If your body is always inflamed (chronic inflammation), your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues, leading to long-term damage, increased risk of serious diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune disorders, as well as symptoms like chronic fatigue, pain, mood changes, and gastrointestinal issues, because the persistent immune response harms cells and organs over time.
What causes inflammation? It can result from exposure to environmental toxins, a lingering virus, aging or chronic stress. But what you eat contributes, too.
Clinically, acute inflammation is characterized by five cardinal signs: rubor (redness), calor (heat), tumor (swelling), dolor (pain), and functio laesa (loss of function).
Some of the common signs and symptoms that develop during chronic inflammation are listed below.
Treating Inflammation
When left untreated, prolonged chronic inflammation can increase your risk for diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.
Research shows that it also contributes to a host of chronic diseases such as:
Some of the most common signs of chronic inflammation in the body include: Body discomfort, including joint stiffness, tendonitis and muscle pain. Sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea and persistent fatigue. Weight gain or unexplained weight loss.
Vitamins That Fight Inflammation
There are five symptoms that may be signs of an acute inflammation:
The commonly used blood tests for inflammation include:
To combat inflammation, focus on an anti-inflammatory diet rich in fruits, leafy greens, fatty fish, nuts, olive oil, and spices like turmeric, while reducing sugar, processed foods, refined carbs, and unhealthy fats, as your body naturally detoxifies through these whole foods and by managing stress and hydration.
By measuring the levels of c-reactive protein in your blood, a CRP test can tell your health care provider how much inflammation you have in your body. High CRP levels may mean you have an acute or chronic health condition, such as: Infections from bacteria or viruses.
Over time, chronic inflammation can cause DNA damage and lead to cancer. For example, people with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease, have an increased risk of colon cancer.
If you have chronic inflammation, your provider may recommend: Supplements. Some supplements — like zinc, certain vitamins and omega-3 — may reduce inflammation and enhance repair. Always talk to your provider before taking any new supplements.
Micronutrient deficiencies: Deficiencies in vitamin D, vitamin C, selenium, zinc, antioxidants, and omega-3 are linked with deteriorating immune system function, inflammation, and the health status of autoimmune patients.
Of course, the cause of acute inflammation may need treatment. For example, a bacterial infection may require antibiotics, so if you have a fever or significant symptoms — such as severe pain or shortness of breath — see your doctor.
Chronic inflammation is linked to numerous diseases ('all diseases'), ranging from CVD, T2D, metabolic diseases, cancer, autoimmunity, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, reproductive system disorders, allergies, skin disorders, and joint problems to headaches, food ...
Orange, tomato, pineapple and carrot juices are all high in the antioxidant, vitamin C, which can neutralize free radicals that lead to inflammation.
Physically active individuals have lower indexes of chronic inflammation, which reflects a reduced risk of developing metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and other related disorders.
Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and stiffness. Studies show that those who ate omega-3 rich foods or took a fish oil supplement had a reduction in joint pain. If you're not a fan of fish, try plant-based sources of Omega-3 foods such as ground flax, flaxseed oil and walnuts.
In recent years, researchers have explored the use of Vitamin B12 and Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), both of which are known to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. These over-the-counter resources offer promising potential in supporting nerve regeneration and overall health.
Hypercalcemia can cause acute pancreatitis, which is the term for inflammation of the pancreas. A 2017 review found that 2 of 19 people with vitamin D toxicity experienced acute pancreatitis as a complication. Each had taken an average of 6,000,000 international units (IU) of the vitamin over 1–3 months.
After you suffer an injury, swelling usually worsens over the first two to four days. It can then last as long as three months as the body attempts to heal itself. If the swelling lasts longer than this, your physical therapist or doctor may need to take a closer look to determine the cause of the delayed healing.
You can reduce chronic inflammation by making lifestyle changes, Tolbert says. Eat anti-inflammatory foods. Anti-inflammatory foods contain omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols or antioxidants to help combat inflammation.
Stress systems communicate threats to the entire organism, and as such, also stimulate inflammatory mechanisms. This modulation might serve protective functions in the short term, but sustained low-grade inflammation has severe long-term health consequences.