Silent Inflammation: Are You Eating a Pro-Inflammatory Diet?

August 19, 2012

by Cathe Friedrich

You probably think of inflammation as being something that’s red and painful, but there’s a different type of inflammation that’s just as destructive called “silent inflammation.” The problem with silent inflammation is it can impact your health even if you’re not aware of it. What exactly is silent inflammation and what can you do about it?

What is Silent Inflammation?

Silent inflammation is a “hidden”, more insidious form of inflammation that doesn’t cause heat and redness like the inflammation you see with an injury. Instead, it quietly operates “under the radar” to damage blood vessels and organs. Silent inflammation is believed to be linked with some chronic health problems including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and premature aging. Unlike inflammation that comes from an injury, you can’t relieve it by putting an ice pack on it. One of the best ways to calm silent inflammation is by changing your diet.

What Causes It?

A variety of factors cause silent inflammation. Poor lifestyle choices like smoking, exposure to toxins in the environment, a diet high in processed foods all play a role in this type of inflammation. Processed foods often contain unhealthy fats and rapidly-absorbed carbohydrates that can trigger inflammation. They also lack the natural antioxidants abundant in whole foods that ease low-grade inflammation. Obesity is another cause of silent inflammation. Fat cells are not simply vehicles for storage. They produce chemicals called cytokines that are pro-inflammatory. These cytokines also contribute to insulin resistance, another cause of chronic inflammation. Even chronic stress can lead to a low-grade inflammatory state.

Is There a Test for It?

A protein produced by the liver called C-reactive protein, or CRP, is a marker for whole body, silent inflammation. Doctors sometimes measure CRP levels to determine a patient’s risk for heart disease since higher levels of blood vessel inflammation and an elevated CRP are risk factors for a heart attack. If your CRP level is below 1, it’s unlikely that you have a significant amount of hidden inflammation.

How Can You Prevent Hidden Inflammation?

You may not have complete control over your stress level or what you’re exposed to in the environment, but you do have control over your diet. Cutting back on processed foods and eating a low-glycemic diet that emphasizes fruits and vegetables reduces silent inflammation. Certain spices like turmeric, ginger, and rosemary also have anti-inflammatory properties that soothe smoldering inflammation.

Cut back on red meat with their unhealthy fats and replace them with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats from fatty fish and monounsaturated fats from nuts, avocado, and olive oil. These fats block the production of inflammatory prostaglandins that directly contribute to inflammation.

Eat an array of vegetables, both raw and cooked, and season them with anti-inflammatory spices. Make sure you’re getting enough antioxidant vitamins in your diet including vitamins A, C, and E – but don’t take antioxidant supplements. Supplements don’t appear to have the same benefits as natural antioxidants in food and may be harmful.

If you’re overweight, lose the extra body fat. Being overweight or obese fuels inflammation because of the cytokines that fat cells release and the effects of insulin resistance.

Exercise is important too, but don’t overtrain. Give yourself adequate time to rest and recover between workouts, and take one day a week off from exercise to reduce the risk of overtraining.

The Bottom Line?

You can be “inflamed” without knowing it – and it can impact your health. Make the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes to reduce inflammation and your risk for other health problems. Diet can have a major impact on this silent but destructive process.

References:

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 March 92(3):1023-33.

Lab Tests Online. “CRP – The Test”