Quote from Omari Kitula on October 2, 2025, 12:23 am

Hey everyone, I found a really cool science article today that might seem outside food at first but it’s got implications for nutrition, health, and how we think about inflammation and healing.

Researchers at NYU have discovered a way to block pain while leaving inflammation intact, which is exciting because inflammation often helps our bodies heal.

 

Traditional painkillers (NSAIDs like ibuprofen or aspirin) reduce both pain and inflammation, which can slow healing and cause side effects like stomach or cardiovascular issues.

The team identified a receptor called EP2 in Schwann cells that’s specifically linked to the pain pathway triggered by prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), but not to the inflammation response.

By selectively blocking this EP2 receptor in mice, they were able to eliminate pain responses without interfering in inflammation. In human & mouse cell studies, activating EP2 triggered pain signals independent of inflammation.

If this can be developed into a drug that’s safe for humans, it could lead to pain relief with fewer side effects and better healing outcomes.

 

Why It Matters for Food & Health

 

Nutrition and diet are tightly linked to inflammation and recovery (e.g. following illness or injury). A method to control pain without suppressing beneficial inflammation could shift how we manage diet + therapy in recovery phases.

Some food components already modulate inflammation (like omega-3s, antioxidants). Understanding more precise biological pathways helps us design functional foods or nutraceuticals that support healing.

It also raises deeper questions: Could there be dietary ways to influence EP2 activity or related pathways? Might future food-based therapies help with pain management?

 

 

What do you all think? Could this discovery change how we approach diet, recovery, and functional foods in the future?

 

Note: This is based on preclinical work there may still be side effects or challenges in applying it to humans.