First, let’s be clear that Black history is American History. Now that that’s out of the way…we can’t let Black History Month pass without studying the resilience of the diaspora. For centuries, our ancestors have managed to thrive in environments that should have reasonably ensured their demise. That’s our #Blackgirlmagic.

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Finally, science is catching up to our cultural wisdom. We have scientific explanations for the particular ways that systems of oppression cause harm to our bodies and minds at the molecular level (via inflammatory pathways). That means we can think strategically about the specific wellness practices that supercharge our ability to conquer our particular set of health risks.

Keep reading below for a preview of the science that can help us build our resilience.

References

Racism is a Health Risk

Racism (and other forms of chronic social adversity) Cause Chronic Inflammation:

1) Journal Article on Social Genomics (how racism causes inflammation):

Cole SW (2014) Human Social Genomics. PLoS Genet 10(8): e1004601. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1004601

Prospective Study Finds Exposure to Structural Racism and Interpersonal Racism Predict Chronic Inflammation in Black Americans:

2) Journal Article Linking Racism and Inflammation:

Simons, R. L., Lei, M.-K., Beach, S. R. H., Barr, A. B., Simons, L. G., Gibbons, F. X., & Philibert, R. A. (2018). Discrimination, segregation, and chronic inflammation: Testing the weathering explanation for the poor health of Black Americans. Developmental Psychology, 54(10), 1993–2006.

https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000511

Chronic Inflammation Increases Risk of Preventable Chronic Diseases (Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Attack, Stroke) :

2) Journal Article Linking Chronic Inflammation and Chronic Disease:

Furman, D., Campisi, J., Verdin, E. et al. Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span. Nat Med 25, 1822–1832 (2019).

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0675-0

EATING for Resilience

Anti-inflammatory Effects of Turmeric

3) Journal Article on Anti-inflammatory Action of Curcumin

Singh S, Aggarwal BB. Activation of transcription factor NF-kappa B is suppressed by curcumin (diferuloylmethane) [corrected]. J Biol Chem. 1995 Oct 20;270(42):24995-5000. doi: 10.1074/jbc.270.42.24995. Erratum in: J Biol Chem 1995 Dec 15;270(50):30235. PMID: 7559628.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7559628/

Anti-inflammatory Effects of Quercetin in Red Onions, Shallots, Cocoa Powder

4) Journal Article on Anti-inflammatory Action of Quercetin:

Endale M, et al. Quercetin disrupts tyrosine-phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and myeloid differentiation factor-88 association, and inhibits MAPK/AP-1 and IKK/NF-κB-induced inflammatory mediators production in RAW 264.7 cells, Immunobiology. 2013;218(12):1452-1467.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imbio.2013.04.019

Anti-inflammatory Effects of Spicy Peppers

5) Journal Article on Anti-inflammatory Action of Capsaicin

S Singh, K Natarajan, B B Aggarwal. Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is a potent inhibitor of nuclear transcription factor-kappa B activation by diverse agents.The Journal of Immunology November 15, 1996, 157 (10) 4412-4420;

https://www.jimmunol.org/content/157/10/4412.short

Join our PhyteWell Community to get science-backed lessons on how you can use your habits to prevent and manage devastating diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease… all via text message! Click here to learn more.

6) Scoville Ratings for Level of Capsaicin in Peppers:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale#Scoville_rating

7) Using Curcumin with Black Pepper Enhances Absorption

https://www.umassmed.edu/nutrition/blog/blog-posts/2019/6/using-black-pepper-to-enhance-the-anti-inflammatory-effects-of-turmeric/

8) Quercetin Content in Foods

http://phenol-explorer.eu/contents/polyphenol/291

8) Quercetin Content in Foods (and other polyphenol content):

http://phenol-explorer.eu/contents/polyphenol/291

9) Limit ultra-processed foods to lower pro-inflammatory disease risk.

The United Nations' NOVA food classification system helps us understand which foods are more and less processed:

http://www.fao.org/3/ca5644en/ca5644en.pdf

10) Limit free and added sugars to reduce pro-inflammatory disease risks

https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/sugar-guideline/en/

www.bytewellness.com/blog/plant-based-low-sugar-starter-byte

11) Plant-heavy, whole food diets can lower risk of pro-inflammatory diseases including:

Heart attack and death from heart disease-

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1800389

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/circulationaha.114.015176

12) High Blood Pressure-

https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/changes-you-can-make-to-manage-high-blood-pressure/managing-blood-pressure-with-a-heart-healthy-diet

13) Overweight and Obesity-

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/

How Can You Shift Toward Anti-inflammatory Eating Habits?

