There has been a blizzard of information about anti-inflammatory diets within the past several years, beginning with the anti-aging studies of Yale University professor Dr. Nicholas Perricone. He introduced the anti-inflammation concept into popular vocabulary in 2002 with his book, The Perricone Prescription, as baby boomers grew more concerned with the external signs of aging.

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Rather than focusing on laugh lines and wrinkles, his studies suggested that how we age is determined by how well our bodies work, and how well they function is determined by what we ingest. Since Perricone, there have been numerous diet plans and lifestyle books that define inflammation, its effects on the body and how to counteract these effects. There is science to back up their claims that the treatment of inflammation through diet will, in fact, do a body good.

Inflammation

Inflammation in its obvious form is a sign of infection. Body tissues become red, swollen, may give off heat and cause us varying degrees of physical discomfort. There is another type of inflammation, however, that often goes unnoticed: silent inflammation. This is when the body's immune system works overtime to ward off oxidants, toxins, environmental pollutants, and the usual viral and bacterial suspects.