good guts series - Inflammation: is your gut the key?

Inflammation is a bit of a buzzword in health-conscious circles - but inflammation, like everything, has its positives and negatives. So how do we know when inflammation is an issue, and what can we do about it when it is?

Inflammation is, in the short term, a positive thing, and part of our natural immune response. It kicks in to help us fight off an infection or repair damaged tissue (think of how red, painful, and ‘angry’ a wound can get, or how sore your throat is when you’re sick). It works by bringing extra blood to the area of injury, releasing certain chemicals to initiate an immune response, and triggers healing in the affected tissue.

However, when inflammation becomes both chronic and systemic, that’s when we have a problem. Lots of things can trigger chronic inflammation; persistent infections or autoimmune disorders, stress, toxins like alcohol and cigarette smoke, and – importantly – diet.

Chronic inflammation is implicated in triggering and exacerbating a diverse range of conditions. It can be causative of cardiovascular issues like heart disease, type two diabetes and insulin resistance, and even cancer - and can significantly exacerbate conditions such as arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, depression, autoimmune diseases, endometriosis and adenomyosis, and IBS.

So how do we break the cycle of chronic inflammation?

We start with the gut.

Our gut plays host to the largest part of our immune system – the GALT, or gut-associated lymphoid tissue. Our microbes are in constant communication with this tissue, training the immune system and influencing its function.

Our microbes, in turn, are influenced by the foods we eat: inflammatory diets high in processed foods and low in fibre affect their populations negatively, and influence them to produce inflammatory compounds, whereas diets high in anti-inflammatory foods and fibres influence them positively, and allow them to produce anti-inflammatory compounds.

So, when we’re looking to reduce chronic inflammation, we need our microbiome ship-shape and playing nicely with our immune system.

We can assess its function by microbiome testing, functional gut marker assessment, or assessments as simple as a diet-symptom diary to identify where we can start influencing the little guys to reduce your inflammatory burden.

Not sure where to start, or want to chat about how inflammation and gut health may be affecting you? Book a free 15 minute discovery call and see how we can help!