What Is Inflammation and How Can You Reduce It?

The chances are, you have heard about inflammation, but perhaps still don’t fully understand what it is, why it occurs and if it’s good or bad. So let’s dive in and clear that up. 

Inflammation is your body’s way of protecting itself when something goes wrong, whether that be an illness, infection or exposure to a harmful substance. Inflammation is the internal defense system that fends off and removes threats, while also initiating the healing process. 

Short term inflammation such as swelling after an injury or a fever when you get sick is protective and beneficial. This acute inflammation is essentially a signal that your body is dealing with the issue and everything is under control. 

But chronic inflammation, when it sticks around for long periods of time, is like a slow burning fire that can damage metabolism, cells, tissues and organs. This is the kind of inflammation that you need to avoid. Chronic inflammation can increase the risk of diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and even depression.

What Fuels the Fire?

Inflammation is closely linked to lifestyle factors such as diet, activity and sleep. These modifiable factors can both help and hinder the fire that burns inside. The list below fuels the fire and contributes to greater levels of damaging, chronic inflammation.

• Ultra-processed foods

• Sedentary behaviours

• Poor sleep

• Chronic stress

• Smoking and alcohol consumption 

Fire Extinguishers

The list below helps manage inflammatory responses and extinguish the fire.

• Anti-inflammatory diet: rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, oily fish, nuts, seeds, olive oil, herbs, and spices such as turmeric and ginger.
  

• Omega-3 fats (EPA/DHA): found in salmon, sardines and flaxseeds, that help to reduce inflammatory cytokines.
  

• Polyphenols: from berries, dark chocolate, green tea, red grapes and the B.fresh Recover juice strengthen and support antioxidant defenses.
  

• Exercise: moderate-intensity activity with adequate recovery reduces inflammation long-term.
  

• Sleep: restorative sleep lowers inflammatory biomarkers and supports recovery. The Sleep shot is proven to improve sleep.
  

• Stress reduction: simply walking outdoors in nature, and practices like mindfulness, yoga, and breathwork lower cortisol and inflammatory mediators.

Conclusion

The choices you make within your day to day life can either fuel the fire that burns inside, heightening the damage done to cells and overall health, or it can control and extinguish that fire. 

Simple, small changes to your lifestyle, repeated consistently over weeks, months and years can have a profound effect on your health. At B.fresh we have developed all of our products to support the management of inflammation and optimisation of health. 

-- Written by Expert Nutritionist Matt Jones