biological absorption. Quercetins' ability to inhibit pro-inflammatory activities can be utilized against a number of conditions caused by inflammation.

• AprèsFlex®is a next-generation standardized extract of Boswellia serrata, selectively enriched to provide 20% Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA), with improved AKBA bioavailability and bioactivity.

Try Joint Plus out today and help block out unpleasant inflammation!

At AstroFlav, we want the best for our customers. It is our goal to help everyone achieve their fitness goals and steer them in the right direction with trust-worthy advice AND trust-worthy supplements!

RESOURCES

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Bromelain. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/bromelain

Forbes Magazine. (2023, June 22). 9 anti-inflammatory supplements backed by science. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/health/body/anti-inflammatory-supplements/#footnote_4

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2022.920340/full#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20confirmed%20that,and%20affect%20selected%20haematological%20indices.

https://www.everlywell.com/blog/inflammation/8-supplements-to-reduce-inflammation-in-the-body/

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/resveratrol-benefits/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22055504/

https://www.everlywell.com/blog/inflammation/8-supplements-to-reduce-inflammation-in-the-body/