How can I know if I have chronic inflammation?

Due to today’s modern society and fast-paced lifestyle, it’s possible that you, your family, or many people you know have gotten used to living with symptoms of inflammation.

We want to tell you that no, it is not normal to live with these symptoms!
Those allergies, migraines, rhinitis, and frequent digestive symptoms are evidence that you’re living with low-grade chronic inflammation.

This type of inflammation can contribute as a risk factor for:

• Cardiovascular diseases
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Ulcerative colitis
• Kidney disease
• Certain types of cancer
• Chronic health issues or diseases

All of these are the result of an inflammatory process triggered by your immune system due to an inflammatory lifestyle.

What is inflammation?‍

Inflammation can be seen as a sign or condition that occurs in response to an external harmful stimulus. It is usually described with visible, acute physical symptoms such as (Milagros Lisset León Regal et al., 2015):

• Pain
• Redness
• Swelling
• Loss of function

These symptoms are your immune system’s response to injury or infection. But many of the symptoms you might be getting used to—either because they’ve become chronic or because you consider them common—are also forms of inflammation and are linked to leaky gut.

Differences between acute and chronic inflammation
The main difference lies in the duration of the symptoms.

• Acute inflammation occurs as an immediate response to trauma (injury or surgery), and it typically resolves within the first two hours.
• Chronic inflammation reflects a sustained response to long-term medical conditions such as celiac disease, arthritis, psoriasis, or any other autoimmune disease. (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, 2005)

Causes of chronic inflammation

Pro-inflammatory diet‍

When you have a leaky gut caused by consuming “enemy” foods that are hard for you to digest, your immune system gets triggered and may develop molecular mimicry reactions, eventually activating autoimmune conditions. (Pérez-Sáez MJ et al., 2021)

Obesity and diabetes‍

The consumption of hard-to-digest “enemy” foods can also trigger insulin spikes, slowly damaging insulin receptors. When more insulin is needed, hyperinsulinism arises. The more insulin, the greater the weight gain and blood sugar dysregulation—both of which increase inflammation levels. (Sylvia Riedel et al., 2022)

Physical inactivity‍

Alongside weight gain and diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle contributes to chronic inflammation because exercise helps regulate weight, blood sugar, and insulin. (Joseph Henson, 2013)

Alcohol and tobacco use‍

Both smoking and drinking are known to be harmful to the liver and lungs, respectively. But their inflammatory effects go beyond those organs. An inflamed liver from alcohol or “enemy” foods can affect detoxification and overall metabolism, as the liver is your body’s personal lab.
Smoking doesn’t only inflame your lungs—it can cause cancer in various organs like the larynx, stomach, and pancreas, directly impacting digestion and metabolism. (Weissman S et al., 2020)

Sleep disturbances‍

Sleep is essential to help reduce inflammation because detoxification pathways are activated during rest. (Mark Hyman, 2022)

Stress‍

Psychological stress is often the first thing people associate with autoimmune diseases or flare-ups triggered by worry. That’s because there’s direct communication between the gut and the brain via the vagus nerve. (Li Ge et al., 2022)

Signs of chronic inflammation‍

Any recurring symptom can be a sign of chronic inflammation. Examples include:

Muscle and joint pain‍

A leaky gut may react to lectins found in foods like potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, or peppers. These hard-to-digest molecules can cause joint inflammation. (Amy Myers)

Fatigue‍

A leaky gut reacting to hard-to-digest foods also fails to absorb nutrients and energy. So even if your diet is normo- or hypercaloric, if you can’t digest and absorb properly, you’ll feel fatigued. (Rahel S König, 2022)

Gastrointestinal discomfort‍

A leaky gut reacting to “enemy” foods can manifest as (Qin Xiang Ng et al., 2018):

• Gastritis and acid reflux
• Constipation or diarrhea and changes in stool appearance
• Gas

Skin eruptions‍

A leaky gut reacting to hard-to-digest foods can dysregulate your immune system and lead it to attack your own skin cells, causing conditions like (Pedro Sánchez-Pellicer et al, 2022):

• Atopic dermatitis and dermatitis herpetiformis
• Keratosis pilaris
• Scleroderma
• Rosacea
• Vitiligo

Frequent illness‍

A leaky gut opens the door to inflammatory and infectious diseases. Remember, 70% of your immune system is in your gut. If you’re reacting to the foods you eat daily, your defense system weakens against:

• Enemy foods
• Harmful microorganisms
• Toxins

Weight gain‍

A leaky gut reacting to hard-to-digest foods can lead to insulin dysregulation, insulin resistance, and sustained weight gain. (Perla Cristel Broca Lara et al., 2023)

How to measure chronic inflammation‍

You can measure silent chronic inflammation by evaluating several inflammatory markers (Rivas-de Noriega JP et al., 2017):

• Homocysteine
• Ferritin
• C-reactive protein
• Vitamin D
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
• White blood cell count changes: inflammation usually shows an increase in the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio

How to fight chronic inflammation‍

Whatever the cause of chronic inflammation, the answer lies in your gut. A healthy gut means a regulated immune system, better management of injuries and infections, and lower disease risk because your immune response is balanced.

Increase intake of anti-inflammatory foods‍

Your anti-inflammatory diet should be based on your personal tolerance—what you can digest and absorb. Some examples include (Kurowska A et al., 2023):

• Fatty fish rich in omega-3
• Sulfur-rich vegetables
• Low-glycemic fruits with bioflavonoids
• Roots like turmeric and ginger
• Healthy fats like coconut oil

Reduce consumption of highly processed foods‍

Remove grain-based foods like wheat, barley, rye, oats, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, and teff, as well as cow dairy and sugar. These are hard to digest and inflammatory for the gut. It also helps to eliminate processed foods, which often contain these ingredients plus artificial additives that unbalance your beneficial gut microbiota.

Quit smoking and reduce alcohol‍

As part of an anti-inflammatory lifestyle, remove tobacco use and limit alcohol consumption.

Exercise regularly‍

Physical activity helps release endorphins, which improve your mood, regulate your immune system, and motivate you to keep moving. (Timothy J Schoenfeld, 2022)

Practice good sleep hygiene‍

Helpful circadian rhythm practices include (Clayton Vasey, 2021):

• Getting sunlight exposure right after waking up, before screen light
• Eating several hours before bedtime
• Exercising before 5 p.m.
• Turning off screens a few hours before sleep

NutriWhite encourages you not to normalize living with symptoms or illness. You can change this by incorporating the anti-inflammatory tools of the 3R Immunonutrition Protocol into your NutriWhite consultation with our team of NutriWhite Ambassadors.

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References:

• Milagros Lisset León Regal , Ania Alvarado Borges , José Omar de Armas García , Luciano Miranda Alvarado , Javier Antonio Varens Cedeño , José Ángel Cuesta del Sol. Universidad de Ciencias Médicas, Cienfuegos, Cienfuegos, Cuba, CP: 55100 http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2221-24342015000100006 
• INFLAMACIÓN AGUDA © 2005, American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons 
• Sleep Master Class. Dr. Mark Hyman 2022 https://courses.drhyman.com/sleep-course-own 
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• Weissman S, Takakura K, Eibl G, Pandol SJ, Saruta M. The Diverse Involvement of Cigarette Smoking in Pancreatic Cancer Development and Prognosis. Pancreas. 2020 May/Jun;49(5):612-620. doi: 10.1097/MPA.0000000000001550. PMID: 32433397; PMCID: PMC7249487.
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