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What is Metabolic Syndrome How Diet Triggers Metabolic Syndrome How Inflammation Causes Disease How Inflammation Damages Your Brain How High Insulin Levels Lead to Metabolic Disorders Insulin's Role in Skeletal Muscle When Fat Cells Go Bad: Short Version When Fat Cells Go Bad: Long Version The Wonderful Shades of Fat Cells
How to Reduce Inflammation Part 1 How to Reduce Inflammation Part 2 Anti-inflammatory Super Foods Healthy Substitutes for Ultra-Processed Foods Elimination Diets 101 Astaxanthin Protects Brain and Reduces Pain
All About Protein How Much Protein Do You Need? Why You Need Protein Seniors Need More Protein Plant Proteins Protein Foods 101 All About Fat How to Add Fat to Your Diet Saturated Fats and Heart Health Fatty Acid Chart
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About Us
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Why Does Inflammation Cause Metabolic Diseases?

Why Does Inflammation Cause Disease?

Are you suffering from an inflammation related disease?

Do you have any of these symptoms:

★ Fatigue - inflammation affects mitochondria which create and recycle energy in the form of ATP.

★ Weight gain (specifically, excess fat gain) - inflammation can make it easier to store sugar as fat and harder to burn fat.

★ Balance problems - inflammation causes the body's immune system to attack nerve coatings. This disrupts nerve signals and can cause dizziness or balance issues.

(If you are dizzy you may also have benign paroxysmal positional vertigo which can be treated using at home exercises. Google it online.)

★ Muscle weakness - inflammation can attack your muscles (myositis). This can cause them to break down. (Muscle weakness can also be caused by cholesterol reducing medicine.)

★ Difficulty thinking or making decision; brain fog or mood changes - inflammation influences the brain.

★Osteoporosis - diseases that lead to inflammatory bone loss include rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, cystic fibrosis, gum disease (periodontitis), psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and other inflammatory type diseases (such as metabolic disorders) (Straub et al. 2015).

★ Blood clots.

★ Problems sleeping.

★ Diarrhea, nausea, joint pain, fever, and skin rashes.

★ Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and/or insulin resistance.

★ Lower back pain, ankylosing spondylitis, or chronic inflammation that attacks the spine, hips, neck, knees, or chest.

Inflammation contributes to many diseases:

★ Metabolic diseases - type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dysfunctional blood lipid, excess abdominal fat

★ Autoimmune disorders

★ Mental illnesses - depression, anxiety

★ Some cancers

★ Neurodegenerative diseases

★ Cardiovascular and lung issues

★ Gastrointestinal disorders - Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel disorders

Inflammation can alter energy regulation; it diverts energy to an activated immune system. An activated immune system may require an extra 400-500 kJ (about 120 Calories) per day.

Acute inflammation may cause sickness type behavior; not eating, sleeping more, not moving around. these behaviors conserve energy. It may seem counterproductive to not eat when sick, but for our ancestors foraging took energy (discussion Straub et al. 2015).

Vladimir Orlovsky Harvesting c1882 oil on canvas.

Vladimir Orlovsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Over 50% of deaths are caused by inflammation-related diseases

Chronic inflammatory diseases are the most significant cause of death in the world today. Over 50% of all deaths are caused by inflammation-related diseases including heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), chronic kidney disease, asthma, Alzheimer's disease and many other autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders (GBD 2017).

Frederic Remington The Smoke Signal c1905 oil on canvas.

Frederic Remington, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Why do we have inflammation anyway?

Short answer: inflammation is a smoke signal the body sends out to recruit fighter cells to an area to protect against invasion and injury and builder cells to repair damage.

Inflammation is a complex biological response that helps coordinate the body's response to injury and infection. You need some inflammation. When inflammation is working correctly it first activates your innate immune system. The innate immune system is the body's first line of defense against invading pathogens. It rapidly detects invaders; such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and toxins; and senses if there is trauma or cellular damage.

The innate immune system quickly recruits more soldiers to its cause by spewing out cytokines and chemokines (these are small proteins involved in cell to cell communication and recruitment). Some of the most important inflammatory cytokines released during the early immune response are: tumour necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin 1 (IL-1) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). These cytokines initiate immune cell recruitment and create local inflammation. Other common inflammatory cytokines are interleukin (IL)-33, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL-10, and IL-8. For more on inflammatory cytokines see Kany et al. 2019.

