It’s one of the scourges of life in the modern world: chronic inflammation. This unhelpful reaction of the body’s immune system has been linked to accelerated aging and diseases such as stroke and heart disease.
What if we could suppress it by eating certain foods like spinach, walnuts, and salmon? Such is the promise of an anti-inflammatory diet, something that is often promoted in vague terms by the media and the nutrition industry. This may cause the scientifically minded to roll their eyes. But recent research suggests this approach isn’t as popular as it sounds, painting a nuanced picture of the links between food, inflammation and our long-term health.
This article is part of a nutrition series that takes a deep dive into some of the hottest trends right now. Read more here.
Inflammation is an important part of our response to injury and disease. But when the body continues to use it without trauma, it can lead to chronic inflammation. The exact reason why this occurs is unknown, but genetics, environment and lifestyle play a role. It can be detected by measuring certain chemical markers in the blood and is increasingly linked to poor health.
“Chronic inflammation is a driver of many common diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, arthritis and dementia,” said John Mathers at the University of Newcastle, UK. It has also been linked to some mental health conditions.
But how…
