A high fat diet worsens post-operative pain and inflammation:

Obesity commonly correlates with increased pain. One of the mechanisms for this is relatively straightforward; having central adiposity (fat around the stomach region) or being obese is associated with low-grade chronic inflammation, and this, in turn, is associated with a greater incidence and severity of chronic pain conditions. In the recent study authors (Song. et al, 2018) wanted to study the effects of diet and obesity on postoperative pain. There were 2.7 million surgeries performed in 2016 according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Each surgery is associated with some degree of acute pain, and the severity and duration of acute pain experienced is a risk factor for the development of chronic pain. So any modifiable factor that increases pain intensity or duration post surgery is worthy of note, as it may help to reduce progression to chronic pain.

Turmeric, a super spice for pain

If you do a quick search about Turmeric on the Internet you may begin to wonder what it can’t do. The list of benefits reported is extensive and the diseases it is purported to treat are numerous. This super-spice is popping up in all sorts of interesting ways from Turmeric lattes to fermented drinks. It also has a growing body of research to back up some of the widely quoted benefits. However, it is important to note that there is a difference between food ingestion and a standardised supplement and in this article, I specifically look at standardised curcumin, one of the key active components of turmeric, and the role it has to play in pain management.