Recruited immune cells, attracted by these inflammatory chemicals, rush to sites of infection and inflammation. The innate immune system includes phagocytes (macrophages and neutrophils), natural killer (NK) cells, mast cells, dendritic cells, basophils, eosinophils, and innate lymphoid cells. Innate immunity is a rapidly evolving field and new cells are constantly being discovered (Gasteiger et al. 2017). All of these cells can also release cytokines in response to injury or invasion.

Proinflammatory cytokines activate local immune cells such as macrophages. Neutrophils, monocytes and mast cells quickly infiltrate at the first stage of wound repair. Neutrophils help decontaminate wounds. They gradually disappear as the repair (remodeling) process continues. Macrophages influence the remodeling process and are some of the last cells left during repair. During the process, macrophages transform from being proinflammatory cell to a reparative (repair) cell. Macrophages generate growth factors to promote cell multiplication and protein synthesis (Koh et al. 2011).

Definitions

Cytokines are very small secreted proteins produced by most cells. They regulate and influence the immune response. Cytokines are also referred to as interleukins, chemokines, or growth factors.

Oxidative stress is an imbalance between free radical production and the body's ability to neutralize free radicals using antioxidants. Free radicals are oxygen containing molecules which really want another electron to complete them. They damage and destabilize DNA, proteins, fats, and other cell components by stealing an electron.

What causes chronic inflammation?

In chronic or whole body inflammation, the body produces inflammatory cells even when there are no pathogens or injuries present. Some causes of chronic inflammation:

1) Chronic whole body inflammation is associated with excessive oxidative stress and altered glucose and lipid metabolism.

Often whole body inflammation can be reduced or eliminated with diet changes. See our web page on anti-inflammatory diets.

2) Stress hormones cause inflammation.

Stress can cause chronic inflammation through the release of stress hormones including glucocorticoids (cortisol), catecholamines (including adrenaline, norepinephrine and dopamine), growth hormone, and prolactin. Continual exposure to psychosocial stress causes endocrine and immune system dysfunctions that causes or adds to chronic inflammation (Rohleder 2014). Psychosocial stress includes perceived threat to our social status, social esteem, self-worth, respect, and/or our acceptance within a group; or a threat that we think we have no control over.

Reducing stress through improving your mental health will also reduce overall inflammation. To treat inflammation caused by stress we need to practice stress reduction and change the brain pathways that lead to a stress/anxiety/depression feedback loop. Check out our page on brain boosters to see all the ways to change your brain's reaction to stress.

3) Chronic inflammation may arise suddenly on its own.

It can often be resolved with diet, exercise and nature therapy.

4) If acute inflammation keeps occurring it can lead to a state of chronic inflammation.

Chronic inflammation may arise if the acute inflammatory process is not able to resolve the problem. For example, when the acute response is unable to completely kill a virus invader and a small amount of viruses remains to taunt your immune cells.

Other chronic problems can be continually exposure to a toxin or an allergy. This often happens with people who do not know they are intolerant to gluten and keep eating wheat products. It is important to try to eliminate food allergens and suspected toxins. Likewise, if an injury or virus is continually causing inflammation, it needs to be treated.

5) Your immune system activates.

Sometimes the immune system goes into danger mode when there is no true threat. When this happens, the immune system attacks your own healthy cells and tissue. This is called an autoimmune reactions. The resulting inflammatory response causes chronic inflammation. Autoimmune responses can often be managed with diet, exercise and nature therapy. The key is to calm down your body's immune response so it quits over reacting.

6) Stress can initiate brain inflammation.

Stress can activate mast cells to release inflammatory mediators and prompt increased blood-brain barrier permeability as well as recruitment of immune and inflammatory cells into the brain and neuroinflammation. This can cause brain inflammation.

When mast cells activate because of brain injury, stress, and PTSD, it may accelerate the pathogenesis of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.

Théophile Emmanuel Duverger - Tired out 19th century french impressionist art, oil on panel.

Théophile Emmanuel Duverger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Lewis Hine, Newsies smoking at Skeeter's Branch, St. Louis, 1910.

Lewis Hine, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

7) Lifestyle choices can lead to chronic inflammation.

