What Causes Inflammation?

Inflammation has become a hot topic in the health world. You might’ve heard about how it can negatively impact the body, and that it can even be an underlying cause of disease. But what many don’t know is exactly what causes inflammation (hint: there isn’t one single culprit!). 

It is also important to recognize that inflammation isn’t always the bad guy. In fact, it plays a vital role in healing the body and keeping it healthy! Let’s talk about what you need to know about good and bad inflammation, as well as what triggers inflammation in the body. 

What is Inflammation?

Inflammation is an important part of the body’s immune response. When you are injured or are exposed to what the body perceives as an invader (like a virus, bacteria, or toxic chemicals), your system responds by sending out inflammatory cells to fight the aggressor and heal the body. 

Acute (AKA short-lived) inflammation is completely normal. In fact, it’s an important part of your body’s healing process! In order to do their work, inflammatory cells can cause visible and physical symptoms like tenderness or mild pain, swelling, heat, redness in the skin, or temporary loss of function. Think throat irritation when you have strep throat, or visibly aggravated skin around a cut. 

While unpleasant, these are all signs that your system is working properly to defend itself and recover. With acute inflammation, these symptoms will typically resolve within a few hours or days, depending on exactly what issue your body is dealing with. 

Acute inflammation isn’t the only form of inflammation. There’s a whole other category you need to be aware of: chronic inflammation. While acute inflammation isn’t something to be concerned about, chronic inflammation (also known as systemic inflammation) can have major implications for your overall health. 

Chronic Inflammation: How it Affects the Body

Small doses of inflammation are good for protecting the body, but you can have too much of a good thing. With chronic inflammation, the body continues sending out inflammatory cells – even when there isn’t an invader or injury that it needs to respond to. The body thinks it is under attack, so those cells are sent out to fight and protect. This leads to ongoing inflammation, and can cause harm to otherwise healthy organs and tissues.

Chronic inflammation is involved in a host of conditions. Some of the major inflammatory conditions linked to ongoing inflammation include:

• Acne
• Psoriasis 
• Rosacea
• Diabetes
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure and heart disease
• Gastrointestinal diseases, including Crohn’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Lung diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Cancer
• Mental health conditions, including depression

What Causes Chronic Inflammation?

The causes of acute inflammation are pretty clear-cut – you often know exactly what the trigger is. But when it comes to chronic inflammation, the underlying causes are varied, and aren’t necessarily as easy to identify. This type of inflammation can often be blamed on our lifestyle habits, the foods we eat (or don’t eat), or the environment we live in – or, in many cases, a combination of all three. 

Diet

The foods we eat can majorly influence inflammation levels. Food groups that have been shown to have pro-inflammatory effects include refined carbohydrates (like white bread, baked goods, and pasta), red and processed meats, trans fats, saturated fats, added sugars, and artificial sweeteners. These groups are typically found in high amounts in the Western Diet – a diet associated with higher inflammation levels. Additionally, deficiencies in nutrients like zinc and magnesium have also been linked to inflammation. 

Keeping all of this in mind, one of the biggest lifestyle changes you can make to fight inflammation is switching up your diet. Many top medical schools even recommend following an anti-inflammatory diet to minimize inflammation in the body. This diet is centered around eating whole and unprocessed foods that are packed with fiber, antioxidants, and other beneficial nutrients. 

In particular, foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (like walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, salmon, mackerel, and other fatty fish) have been shown to have potent anti-inflammatory effects, making them a key factor of an inflammation-fighting diet. Other pillars of an anti-inflammatory diet include whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. 

Stress

Much like acute inflammation, acute stress is helpful – it prepares our body to respond to stressful situations. But we start to see problems when that stress becomes chronic. 

When we are stressed, our body releases cortisol. In small amounts, this hormone actually has anti-inflammatory effects. However, chronically elevated levels of cortisol can lead to an increase in the production of inflammatory cytokines, contributing to higher inflammation levels. Research confirms that the formation of many stress-related diseases can be blamed on the effects that stress has on our inflammation levels. 

As you can probably guess, adopting stress-busting habits is one of the best things you can do to lower your stress levels – and as a result, fight inflammation in the body. Yoga is always a great stress inhibitor, and there is even growing evidence that it may play a role in reducing inflammatory biomarkers. Meditation has also been studied for its effects on inflammation and stress, with researchers finding it helps lower cortisol levels and control inflammatory responses. Beyond these practices, some stress-reducing habits to consider adding to your routine include walking in nature, taking a fitness class, journaling, and talking with a trusted loved one. 