Watch Chef Araba’s 4 Plant-Based Cooking Classes in our Share & Savor Course

Araba

Making the Seasoned Vegetables Sauté

Making the Creamy Vegetable Bagel

Making the Tomato and Avocado Salad

Making the Smooth Tropics Blend

SLEEPING - Workshop 9/22/2020

1) PSQI survey to measure your sleep quality: https://www.opapc.com/uploads/documents/PSQI.pdf

2) Sleep Diary to keep track of sleeping habits and exposure to food/substances that could influence sleep:

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/all-publications-and-resources/sleep-diary

3) Melatonin Cycle and your Circadian Rhythm:

https://ib.bioninja.com.au/standard-level/topic-6-human-physiology/66-hormones-homeostasis-and/melatonin.html

4) Journal Article Linking Racism and Inflammation:

Simons, R. L., Lei, M.-K., Beach, S. R. H., Barr, A. B., Simons, L. G., Gibbons, F. X., & Philibert, R. A. (2018). Discrimination, segregation, and chronic inflammation: Testing the weathering explanation for the poor health of Black Americans. Developmental Psychology, 54(10), 1993–2006.

https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000511

5) Journal Article on Sleep Loss and Inflammation:

Mullington JM, Simpson NS, Meier-Ewert HK, Haack M. Sleep loss and inflammation. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;24(5):775-784. doi:10.1016/j.beem.2010.08.014

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3548567/

6) Journal Article on Alcohol, Caffeine and Adenosine:

Ferré S, O'Brien MC. Alcohol and Caffeine: The Perfect Storm. J Caffeine Res. 2011;1(3):153-162. doi:10.1089/jcr.2011.0017

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621334/

7) CBD and Adenosine:

https://www.projectcbd.org/guidance/coffee-cannabis

8) Journal Article on Blue Light and Melatonin:

Tähkämö L, Partonen T, Pesonen AK. Systematic review of light exposure impact on human circadian rhythm. Chronobiol Int. 2019 Feb;36(2):151-170. doi: 10.1080/07420528.2018.1527773. Epub 2018 Oct 12. PMID: 30311830.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30311830/

9) Journal Article Linking Chronic Inflammation and Chronic Disease:

Furman, D., Campisi, J., Verdin, E. et al. Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span. Nat Med 25, 1822–1832 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0675-0

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-019-0675-0

STAYING ACTIVE- Workshop 9/30/2020

1) Journal Article Linking Racism and Inflammation:

Simons, R. L., Lei, M.-K., Beach, S. R. H., Barr, A. B., Simons, L. G., Gibbons, F. X., & Philibert, R. A. (2018). Discrimination, segregation, and chronic inflammation: Testing the weathering explanation for the poor health of Black Americans. Developmental Psychology, 54(10), 1993–2006.

https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000511

2) Journal Article Linking Sedentary Time and Death and Disease:

Biswas A, et al. Sedentary time and its association with risk for disease incidence, mortality, and hospitalization in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2015 Jan 20;162(2):123-32. doi: 10.7326/M14-1651. Erratum in: Ann Intern Med. 2015 Sep 1;163(5):400. PMID: 25599350.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25599350/

3)Journal Article Linking Inflammation and Exercise. Dimitrov S, Hulteng E, Hong S. Inflammation and exercise: Inhibition of monocytic intracellular TNF production by acute exercise via β2-adrenergic activation. Brain Behav Immun. 2017;61:60-68. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2016.12.017.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6555138/

4) Journal Article on Myokines:

Leal LG, Lopes MA and Batista ML Jr. (2018) Physical Exercise-Induced Myokines and Muscle-Adipose Tissue Crosstalk: A Review of Current Knowledge and the Implications for Health and Metabolic Diseases.Front. Physiol. 9:1307. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01307

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.01307/full

5) Journal Article Linking Tai Chi and Inflammation:

Black DS, Irwin MR, Olmstead R, Ji E, Crabb Breen E, Motivala SJ. Tai chi meditation effects on nuclear factor-κB signaling in lonely older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Psychother Psychosom. 2014;83(5):315-7. doi: 10.1159/000359956. Epub 2014 Aug 6.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25116908/

6) Journal Article Linking Yoga and Inflammation:

Djalilova, D. M., Schulz, P. S., Berger, A. M., Case, A. J., Kupzyk, K. A., & Ross, A. C. (2019). Impact of Yoga on Inflammatory Biomarkers: A Systematic Review. Biological research for nursing, 21(2), 198–209.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1099800418820162

7) Physical Activity Per CDC

https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/measuring/index.html