The Fire Inside – Chronic Inflammation

You may remember having a cut, sprain, or a sore throat. The area feels painful and hot and looks red and swollen. These are telltale signs of inflammation. Inflammation is a natural and essential process that your body uses to defend itself from infections and heal injured cells and tissues.

Inflammation can be compared to a fire; it produces specific biochemicals that can destroy invaders like bacteria and viruses, increase blood flow to areas that need it, and clean up debris. It can be a good thing. But, sometimes, having too much of a good thing is possible.

Before discussing the power that certain dietary and lifestyle habits can have on inflammation, let’s sort out the two types of inflammation.

Types of inflammation (acute vs. chronic)

There are two kinds of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is short-lived. It’s like a flaming fire that produces the painful, red, hot, swollen symptoms described above. When inflammation is acute, it’s usually at high levels in a small, localized area in response to an infection or damage to the body. It’s necessary for proper healing and injury repair.

When your cells detect infection or damage, they send out warning signals to call over your immune system to help out. Your immune system sends many white blood cells to help fight off invading germs and clean up damage so you can heal.

Symptoms of acute inflammation may need short-term treatment, such as pain relievers or cold compresses. More serious symptoms like fever, severe pain, or shortness of breath may need medical attention. In general, acute inflammation disappears after the damage is healed, often within days or hours. Acute inflammation is the “good” kind because it does an essential job and then quiets itself down.

Chronic inflammation is different. It’s more of the slow-burning and smoldering type of fire. This type of inflammation can exist throughout your whole body at lower levels, meaning the symptoms are not localized to one area that needs it. Instead, they can appear gradually and last much longer—months or even years. This is the “bad” kind of inflammation.

Chronic inflammation is often invisible without immediate or serious symptoms, but over the long term, it has been linked to many chronic diseases such as:

• Acne, eczema, and psoriasis
• Allergies and asthma
• Autoimmune diseases (arthritis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupus)
• Cancer
• Chronic pain
• Gastrointestinal disorders (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis)
• Heart disease and stroke
• Lung diseases (emphysema)
• Mental illnesses (anxiety, depression)
• Metabolic diseases (type 2 diabetes)
• Neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s)

How does chronic inflammation begin? It may start acutely—from an infection or injury—and then, instead of shutting off, it becomes persistent. Chronic low-grade inflammation can also occur with exposure to chemicals (e.g., tobacco) or radiation, consuming an unhealthy diet or too much alcohol, not being very physically active, feeling stressed or socially isolated, and having excess weight.

Now that we see that inflammation underlies so many of our medical conditions, here’s how to put out those slow-burning, smoldering fires.

Nutrition and lifestyle tips for reducing chronic inflammation

Studies show that reducing inflammation can reduce the risk of several of these conditions, including heart disease and cancer. There are medications used to help lower inflammation to treat some of these diseases such as corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and biologics. However, there are also several lifestyle changes—including a healthy diet—that can be very helpful to prevent and scale down inflammation to reduce its many damaging effects on the body.

“For chronic low-grade inflammation not caused by a defined illness, lifestyle changes are the mainstay of prevention and treatment,” says Harvard Health. The good news is that anti-inflammatory foods help you stay healthy and reduce your risk of many diseases. An estimated 60 percent of chronic diseases can be prevented with a healthy diet. Here’s how.

Enjoy an anti-inflammatory diet

• Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains (brown rice, oats, bran), nuts, seeds, fish, poultry, legumes, and healthy oils
• Pay particular attention to foods high in antioxidant polyphenols, including colorful plants such as berries, cherries, plums, red grapes, avocados, onions, carrots, beets, turmeric, green tea, and dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale
• Omega-3 fats can help to reduce pain and clear up inflammation and are present in salmon, trout, mackerel, soy, walnuts, and flax
• High-fiber foods (whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes) encourage friendly gut microbes to help reduce inflammation
• Avoid charring foods when cooking at high temperatures
• Limit inflammatory foods such as red and processed meats, fried foods, unhealthy fats, sugary foods and drinks, refined carbohydrates, and ultra-processed foods 