Sedentary Lifestyle 

An inactive lifestyle is another major contributor to chronic inflammation. A more sedentary lifestyle void of regular physical activity can cause two major problems for inflammation: a decrease in muscle and an increase in body fat. Both of these factors can put the body in a state of inflammation. In one study, researchers found that sedentary behavior led to higher inflammation levels in otherwise healthy adults. 

Exercise does lead to an inflammatory response – but it’s only temporary. This acute inflammation helps the body recover after your session. But beyond that short burst of inflammation, exercise can actually have anti-inflammatory effects. Researchers have even found that just one 20 minute session of moderate exercise on the treadmill can lead to lower inflammation levels in the body. 

Gut Dysbiosis

For a healthy, optimally functioning gut, our gut microbiome needs a diverse and balanced community of good bacteria. These good bacteria have major implications on our overall health. These bacteria play a role in digestion, metabolism, the immune system, cognitive and mental health, the health of our skin, and so much more. 

When the gut microbiome is off balance – meaning there are fewer good bacteria and higher levels of harmful bacteria – our health can suffer. As far as inflammation goes, gut dysbiosis can increase the permeability of the intestinal barrier. This heightens the risk of toxins making their way into the bloodstream, which can trigger inflammation. 

This is all why supporting a healthy, balanced gut is so important – it plays an important role in inflammation and your wellness as a whole. Adding more probiotic-rich foods (like kimchi, sauerkraut, and yogurt) is a great way to enhance your gut health through your diet. Taking a probiotic supplement like Glow Biome is also an effective way to give your gut a daily dose of beneficial bacteria that will keep your system functioning optimally. It’s packed with six clinically validated probiotic strains to improve microbiome diversity and support a healthier, happier gut. 

Poor Sleep Quality

It’s no secret that sleep is essential for our overall well being. It plays a role in our mental health, cognitive function, blood pressure, physical performance…and unsurprisingly, our inflammation levels. Numerous studies have revealed that poor sleep quality – especially from disturbances that affect our circadian rhythm – can lead to higher levels of inflammation markers in the body. 

In one study in particular, researchers analyzed 14 healthy participants who were regularly able to sleep for eight hours every night. After first monitoring their normal sleep patterns for six weeks, researchers had the participants reduce their sleep time by 90 minutes every night for another six weeks. Comparing a blood draw from the first six weeks to the last six weeks, the researchers found an increase in the production of immune cells linked to inflammation. They also found that the DNA of those immune cells were altered. 

With all of this in mind, keeping inflammation levels in check requires following healthy sleep hygiene habits. Some of our favorite tips for consistently getting a good night’s sleep include following a regular sleep schedule, limiting screen time before bed, and cutting off caffeine intake in the afternoon. 

Exposure to Toxins

Given what we know about the body’s inflammatory response, it’s no surprise that exposure to environmental toxins – such as via air pollution, pesticides, or other toxic chemicals – can cause inflammation in the body. When our system encounters toxins that it deems harmful, it can react by sending out inflammatory cells. The problem, however, is that when we live (or work) in an environment where we are regularly exposed to toxins, the body can be pushed into a chronic inflammatory state. 

It can be challenging to limit exposure to toxins, but there are steps you can take – think swapping out your cleaning supplies for “cleaner” formulas, choosing organic when possible, and using an air purifier at home.

Smoking

We’re all well aware of the harmful effects smoking has on the body. As far as inflammation goes, cigarette smoking can suppress immune system activity and contribute to inflammation. In fact, numerous studies have shown that smoking has dramatic effects on chronic inflammation in the body, linking it to inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 

The negative impacts of smoking can be long lasting. A recent study revealed that the harmful effects of smoking on the immune system can last years (and in some cases decades) – even after quitting. With that said, there is some research showing that quitting smoking can lead to a decrease in markers of inflammation in the weeks after cessation.

Excess Alcohol

An occasional drink here and there may be okay. However, when it comes to fighting inflammation, it’s important to consider the effects that excessive alcohol consumption can have on the body. When alcohol is broken down by the body, it produces compounds that can trigger inflammation. This includes cytokines and acetaldehyde. 

Beyond that, alcohol can also have harmful effects on our gut – which as we already know, can play a role in inflammation. More specifically, research shows that alcohol may inhibit the production of good bacteria in the gut that can fight inflammation. Even worse, it can boost the production of bad bacteria that can trigger an inflammatory response.  

How Do You Reduce Chronic Inflammation?

Some of the best ways to reduce chronic inflammation include: 

• Consuming an anti-inflammatory diet
• Managing your stress
• Staying active
• Improving gut health through fermented foods and probiotics 
• Getting enough sleep
• Quitting smoking
• Going easy on alcohol