by Research from Ohio State University has found that up to 57 percent of Americans may be consuming a diet that promotes inflammation and increases the risk of diseases such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, depression and certain cancers.
“Chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system is overstimulated for an extended period of time – months or years,” said lead author Rachel Meadows of the Ohio State College of Public Health Newsweek.
“It can be caused by stress or unhealthy lifestyle habits such as diet or smoking. Chronic inflammation contributes to the development and progression of many chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and depression.”
Some foods can contribute to this process – pro-inflammatory – while others have been shown to weaken it – anti-inflammatory.
“All foods range from very anti-inflammatory to very pro-inflammatory,” Meadows said. “The balance of the overall diet is crucial. You can still enjoy desserts or other “unhealthy” foods and still eat an overall anti-inflammatory diet.”
Meadows and her team used data from 34,547 U.S. adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2018.
Those involved in the study self-reported their diet, and the scientists used that information to quantify its influence on inflammation using a diet-related inflammatory index developed a decade ago.
Each person’s diet was rated on this index, from eight to minus nine, with zero representing a neutral diet.
The scientists found that one in six participants consumed a pro-inflammatory diet, a third consumed an anti-inflammatory diet, and the remaining 9 percent had neutral dietary inflammation levels.
“Pro-inflammatory diets were most commonly reported among men, younger adults, non-Hispanic black adults, and those with less education or income,” Meadows said.
“The key driving factors are, firstly, health education about nutrition and secondly, the ability to access and consume healthy foods – such as food deserts.” [an area where healthy food is difficult to access]Affordability of healthier food, time to prepare healthy food depending on work type or schedule, and other responsibilities and resources.
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Foods that are high in sugar, highly processed, contain alcohol, and contain refined oils like margarine are generally considered by nutrition experts to be pro-inflammatory, increasing the risk of inflammatory diseases.
On the other hand, fresh fruits and vegetables, fatty fish such as salmon, extra virgin olive oil, spices, dark chocolate and green tea are associated with anti-inflammatory effects.
Meadows told Newsweek some simple ways people can adjust their diet to reduce inflammation.
“You can start small by adding some anti-inflammatory spices like garlic, onions, ginger when cooking, drinking green or black tea, or switching to whole wheat bread,” she said.
“Eating leafy greens like spinach, fruits, especially berries, and beans and lentils are tasty ways to make your diet more anti-inflammatory.”
In a statement, Meadows added that a number of lifestyle factors can increase inflammation in the body – such as stress and lack of sleep – but that diet can be used as a tool to restore balance.
This study was published in the journal Public Health Nutrition.
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reference
Meadows RJ, Paskett ED, Bower JK, Kaye GL, Lemeshow S, Harris RE (2024). Sociodemographic differences in dietary inflammatory index from the 2005–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: a comparison of multiple imputation with complete case analysis, Public Health Nutrition 27(1) e184. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980024001800
