DoctorOz: The Anti-Inflammation Plan You Need More Then Ever

One of the biggest mysteries of this pandemic is being unraveled right now by doctors and researchers around the globe. Why do some people get COVID-19 and have mild or no symptoms while others wind up in the ICU? I know a lot of you at home are wondering the exact same thing, and the answer may be this, inflammation. That's why today I'm teaming up with world-renowned leader in functional medicine, Dr. Mark Hyman, to bring you the anti-inflammation plan you need now more than ever. Mark, welcome to the show. What is this supposed connection between inflammation and the bad COVID reactions we're seeing in some people? Well, Mehmet, great to see you again. And we know that inflammation is driving so many of the complications of COVID-19. And the reason it's a problem is that Americans are inflamed. And why are we inflamed? Because being overweight or obese or having a chronic illness or even being older are all states of inflammation. And so we're all a pre-inflamed population, Mehmet. And in fact, 88% of us are metabolically unhealthy and so have some degree of pre-inflammation. That makes most of us. So it's like putting gasoline on a fire when you get COVID. It's an inflammatory explosion known as the cytokine storm. It's when a body attacks its own tissues and cells. And it's the major driver of why people end up in the hospital, in the ICU, on ventilators, and even die from COVID-19. It's this pre-inflammation. So it's not the virus so much that kills us, Mehmet. It's this overwhelming inflammation that results from the immune system that's already on high alert and pre-inflammed. It's so stunning that there are actually reports of many patients dying of COVID-19 not actually having the virus in their body anymore. That's why experts are honing in right now on this inflammatory issue, because if you can stop it, you can save lives. So in fact, at George Washington University, scientists looked at five different biomarkers linked to inflammation in their COVID-19 patients. You don't have to memorize these, but as doctors, we look at these all the time. And they found higher levels were associated with a greater risk of needing a ventilator or an ICU admission. In fact, it's one of the things we worry about most is seeing those numbers change. Now, of course, we still don't have a solution for curing COVID-19, but we do know how to fight inflammation. And I'm sharing those tips with you today together with Dr. Hyman. The first step of our anti-inflammation plan is to start your morning with a cup of antioxidants. To get it, you go for these, a cup of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries. I could count the number of blueberries here, as some might do, but just, you know, it's a palmful. And that's the right amount that your body wants to eat anyway, and you'll feel better without even realizing it on the inside. The easiest way to get this into your body is with a smoothie like the one I have here, right? It packs an anti-inflammation punch, and it's got almond milk, bananas, little cinnamon, then almond butter, which I happen to adore, some spinach, you will get your spinach with this, and you won't even know it, so your kids can have it as well, and blueberries. And they're the real heroes, the blueberries. So Dr. Hyman, you love berries. You're talking about them all the time. Why are they so critical for fighting inflammation? Well, there are so many powerful anti-inflammatory compounds in foods, and you listed a lot of them in your smoothie. And there's 25,000 different of these phytochemicals, and blueberries have among the most powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidant kinds of these chemicals in the plant kingdom. So they're powerful anti-inflammatory benefits for the heart and the brain. They contain a very special ingredient, one of these phytochemicals, a flavonoid called quercetin. Now quercetin is something that's being studied in COVID-19. It's something that helps to fight the virus, and it's been linked to fighting cancer, and it may be helpful as an insurance policy against COVID-19. So it's great to have your blueberries in the morning to get all the antioxidants and the quercetin, plus they just taste damn good. Yeah, I love the taste as well. In fact, Amy's here. She just made this smoothie at home. Amy, I love this kind of stuff, so people don't actually always trust my taste buds, but I want you to give the verdict. How does it taste to you? It is delicious. I love it. I knew about the antioxidant properties of blueberries, but I had no idea about the anti-inflammatory, so thank you very much. And so I really, I know that I couldn't live without something healthy every day, and I appreciate everything you do, Dr. Oz, to help us encourage us to keep being healthy. And do you like my beach oasis? I brought you to a beautiful place. Yes, I was stunned by it, actually, especially when you were dancing back and forth. I wasn't sure you were listening to us. Anyway, I'm glad you like the taste. Oh, I was listening. If you enjoy the taste, you'll actually drink the beverage, which is why I think it's a great move to incorporate these kinds of additives to your day. Okay, the next step in our plan to spice up your life is to use a teaspoon of turmeric a day. Dr. Hyman, turmeric is an anti-inflammatory food that's very powerful. What makes it so powerful? Well, I love my turmeric. Here's mine. I got tons of it in the house, because I love to cook with it. And here's the reason why. Of all the plant compounds, of the 25,000 molecules in the plant kingdom that benefit our health and our medicine, curcumin, which is in turmeric, which is what the spice is, is probably the most powerful anti-inflammatory food out