Be physically active

• Regular exercise reduces inflammation over the long-term, so try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (brisk walking) per week, about 20-30 minutes per day
• To this, add two or more strength training sessions (using weights or resistance bands) each week

Get enough restful sleep

• Disrupted sleep has recently been linked to increased inflammation and atherosclerosis (the buildup of plaque in the vessels that is linked with heart disease), so aim for 7-9 hours of restful sleep every night to help the body heal and repair
• Tips for better sleep: try to maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule every day, get exposure to natural daylight earlier in the day, avoid caffeine later in the day, cut out screens an hour before bedtime, and create a relaxing nighttime routine

Quit smoking and limit alcohol

• Quitting smoking can help reduce inflammation and several other health concerns by reducing exposure to toxins that are directly linked to inflammation
• Limit your alcohol intake to no more than one or two drinks per day

Manage your stress

• Engage in relaxing stress-reducing activities such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or tai chi

Be social

• New research suggests that feeling socially isolated is linked with higher levels of inflammation, so reach out to family and friends (or make new ones)

See your doctor or dentist

• Get your cholesterol and blood lipids tested because high amounts of “bad” LDL cholesterol is linked to inflammation and negatively affect your vessels
• You can request a blood test to measure levels of CRP (C-reactive protein), which is a marker of inflammation (this test is also used to check your risk of developing heart disease)
• If your gums bleed when you brush or floss, this may be a sign of gum inflammation (gingivitis), so ramp up your oral hygiene and see your dentist

Final thoughts

Chronic, long-term, low-level inflammation is linked with many health issues. The first approach to preventing and improving this is through food and lifestyle changes. Start by adding colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fish to your diet. Then layer in lifestyle upgrades like physical activity, restful sleep, and stress management.

These changes can be integrated into your day-to-day practices. First, try adding one additional fruit or vegetable to your day. Then, several times a day at each snack or meal. For inspiration, try recipes from my Anti-inflammatory Meal Plan.

Want to learn how to beat inflammation with simple and delicious foods? Need a plan and delicious recipes to get more antioxidants into your diet? Are you looking for ways to incorporate more anti-inflammatory foods into your day? Book an appointment to see if my service can help you.

References

Harvard Health. (2018, November 7). Foods that fight inflammation. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation

Harvard Magazine. (2019 May-June). Could inflammation be the cause of myriad chronic conditions? Retrieved from
https://harvardmagazine.com/2019/05/inflammation-disease-diet

Harvard Health. (2020, April). Understanding acute and chronic inflammation. Retrieved from
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-acute-and-chronic-inflammation

Harvard Health. (2020, May). Quick-start guide to an anti-inflammation diet. Retrieved from
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/quick-start-guide-to-an-antiinflammation-diet

Harvard Health. (2020, June). All about inflammation. Retrieved from
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/all-about-inflammation

Mayo Clinic. (2017, November 21). C-reactive protein test. Retrieved from
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/c-reactive-protein-test/about/pac-20385228

Mayo Clinic. (2018, May 25). Home remedies: How a healthy diet can help manage pain. Retrieved from
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/home-remedies-how-a-healthy-diet-can-help-manage-pain/

Mayo Clinic. (2019, August 13). How to use food to help your body fight inflammation. Retrieved from
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/how-to-use-food-to-help-your-body-fight-inflammation/art-20457586

Medscape. (n.d.). Inflammation, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer. Retrieved from https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/923743

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. (2020, April 4). Inflammation. Retrieved from
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/inflammation/index.cfm

Neuroscience News. (2020, March 5). Social isolation could cause physical inflammation. Retrieved from
https://neurosciencenews.com/social-isolation-inflammation-15864/

University of California Berkeley News. (2020, June 4). Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries. Retrieved from https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/06/04/fitful-nightly-sleep-linked-to-chronic-inflammation-hardened-arteries/

University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. (2018). The anti-inflammatory lifestyle. Retrieved from
https://www.fammed.wisc.edu/files/webfm-uploads/documents/outreach/im/handout_ai_diet_patient.pdf