What if one nefarious perpetrator was behind nearly all of life’s potential health threats? Meet inflammation, the condition at the heart of most of the scary things your doctor has warned you about.
Chronic inflammation is responsible for a huge number of illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, dementia, stroke, diabetes, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and obesity [1]. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Recognizing the signs of inflammation and taking steps to get it under control could save your life. And if you think inflammation isn’t something you need to worry about, think again.
A staggering number of Americans suffer from inflammation-related conditions, with more than 60% living with at least one chronic inflammatory disease [2].
Many people have been dealing with inflammation for so long that they are unable to recognize the symptoms. In these cases of hidden inflammation, they may not seek treatment until it’s too late. This explains why over half of all deaths are due to chronic inflammatory diseases.
Yes, you read that correctly—over half of all deaths.
Ok, that got a little dark. But it’s not all bad news.
Chronic inflammation is a threat, but in many cases, it’s not difficult to get under control. A few simple lifestyle and dietary changes can work wonders.
But first, you’ve got to learn how to listen to your body for inflammatory signals aka signs of inflammation!
What is Inflammation?
Inflammation is a bit more complicated than you might think. First of all, it’s not actually a bad thing. It’s a vital body process that helps protect and heal your body from injury or infection. Your inflammatory response is part of your immune system, and it’s essential for survival.
Without it, we wouldn’t be able to recover from a paper cut, let alone fight off more serious infections. Imagine it as your body’s firefighters, rushing to the scene whenever there’s a problem to stop the damage and start the healing process.
This is called acute inflammation, and it’s a sign of a healthy immune system springing into action.
However, certain factors can cause your inflammatory response to malfunction. This is what causes chronic inflammation. Remember those firefighters? Well, imagine that they kept blasting their hoses and chopping with their axes non-stop—even when there wasn’t a fire.
This would cause more harm than good. In this way, chronic inflammation can slowly wreak havoc on your body, eventually causing permanent and life-threatening conditions like heart disease, arthritis and diabetes.
Understanding Your Body’s Inflammation Warning Signs
Your body sends inflammation signals in the form of symptoms. However, early signs of chronic inflammation can be difficult to notice. They’re often mild and may come and go sporadically. Or they might stick around but go unnoticed because you think they’re just a normal part of getting older.
For example, feeling tired or low-energy is a common sign of inflammation that is often explained away. The truth is, it’s not natural to feel tired, achy, or uncomfortable all the time.
Let’s break down what your body might be trying to tell you with these common and not-so-obvious symptoms of inflammation.
Common Symptoms of Inflammation
- Redness, Swelling, and Heat: These are typical symptoms of acute inflammation (the good kind). They’re signs that your immune system is sending help to an injured or infected area. Think of a sprained ankle that becomes red and puffy or the warmth around a cut. If you experience these symptoms when no injury has occurred (such as on your skin or in your joints), you may have a chronic inflammation issue.
- Pain and Discomfort: This is your body’s way of saying, “Hey, something’s not right here.” Pain from inflammation can range from a dull ache to sharp pangs. Conditions like arthritis are well-known for causing painful inflammation in the joints.
- Impaired Function: When inflammation is at play, you might notice that the affected area doesn’t work as well as it usually does. In the case of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), for example, inflammation can lead to issues with digestion and nutrient absorption.
Less Obvious Indicators of Inflammation
- Fatigue and Low Energy Levels: Chronic inflammation can leave you feeling constantly tired, even after a full night’s sleep. This type of fatigue is common in conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, where inflammation plays a key role [3].
- Digestive Issues: Symptoms like acid reflux, constipation and diarrhea are common when your digestive tract becomes inflamed. They may indicate conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. This type of inflammation is particularly worrying because it can impair your ability to absorb the nutrients you need, causing your health issues to snowball.
- Skin Problems: Dry skin, acne, scaly patches, itchy skin and rashes can all be manifestations of chronic inflammation. This happens when the immune system attacks healthy skin cells. Creams and lotions can’t fight the root of inflammation, so visit a dermatologist (and follow some of the anti-inflammatory tips later in this article) if you’re not happy with your skin.
Inflammatory Triggers
Now you know the common symptoms of inflammation. But what causes inflammation in the first place? That’s not always easy to answer.
People share a lot of common inflammation triggers (such as drinking and smoking), but we have unique triggers too.
For example, many food allergies are inflammation triggers. While some triggers are beyond your control, there are others you can learn to recognize and avoid.
- Environmental Factors: Your surroundings play a significant role in inflammation. Pollution, such as smog and secondhand smoke, introduces toxins into our bodies that cause an inflammatory response. Chronic exposure to environmental toxins is linked to respiratory conditions like asthma and other chronic diseases [4].
- Unhealthy Dietary Choices: What you eat can trigger inflammation throughout your body. Certain nutrients are necessary to keep your inflammatory response balanced, but most Americans don’t get enough of them [5]. The immune system needs essential nutrients like DHA, vitamin D and antioxidants to function properly. Eating unhealthy food can exacerbate inflammation, making the situation much worse. Diets high in processed foods, sugars and trans fats can cause out-of-control inflammation, leading to conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
- Lifestyle Choices: Daily habits—even small ones—can have a big impact on inflammation. Sedentary lifestyles can increase inflammation, elevating the risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. On the other hand, regular exercise is a potent anti-inflammatory activity. Stress is also a common trigger. Chronic stress can disrupt various bodily processes, causing inflammation and conditions such as hypertension and depression.