there. It's basically nature's ibuprofen. And it's a key source of this polyphenol called curcumin. And it just knocks everything out of the park in terms of being an anti-inflammatory. Now, the goal is to try to get this every day. And a good rule of thumb is if there's about 200 milligrams in a teaspoon of fresher ground turmeric, and you wanna get about 500 a day. So two teaspoons a day in your food is great. I love turmeric teas. I love turmeric in smoothies. I love putting it in vegetables. I love making curries. My golden cauliflower is amazing. I roast vegetables with it. And it's just so easy to use, and it's so important. And it needs to be part of everybody's everyday regimen to believe it or not. And this is one of your recipes, by the way. And just a good example, very simply made out here. You have some turnips, some carrots, beets, and onions, which I happen to love all root vegetables anyway. But you add a little bit of olive oil. And then turmeric is, again, what gives it that extra little punch of antioxidant power that you need. And you end up with this. And these roasted vegetables, I mean, you cannot beat these. They're good. Dr. Hyman is so jealous of me right now because I'm eating this, and he's watching me. I am, I usually get to eat with you on stage. But you can also add other things that are anti-inflammatory like ginger and chili. So you can spice it up. And spices have among the most powerful phytochemicals in them for inflammation. So it's great to just spice up your life with all kinds of spices. And it also makes food taste good and means you need less salt. And it's just really good for you. You know, I would mail this to you in Cleveland, but I don't think it'll last, so. Thanks, man. You have to enjoy it. I'm coming over for dinner. Vicariously through me. All right, and finally, a little tip for everybody. You gotta add a sugar step-down snack to your afternoon. The average American has 18 teaspoons of sugar every day. And sugar is incredibly inflammatory. But going cold turkey on your sugar kick is just not easy to do. So thankfully, we've got a strategy that makes sugar detoxing easier than ever. Every afternoon, listen carefully, when you normally would reach for a candy bar or a sugary coffee drink, you're gonna reach for a bag of almonds. Wait for it, wait for it. And three dark chocolate pieces. That's right, I'm giving you three. Not holding back on you, right? Then, week two, when you're reaching for your bag, you're gonna go to those same almonds, but this time, only two squares. And by the third week, one square. Here's the deal, the chocolate's heart-healthy anyway. Even if you stay at three squares, I'd be tolerant of it. But this way, you get down on the amount of sugar you're eating and you won't even miss it. Dr. Hyndman, I appreciate all you do to share the wisdom around these insights. Your wonderful book, Food Fix, is out right now. So everyone, please check it out. Good luck to you, Mark. Thank you, Matt. Great to see you. Up next, there's promising new research about a vitamin some say could be a game changer for surviving COVID. We're getting into that next. We're back with the anti-inflammation plan you need now more than ever. We're into the last step. Gotta add a daily vitamin D supplement. There's new research from the University of Chicago that's concluding that people with a vitamin D deficiency are nearly twice as likely to test positive for COVID-19. That's a big difference. Another study found giving COVID-19 patients vitamin D reduced the likelihood of them being admitted to the ICU by 93%. Now, of course, we need more research. There's no magic bullet, but this is promising enough to consider. Joining us now is integrative medicine expert and chief medical officer for Vault Health, Dr. Myles Spahr. Dr. Spahr, vitamin D, I know you're a big fan of it. How much? Right, around 1,000 to 4,000 international units a day is what's recommended. And we use international units with vitamin D as opposed to milligrams that people are used to hearing with other vitamins. But your body actually makes a vitamin D through the skin. The thing is you need sun exposure for that. And it's not a ton. It's about 15 minutes, three times a week of exposing your arms and your legs. And that is possible in fall. It's a little harder in winter because there's not quite as much sunlight in most of the country. So that's why it's good to get an external source of vitamin D. Especially as the days get shorter. Exactly, it gets harder. It's hard to expose your legs when you're back in the middle of winter. Exactly, especially if you're in New York. But in the southern states, you can maybe for a couple more months. But after that, it's hard. Vitamin D3 versus D2. This is a mistake that a lot of folks wander down. Yes, and it's very important. Vitamin D3 is much more biologically active. In D3, you might also see it called cholecalciferol, as opposed to D2, which is ergocalciferol, which is not as biologically active. So it's important to look for vitamin D3 if you're getting a supplement. And some vegetarians, vegans, are worried that it's harder to find vegetarian or vegan forms of D3, but they are out there, and you can find those. But why stress? It's so easy to take, and it's so safe to take. Exactly. Dr. Sparks, thanks for being here. Absolutely. Make sure to check out his book, by the way, Optimal Men's Health. I feel like he does. You can find the entire anti-inflammation plan on DrRoz.com, including a bonus step. My own yoga routine, which I'm putting up on my Instagram page today. I actually, look, I learned that. It doesn't come naturally, believe me. We'll be right back. Be sure to subscribe to my channel so you don't miss anything. And remember to check back often to see what's new.