Relationship between immune system inflammation and food

Inflammation is one of the greatest enemies of our health in the 21st century. Along with stress and obesity, it is closely linked to most of the diseases we suffer from today.

Even if we can’t see or even “feel” it, chronic inflammation is present in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, and others.

To fight inflammation, the first thing we need to do is improve our diet. Why diet? Because everything we eat can trigger either a positive or negative immune response in our body.

At Nutriwhite, one of our fundamental premises is: “we are what we eat”—and not only are we what we eat, but we are truly what we are able to digest.

That’s why, in this article, we’ll explain how nutrition is connected to our health and immune system.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is a defense response triggered by the presence of an agent or element perceived as foreign or a potential threat. White blood cells are responsible for identifying the threat, which may be an infection (viruses, bacteria, etc.), but they can also perceive certain foods or chemical substances as enemies.

We can think of the inflammatory process as a fire alarm that puts the body on alert. This defense mechanism plays a crucial role in our body because it serves two main purposes:

1. Eliminate the enemy
2. Heal the tissue damaged by the enemy

Inflammation can be acute or chronic, depending on how long the inflammatory response remains active. In acute inflammation, the most common symptoms appear: redness, heat, pain, and swelling in the affected area.

For example, when you get a cut, the area around the wound may swell and turn red because the immune system is working to heal the injury.

When the enemy or threat can be neutralized quickly, the inflammatory response is considered acute, because it resolves quickly and the body returns to its “normal” or baseline state.

The problem nowadays is that instead of being acute, inflammation often becomes chronic, which contributes to the onset and progression of most diseases.

Why does chronic inflammation occur?

It happens when the causal agent or enemy has not been completely eliminated or because we are constantly exposed to that enemy. As a result, the inflammatory process persists over time.

This chronic inflammation is considered low-grade because it is ongoing, not easily noticeable, and causes changes in the body's metabolism.

When it persists for an extended period, these changes eventually damage the tissues or cells of our own body.

If we constantly eat a food that our body considers an enemy, if we don’t properly heal an infection, or if we work or live in toxic environments, that continuous exposure to the enemy promotes chronic inflammation.

What is the relationship between inflammation and the immune system?

Let’s remember that the immune system is responsible for defending the body against enemies, and it does this through various mechanisms or actions.

The primary immune response is inflammation. Like any defense response, it relies on “soldiers” and “weapons.”

The “soldiers” or immune cells may include: T lymphocytes or T cells, B lymphocytes, mast cells, eosinophils, among others.

Among the most important “weapons” used by the immune system are: histamines, free radicals, prostaglandins, interleukins, etc.

There’s no need to memorize these names, but it’s important to understand that there are several types of soldiers or lines of defense, and various weapons—some stronger than others.

Diseases related to inflammation

A clear example of this is allergies, in which the body identifies a stimulus—harmless to others, such as peanuts, shellfish, or dust—as something dangerous, triggering an immediate immune response.

Another easy way to recognize that a symptom or disease involves inflammation is when its name ends in “-itis”: rhinitis, dermatitis, gastritis, etc.

This means it may be associated with or caused by excessive inflammation.

This inflammation begins to damage tissues, preventing them from performing their main functions properly, or causing discomfort such as pain.

On the other hand, there are autoimmune diseases, which are characterized by a state of chronic inflammation where the body’s defense cells begin to recognize its own cells as if they were a threat.

Why do autoimmune diseases appear?

In this case, the body begins to “attack itself,” but it’s not that the immune system has “gone crazy”—it’s that a confusion starts to occur.

Due to the constant presence of an enemy, the immune system begins to recognize “similar” structures as enemies too. That’s why it starts attacking its own tissues, such as intestinal cells, for example.

This ends up causing tissue and system damage, which leads to autoimmune diseases or disorders.

Some of the most well-known include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, celiac disease, and Crohn’s disease.

There are also many diseases that may have an autoimmune origin or component, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (the most common form of hypothyroidism), psoriasis, and certain types of diabetes, among others.

This is why it’s so important that these diseases are also monitored by a specialist in immunology.

Where does inflammation originate?

To understand where inflammation originates, we need to recognize the main organ of the immune system—and that is the intestine.

Yes, the intestine is its main home; it contains the largest amount of lymphoid tissue or defense cells.

Although the intestine is part of the digestive system and the bone marrow is the organ where immune cells are produced or originate, it is in the intestine where most of them reside. The bone marrow is the “factory,” but the intestine is their “headquarters.”

That’s why everything that happens in the intestine can easily trigger an immune response.

The intestine is the body’s great defense barrier. Everything we eat or ingest is considered external, and the digestive system processes it while the intestine and the immune system decide what can enter and what cannot.

Additionally, the intestine is home to the largest amount of microbiota in our body—that is, millions of microorganisms, both good and bad, live there.

That’s why it is one of the most common sites where inflammation originates and where leaky gut syndrome develops.

How is diet related to the inflammatory response?

Food is often the most frequent trigger of an inflammatory reaction.

This happens because nowadays, our diet is high in ultra-processed foods, hard-to-digest foods, and foods that the body may genetically perceive as inflammatory.

Poor digestion, the presence of food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances, disruptions in the microbiota, among other factors, make it more likely for particles from the foods we eat to be seen as enemies by the immune system.

To truly address the chronic inflammation that many of us live with today, it is essential to go to the root of the problem: healing leaky gut and adopting an anti-inflammatory diet tailored to each individual.

All of this can be achieved when we follow a lifestyle based on immunonutrition.

What is immunonutrition?

When we talk about immunonutrition, we refer to the relationship between what we eat and our immune system’s response—and vice versa.

Foods may contain components that promote inflammation, but also others that are anti-inflammatory.

For example, gluten is a protein found in food that is inflammatory for most people. On the other hand, vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps regulate inflammation.

At NutriWhite, we follow the 3R protocol, which is based on:

• Remove the foods that may harm you
• Replace with foods you digest well and that are rich in nutrients
• Repair gut health and reduce inflammation

Discover how proper nutrition can strengthen your immune system and help prevent chronic inflammation. Schedule your consultation with our nutrition experts today and start taking care of your health from the inside out.