- Health Issues: Certain health conditions, particularly autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, involve chronic inflammation. These conditions occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy body parts. These inflammatory conditions are generally not within your control, but you may be able to improve them with dietary and lifestyle choices along with medical care.
Fighting Back Against Chronic Inflammation
There are two basic ways to prevent chronic inflammation (in the cases when it can be prevented).
The first is to avoid triggers, such as smoking, alcohol and processed food.
The second is to practice anti-inflammatory habits, such as eating a better diet, reducing stress and exercising. If you already suffer from chronic inflammation, healthy lifestyle choices may help balance your inflammatory response and return it to a state of health.
Follow these suggestions below to live an anti-inflammatory lifestyle:
Live Cleaner: Completely controlling your environment isn’t realistic, but you can make small changes to reduce your exposure to inflammatory triggers.
- Air purifiers can clear your living spaces of pollutants and allergens that can aggravate inflammatory responses.
- Water filters can remove contaminants from your drinking water, reducing your intake of potential irritants.
- Opting for organic foods when possible can minimize your exposure to pesticides and chemicals.
Adopt an Anti-inflammatory Diet: A diet rich in whole foods ensures that your immune system gets the nutrition it needs to maintain a balanced inflammatory response.
Fresh, unprocessed foods are also less likely to harm your body and trigger inflammation.
Focus on the following:
- Fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants and phytochemicals that combat inflammation. Berries, leafy greens and deeply colored vegetables are especially beneficial.
- Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines, as well as flaxseeds and walnuts. Omega-3s are important for managing your body’s inflammatory response.
- Whole grains can help reduce inflammation markers in the blood. Choose grains like oats, quinoa and brown rice.
- Nuts and seeds like almonds, chia seeds and flaxseeds contain healthy fats and vitamins that support anti-inflammatory pathways.
- Certain spices and herbs, such as turmeric, ginger, garlic and cinnamon, possess anti-inflammatory superpowers. Curcumin (which comes from turmeric), has incredibly potent anti-inflammatory abilities that benefit almost every body system [6].
- Anti-inflammatory supplements can help provide your immune system with the nutrition it needs even if you don’t manage to get all of your essential vitamins and minerals from your diet. Manna’s Anti-inflammatory Bundle is packed with nutrients that have been found to prevent and reduce chronic inflammation. At the very least, take a multivitamin once per day.
Practice Anti-inflammatory Habits: Chronic stress and a sedentary lifestyle have a bigger impact on inflammation than you think.
Practice these habits to feel more relaxed and stay active:
- Try to exercise for at least 150 minutes per week. There’s no need to do intense activity. Moderate exercise is fine, such as walking or cycling. That’s just 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Easy!
- Practices like meditation, deep breathing exercises and yoga can lower stress levels. Studies have actually found that meditation is a potent anti-inflammatory activity [7]. Generally, try to find hobbies that relax and engage your mind. Reading, playing board games with friends and playing an instrument are good options. Try to avoid social media as much as possible, as it’s been linked to increased stress [8].
- Get 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Sleep is the time your body uses to heal and regulate itself. A lack of sleep can impact immune cells and cause your inflammatory response to go haywire [9].
Extinguish Chronic Inflammation for Good
Reducing inflammation isn’t just important for living longer—it enhances every day of your life by addressing inflammatory signals.
A body with a healthy inflammatory response is less likely to experience aches, tiredness, anxiety, weight gain, reduced mobility, and many other issues that make life less enjoyable.
So, the next time you’re not feeling 100%, think about why and monitor your inflammatory signals.
Even if they seem insignificant, they might be telling you to balance your inflammatory response.
The easiest way to do this is by fueling your immune system with the nutrition it needs from Manna’s Anti-inflammatory Bundle.
After that, start taking baby steps toward living an anti-inflammatory lifestyle.
FAQ
Inflammation is a natural immune response that helps protect the body from injury and infection. Understanding inflammation is crucial because chronic inflammation can lead to various health problems.
Common symptoms include redness, swelling, pain, discomfort, fatigue, digestive issues, and skin problems. These symptoms may indicate acute or chronic inflammation.
Acute inflammation is a short-term response to injury or infection, while chronic inflammation persists over time and can contribute to various diseases.
Triggers include environmental factors like pollution, unhealthy dietary choices, lifestyle habits such as smoking and sedentary behavior, and certain health conditions like autoimmune disorders.
Certain supplements and foods, such as those containing antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and anti-inflammatory compounds like curcumin and ginger, may help reduce inflammation when incorporated into a balanced diet.
While some factors contributing to inflammation may be beyond our control, adopting a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet and regular exercise, can help prevent chronic inflammation and its associated health risks.
Sources:
- https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/inflammation
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5576849/
- https://www.epa.gov/pmcourse/particle-pollution-and-respiratory-effects
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209844/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8572027/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949834123000351
- https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/01/15/psychological-stress-and-social-media-use-2/
- https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2022/a-consistent-lack-of-sleep-negatively-impacts-immune-stem-cells-increasing-risk-of-inflammatory-disorders-and-heart-disease
