Published: 20th April 2023

As a health seeker, you’ve probably heard by now that inflammation drives disease. Recently, more and more media attention has been given to the importance of targeting inflammatory pathways. Both for prevention or reversing health issues – even when recovering from a bout of flu.

If you’ve ever had a cold, swelling, bruising or sore muscles post workout then you’ve experienced an inflammatory response. Which is merely a defense reaction of the body against injury. Typically, those symptoms last for a short period of time as that is the purpose of inflammation.

But you may wonder why some people suffer more than others? Or what creates a chronic inflammatory condition to begin with?

First, let’s take a look at some common inflammatory issues and their root causative factors. Followed on by some easy ways you can keep inflammation in check.

Common Inflammatory Conditions:

  1. Arthritis
  2. Hay fever
  3. asthma
  4. allergies
  5. Fatty liver disease
  6. Obesity
  7. Heart disease
  8. Brain fog, or dementia
  9. Fatigue
  10. Gout

Causes:

There are a range of factors that cause inflammation overload such as:

  1. Sugar
  2. Heavy metal toxicity
  3. Chronic stress
  4. GI tract issues
  5. Poor dietary choices
  6. Damaged fats
  7. Pathogens (bacteria, yeast, viruses etc)
  8. Extreme exercise
  9. Lack of sleep
  10. Aging

Chronic Inflammation doesn’t happen to your body overnight – nor does reversing it especially if you’ve had it for a long time. And inflammatory health issues such as autoimmune conditions will take some time to resolve. But, if you set your mind to it, the effects of lowering inflammation may be experienced in a matter of weeks!

Ways to lower inflammation:

1) Feed your gut microbes

There is mounting evidence that having a healthy microbiome (diverse gut microbes) has a big impact on lowering inflammation. Many kinds of beneficial microbes help with this including: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Bacteroidetes. One advantage of having lots of Bacteroidetes in your GI tract is that they readily convert the fibre in the food we eat into short-chain fatty acids – which have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect throughout the body.

The best way to boost your good bacteria levels, including Bacteroidetes, is to eat an abundance of fibre rich plant based foods, making sure that you focus on lots of different colored vegetables. This, in turn, will ensure you feed your microbiome and help keep inflammation at bay.

2) Olive oil

Make sure you include healthy fats into your diet – especially olive oil. It’s rich in monounsaturated fats and is an absolute staple of the classic Mediterranean diet.

In one study, the effect of an antioxidant, oleocanthal, found in olive oil, has been compared to anti-inflammatory drugs. Another study published in 2014 in National Institute of Medicine found that 50ml of olive oil per day for 12 months significantly decreased inflammatory markers.

Keep in mind that extra virgin olive oil (sold in a dark glass bottle) has greater anti-inflammatory effects than refined olive oils do.

3) Spices

Spice that lower inflammation

Turmeric – An age old favorite in traditional Ayurveda. Used as a healing agent for a variety of inflammatory related conditions: GI tract issues, aches and pains, arthritis and liver disorders. Modern studies confirm its anti-inflammatory compounds.

Ginger – The ‘garlic of the East’ has many anti-inflammatory benefits. Not only is it delicious, but it’s easy to add into dishes such as stir fries or stews, or taken as tea.

Garlic – A popular spice with a strong taste/smell. Traditionally used for thousands of years to help alleviate infections, arthritis, coughs and more. The benefits come from its sulfur rich compounds: allicin, diallyl disulfide and S-allylcysteine all of which have strong anti-inflammatory properties.

4) Vitamin D

The ‘sunshine vitamin’ is known to help boost immunity and enhance bone health. But studies have shown that it plays a key role in modulating your body’s inflammatory response too.

There is mounting proof that increasing vitamin D status reduces risk of autoimmune diseases and other inflammatory disorders. A recent study found that adults who took 2000 IU’s vitamin D3 daily for 5 years reduced risk of autoimmune disorders by 22% compared to the placebo.

It’s easy to meet your vitamin D requirements. If considering supplementation, it may be wise to get your vitamin D levels checked with a practitioner first. But it’s generally safe to take between 1000 – 3000 IU’s daily. Note: vitamin K2 is required when taking a vitamin D3 supplement to ensure calcium is absorbed and not misplaced.

5) Omega 3’s

Omega 3 fats are great for lowering inflammation. Whether you opt for plant based varieties (flax seeds, walnuts, hemps seeds etc) or eat oily fish like mackerel or sardines, it’s vital to get omega 3’s on a regular basis.

Supplements include: plant based algae Oil oil, krill or fish oil.