The old and well-known popular saying already categorically states: “you are what you eat”. And, as science advances in the discovery of new mechanisms that impact the health of the human body, it confirms the veracity of this ancient expression. Nutritional aspects are increasingly important for maintaining or restoring a person’s full health.
It is already known that numerous pathologies can be developed or triggered due to an individual’s eating habits. Excesses and consumption of certain substances can be triggers for the onset of countless health problems that, invariably, require specialized medical care.
“It is well known that following a balanced diet has always been, and continues to be, one of the best ways to achieve and maintain physical and mental health, avoiding the emergence of various problems or chronic conditions”, points out Maria Fernanda Cury Rodrigues, nutritionist at Instituto Hélder Polido, a reference health center in São Carlos and the region.
But the specialist goes further, and explains that the beneficial effects that can arise from eating certain foods are even more comprehensive, and can even complement or replace the administration of medications and other treatments.
“What the general population is unaware of is that some foods have enormous potential as therapeutic agents, and can be used to treat countless diseases and pathological conditions”, he explains.
Foods that can help prevent urinary infections
Maria Fernanda cites the example of cranberry, which has demonstrated excellent results as a complementary agent in the prevention and treatment of various urinary tract infections. According to the professional, this type of infection is one of the most common in the population and, despite the effectiveness of antibiotics, recurrence rates remain significant among patients. Furthermore, the development of antibiotic resistance is a major concern and leads to the search for alternative treatment options.
“Some updated meta-analyses indicated that cranberry supplementation significantly reduced the incidence of urinary tract infections in susceptible populations, and may be considered a promising adjunctive therapy in their prevention. In healthy women, there was a 26% reduction in the risk of recurrence of these infections with the action of cranberry”, reports the specialist.
Another substance that has been attracting the attention of the scientific community as a complementary medicine to combat urinary infections is D-Mannose. “It is a monosaccharide found naturally in fruits. When excreted in the urine, D-mannose potentially inhibits Escherichia coli, the main organism that causes urinary tract infections, from attaching to the urothelium and causing infection”, explains Maria Fernanda.
Diet also helps in the treatment of intestinal diseases
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), the main forms of which are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, are characterized by chronic inflammation in a recurrent pattern in the gastrointestinal tract. According to the nutritionist, despite the growing number of new medications available to treat these conditions, less than half of patients achieve clinical remission, and what is noticeable is a decrease in the action of these medications in individuals who initially responded well to treatment. . This has a negative impact on the progression of the disease and the person’s quality of life.
“The origin of inflammatory bowel diseases has been attributed to genetic factors, imbalance of the intestinal microbiota, the person’s abnormal immune response and environmental triggers. In this scenario, diet is a potential environmental trigger”, explains Maria Fernanda.
According to the professional, the disease itself already impairs the absorption of several important nutrients, and a suboptimal nutritional status can have a negative impact on the control of the pathology, compromising patients’ quality of life.
“The chronic inflammatory state and impaired absorption of nutrients also lead to a possible deficiency of vitamins and micronutrients that are crucial for general well-being. A vicious cycle is created, like this”, he says.
Maria Fernanda points out that some of the main micronutrients and vitamins that may have impaired absorption in IBD are iron, selenium, zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and folic acid, vitamins A, E, C, K, B1 and B6.
The good news, according to the professional, is that nutritional regulation can have a beneficial effect on treating and controlling the symptoms of these intestinal inflammations.
“The evidence is solid enough to show that the disease, when active, is linked to low levels of micronutrients. This shows that numerous nutritional aspects could induce better control of symptoms, a deeper remission and, in general, improve the quality of life of patients suffering from these diseases”, declares the nutritionist.
Maria Fernanda recalls that this approach is fully aligned with the practice of Integrative Medicine, implemented at the Hélder Polido Institute. This concept understands the individual as a whole and, in many cases, proposes a multidisciplinary treatment for each person’s problem. In short, different health professionals, specialized in different areas, work together to achieve a cure and promote a better quality of life for the patient.
“In this sense, nutrition plays an important role as another ingredient that helps compose a broad and complete protocol, significantly increasing the chances of success of the proposed treatment”, celebrates the professional.
Rua Maestro João Seppe, 900
Room 133, Medical Center Building
Jardim Paraíso, São Carlos – SP
Telephone/WhatsApp: (16) 99312 5156 – (16) 3372 7163
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