Reduce inflammation and prevent a range of conditions by making changes to your diet and lifestyle. Photo / 123RF
Chronic inflammation is linked to many different medical conditions – but there are ways to reduce it.
There’s an important distinction to be made between acute inflammation and chronic inflammation. Inflammation is your body’s natural way of dealing with injury and infection.
But the chronic kind is linked to many different medical conditions, from autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis to cardiovascular disorders, type-two diabetes, some infections and certain cancers.
“Acute inflammation is a recovery process that enables the body to repair its tissues and eliminate pathogens,” says Lucia Stansbie, a nutritional therapist, member of the Royal Society of Medicine and the founder of Food Power Nutrition.
Whether you’ve got a small cut or a cold, your cells act as though they are under attack and your immune system springs into action. Fever, localised pain, redness and swelling are signs your white blood cells are defending you – a vital element of your body’s healing process.
Once this process is complete, your body should return to its normal state, but when people have chronic inflammation, their body remains on high alert. Over time, inflammation that remains when there’s no injury or foreign body to fight off may damage healthy parts of your body, leading to a range of conditions.
“Chronic inflammation tends to be at a lower level,” explains Stansbie. “But it’s constant and persistent – sometimes for years. It’s basically the body trying to repair or fight something, but not managing to do it.” More than half of all deaths globally are attributed to inflammation-related diseases.
Thankfully, changes to diet and lifestyle can help to reduce this potential harm.
“Any infection or injury will stimulate the immune system to produce inflammation,” says Dr Rachel Byng-Maddick, a consultant rheumatologist at The Lister Hospital (part of HCA Healthcare UK), “but it should then die down again. If it doesn’t, and it continues for three months or more, we define that as chronic inflammation.”
Dr Byng-Maddick goes on to divide chronic inflammation into two categories: local and systemic. “There can be local inflammation in one area of the body – say for example, if you have a tooth infection that carries on for months. Or you can have systemic inflammation, which may be caused by a chronic inflammatory disease.”
It’s not unusual to experience fatigue, headaches and brain fog when you’re fighting off an injury or illness, but sometimes – especially when they’re persistent or recurrent – these symptoms are driven by inflammation and are an indication that your body is struggling to overcome a concealed problem.
The typical signs of chronic inflammation include:
Being generally sickness-prone is another possible indicator. “If you seem to catch every bug under the sun,” says Stansbie, “it may be because your body is already in a state of high alert so your immune system isn’t ready to fight off a new infection that arrives. If you keep catching colds, or a cold seems to last forever, it could be a sign that you have chronic inflammation.”
The main causes of inflammation are infection, inflammatory (usually autoimmune) diseases and short-term trauma such as injuries.
“All of these will stimulate your immune system,” says Byng-Maddick, “and when your body experiences a major systemic inflammatory response, it will show up in a blood test. We can measure inflammation levels in the blood. But sometimes people have a low-level chronic inflammation. They just feel generally sort of under the weather, and this may not be detectable in blood tests.”
As Dr Byng-Maddick explains, “sometimes infections cannot be completely cleared, but the immune system will work to contain the infection. We see this with infections such as tuberculosis or herpes viruses, where the infection lies dormant in our bodies, but can reactivate and lead to the symptoms returning – as with, for example, cold sores, which often return from time to time”.
Another example of the way chronic inflammation takes hold is through stomach bugs. “Perhaps you travel abroad, you catch a bug, and it triggers changes in your gut microbiome,” says Stansbie. “As a result, inflammation gradually builds up. If this is not addressed or fixed, it can escalate, and you may end up with more serious gut-related issues.”
Stress, she says, is a key driver for chronic inflammation, because “it activates a lot of pathways in the body and puts us in this state of fight-or-flight, which ultimately triggers inflammation”.
Stansbie also believes inflammation can be caused by environmental factors and exposure to toxins. “This can come from things like smoking and drinking too much alcohol,” she says. “If you live in a busy city, you’re also exposed to toxins in air pollution. Even in our houses – prolonged exposure to mould or certain household products, including candles and air purifiers, can trigger a state of chronic inflammation or inflammatory reactions.”
While it’s not always known exactly how they’re connected, research has linked chronic inflammation to a range of conditions. These include: autoimmune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis; heart disease and high blood pressure; gastrointestinal disorders such as Crohn’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease; lung diseases – including asthma – and metabolic diseases such as type-two diabetes.
It may also contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, certain cancers, and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
These conditions can also have a knock-on effect, leading to other serious health problems. “Chronic inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are known to increase your risk of cardiovascular disease making you more vulnerable to heart attacks and strokes,” says Byng-Maddick. “They can also increase your risk of osteoporosis.”
Gut problems, Stansbie adds, are also linked to chronic inflammation: “Most of our immune system is in the gut, so if you suffer from IBS or Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, the gut mucosa is constantly inflamed.”
There is growing evidence a diet high in processed and fatty foods, refined carbohydrates and red meat is linked to increased inflammation and a higher risk of chronic diseases.
“People who have a low level of chronic inflammation may find that changing their diet can help,” says Byng-Maddick. “However, it’s unlikely that diet alone will suppress a large systemic inflammatory response.”
Eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds and anything beneficial to your gut microbiome is sure to help.
“Amending your diet can have fantastic results,” says Stansbie. “I see it every day in the clinic. An anti-inflammatory diet focuses on whole foods while eliminating all ultra-processed foods, which can themselves be a cause of inflammation.”
Studies have shown omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation by inhibiting the production of certain inflammatory cytokines and producing anti-inflammatory metabolites such as resolving.
Making changes to your diet and lifestyle can help to reset your immune system, improve your overall health and improve symptoms of chronic inflammation.
There are other, less obvious ways to guard against chronic inflammation, such as maintaining good oral hygiene. “P. gingivalis, a bacteria that has been found in some types of gum disease, is thought to promote antibodies that can lead to rheumatoid arthritis,” says Byng-Maddick. “Therefore flossing is important because it could potentially guard against certain autoimmune diseases.”
Sleep is also important. “It’s important to consider the body as a whole,” says Stansbie. “Improving your sleep quality can really help to reduce stress, which is a big driver of inflammation. Also, our body repairs during the night, so we ideally need to allow our body between seven and nine hours of good sleep.
“Regular exercise is also important, but it should be moderate exercise because over-exercising and under-eating can make things worse. I see this a lot, especially in women reaching perimenopause.”
Exercising too much, skipping meals and fasting in the morning – this combination can really drive inflammation. The best way to manage chronic inflammation is to exercise three times per week, have a snack after you exercise and avoid crazily long fasting windows.
Stansbie adds: “Most important of all, it’s about nourishing yourself. Consider every meal as an occasion to nourish your body and give your body not only the macronutrients it needs – the carbs, fats and proteins – but also micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. This is important not just for inflammation but for your overall wellbeing.”
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