Inflammation: The Most Overused Word in Wellness (And What It Actually Means)

Inflammation gets blamed for everything. I use the word too — so let me explain what it actually is, when it matters, and what your diet really does. Furman D, et al. (2019). Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span. Nature Medicine, 25(12), 1822–1832. Galland L. (2010). Diet and inflammation. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 25(6), 634–640. Minihane AM, et al. (2015). Low-grade inflammation, diet composition and health. British Journal of Nutrition, 114(7), 999–1012. Estruch R, et al. (2018). Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet (PREDIMED). New England Journal of Medicine, 378(25), e34. Calder PC, et al. (2011). Dietary factors and low-grade inflammation in relation to overweight and obesity. British Journal of Nutrition, 106(S3), S1–S78. US Department of Agriculture. (2012). Withdrawal of the USDA ORAC Database for Selected Foods. nal.usda.gov Hewlings SJ & Kalman DS. (2017). Curcumin: A review of its effects on human health. Foods, 6(10), 92. González-Gallego J, et al. (2010). Fruit polyphenols, immunity and inflammation. British Journal of Nutrition, 104(S3), S15–S27. Rudnicka E, et al. (2021). Chronic low grade inflammation in pathogenesis of PCOS. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(7), 3789. Pizzino G, et al. (2017). Oxidative stress: harms and benefits for human health. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2017, 8416763. Nappi RE, et al. (2022). Menopause transition and cardiovascular disease risk. Maturitas, 159, 50–58. Phillips CM, et al. (2019). Dietary inflammatory index and biomarkers of inflammation. Nutrients, 11(8), 1873.