What It Really Means If You Have Inflammation in Your Body

More than half of all deaths are thought to be attributed to diseases related to inflammation — yet our bodies can’t function without it.

If that sounds contradictory, it's really a matter of degree — how long the inflammation lasts and how widespread it is makes all the difference. That's because inflammation is part of the body’s defense system, helping you heal from injuries and fight off infections.

Let’s say, for example, you get a bloody scrape on your knee when you trip over your dog’s leash on a hike. Your body immediately releases chemicals that are a sort of red alert; white blood cells then act like a tiny SWAT team, rushing toward your knee to start the healing process. You might experience the resulting inflammation as pain, swelling, redness or warmth. “An inflammatory response activates your immune system to fight an infection, and that’s how you get better,” says Sadiya Khan, M.D., Magerstadt Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. If you come down with a cold or a bacterial infection, this process happens inside the cells and tissues, where you usually can’t see it.

This immediate response to a trigger, known as acute inflammation, is meant to be short-lived. After the white blood cells have done their job, your wound heals, or the fever breaks, you feel better, and the inflammatory process winds down. But sometimes the body can’t quite figure out when or how to stop it and inflammation becomes chronic — and that’s when the process goes from helpful to harmful.

Unlike acute inflammation, chronic inflammation is when the system stays active, sending out "healing" cells that lead to inflammation even after there’s no imminent danger; this may be systemic (meaning all over the body) rather than in just one area.

When inflammation becomes chronic, the body may mistake its own tissues and cells for foreign invaders and sic its inner army on them, leading to cell damage, pain and other symptoms (which is why chronic inflammation is linked to autoimmune disease.) The immune system can also be generally overactive, causing damage to tissues and organs. Thankfully, we are learning more each day about how to prevent and control chronic inflammation.

Acute inflammation is pretty easy to spot, but chronic inflammation is a little trickier. Several blood tests can check for markers of inflammation, but they can’t distinguish between when it’s acute (say, from a virus) and when it’s chronic. If you have one or more of the symptoms below, it may be due to chronic inflammation, which can linger for months or even years.

• Fatigue
• Chest pain
• Achy muscles and joints
• Skin rash
• GI problems, such as constipation and diarrhea
• Headaches
• Weight gain

Inflammation isn't only a cluster of un-fun symptoms, but it can make you sick. The chronic type can damage healthy cells, leading to long-term illnesses. In fact, five of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States have been linked to chronic inflammation in one way or another, including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, various types of cancer, heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Chronic inflammation is also connected with allergies and asthma, acne, eczema, psoriasis and arthritis, and is a major factor in autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, lupus and Sjögren’s syndrome, which are more common in women.

Chronic inflammation can be caused by a virus that lingers, environmental toxins, as well as chronic stress and simply getting older. Food choices do play a role, but because the term is not well understood, a lot of folks are making cuts from their diets that may or may not be necessary (and they may not recognize some of the true culprits). Below, the most common things that are said to cause inflammation, and whether they actually do.

While no surefire cures yet exist for systemic inflammation, there are several things you can do every day to turn down the heat.

• Practice stress relief. We know that stress can kick off or worsen depression, dementia and cancer through inflammation, so find a stress-relief method that works for you and practice it every day. Try meditating, taking breaks from social media, relaxing in a warm bath or playing with a furry friend.
• Mind what you eat. Certain foods can make inflammation worse; one way to find out what triggers your symptoms is to try an elimination diet. Work with a nutritionist to eliminate potentially problematic foods such as red and processed meat, sugar and fried foods for three weeks before slowly adding them back if your body tolerates them.
• Get moving. Choose an activity you enjoy — walking, dancing, strength training, cycling — and do it a few times a week. Studies show that exercise helps decrease muscle damage from chronic inflammation. People of all ages should aim for at least 150 total minutes of exercise weekly.
• Spice it up. For a delicious way to fight inflammation, cook with turmeric, the yellow spice that helps give curries their color and flavor — it may help with inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis. Try to get around 500 mg to 1,000 mg daily. You can add the spice to smoothies, curries or eggs; combine it with black pepper when possible. If you prefer the taste of ginger in your food, the spicy root also has anti-inflammatory properties.

Inflammation is about more than your diet, but “what we eat plays a major role,” says dietitian Frances Largeman-Roth, R.D.N., author of the new book Everyday Snack Tray, a go-to guide to creating colorful, flavorful, nutritionally diverse boards and trays for every occasion.

Largeman-Roth’s clients often tap her for help with inflammation. Her main message, whether you are snacking or sitting down for a meal: Eat more fresh, whole foods. “Foods that include high amounts of plant substances, known as phytochemicals, can help fight inflammation and should be eaten regularly,” Largeman-Roth notes. Eating more whole foods will hopefully mean that processed food, added sugars (as opposed to ones that are in foods naturally), refined carbs and saturated and trans fats will get crowded out, as these can contribute to the problem, says Largeman-Roth. “It’s also smart to limit sodium to the recommended 2,300 mg per day, since high blood pressure has also been linked to inflammation,” she adds.

As for how you cook, opt for steaming, baking or stir-frying over grilling or frying, she says.

Overall, an anti-inflammatory diet emphasizes foods that can naturally help reduce inflammation, including a wide assortment of produce, unsaturated fats, fatty fish, minimally refined whole grains, herbs and spices.

Foods to avoids

• Alcohol
• Fatty cuts of red meat
• Fried and greasy foods
• Processed meats (bacon, hot dogs)
• Sugary beverages (soda, fruit juice, energy drinks)
• Ultra-processed carbohydrates and sweets

Anti-inflammatory foods

• Avocados
• Bell peppers
• Berries
• Broccoli
• Cherries
• Dark chocolate
• Dark leafy greens
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fatty fish
• Fresh herbs
• Garlic
• Green tea
• Mushrooms
• Nuts (almonds, walnuts)
• Onions
• Seeds (chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds)
• Spices (turmeric, ginger, cinnamon)
• Tomatoes