Do you smoke or vape? Do you drink alcohol? Do you eat a lot of added sugars and refined foods (and by refined we mean overly processed food not food that knows what fork to use at a fancy dinner)? All of these can lead to chronic inflammation.

8) Lack of sleep OR sleep apnea can lead to chronic inflammation.

Lack of sleep is associated with an increase in inflammation markers, such as interleukin-6,cytokines, and C-reactive protein (this is elevated in people at risk for diabetes and heart disease).  

There is a correlation between lack of sleep, excess body fat, and inflammation.

A 24 hour sleep deprivation study of lean, overweight and obese women and men (237 people) found that nonclassical monocytes were significantly increased in people who were obese. Nonclassical monocytes are cells that ramp up inflammation while policing blood vessels. This rise in monocytes was associated with reduced sleep quality and elevated amounts of proinflammatory cytokines.

However, lack of sleep independently contributed to inflammation as well. After getting insufficient sleep for 24-hours, nonclassical monocytes increased in a small subset of lean people (Al-Rashed et al. 2025).

9) Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation and poor sleep.

People who are overweight or obese had significantly lower quality of sleep and higher levels of chronic inflammation (Al-Rashed et al. 2025).

*Megan L. (39 year old woman):"I was about 150 pounds overweight with bad rheumatoid arthritis. Well, I've lost about 65 pounds over the last 18 months, and I feel a huge difference in my pain. Before the weight loss, I found myself pushing through the pain and ending up curled up in bed on most days. Now, I can walk further, stand more often, lift more weight before I run out of energy."

To read more about how obesity causes inflammation see When Fat Cells Go Bad.

*Names and some minor identifying details in all stories in this website are changed to protect people's privacy

I'm not your doctor so this is not medical information. I'm just a person who would like to see you happy and healthy. If you have any questions or concerns about starting an exercise regiment, diet program, or supplements please consult a professional.

References:

Al-Rashed F, Alsaeed H, Akhter N, Alabduljader H, Al-Mulla F, Ahmad R. Impact of sleep deprivation on monocyte subclasses and function. J Immunol. 2025 Mar 1;214(3):347-359. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkae016. Erratum in: J Immunol. 2025 Mar 1;214(3):573-574. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkaf044. Full article.

Furman D, Campisi J, Verdin E, Carrera-Bastos P, Targ S, Franceschi C, Ferrucci L, Gilroy DW, Fasano A, Miller GW, Miller AH, Mantovani A, Weyand CM, Barzilai N, Goronzy JJ, Rando TA, Effros RB, Lucia A, Kleinstreuer N, Slavich GM. Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span. Nat Med. 2019 Dec;25(12):1822-1832. doi: 10.1038/s41591-019-0675-0. Full articles.

Gasteiger G, D'Osualdo A, Schubert D, A, Weber A, Bruscia E, M, Hartl D: Cellular Innate Immunity: An Old Game with New Players. J Innate Immun 2017;9:111-125. doi: 10.1159/000453397 Full article.

GBD 2017 Causes of Death Collaborators. Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. 2018 Nov 10;392(10159):1736-1788. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32203-7. Epub 2018 Nov 8. Erratum in: Lancet. 2019 Jun 22;393(10190):e44. Erratum in: Lancet. 2018 Nov 17;392(10160):2170. Full article.

Kany S, Vollrath JT, Relja B. Cytokines in Inflammatory Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Nov 28;20(23):6008. doi: 10.3390/ijms20236008. Full article.

Koh TJ, DiPietro LA. Inflammation and wound healing: the role of the macrophage. Expert Rev Mol Med. 2011 Jul 11;13:e23. doi: 10.1017/S1462399411001943. Full article.

Rohleder N. Stimulation of systemic low-grade inflammation by psychosocial stress. Psychosom Med. 2014 Apr;76(3):181-9. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000049. Abstract.

Straub RH, Cutolo M, Buttgereit F, Pongratz G. Energy regulation and neuroendocrine-immune control in chronic inflammatory diseases. J Intern Med. 2010 Jun;267(6):543-60. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2010.02218.x. Full article.

Straub RH, Cutolo M, Pacifici R. Evolutionary medicine and bone loss in chronic inflammatory diseases--A theory of inflammation-related osteopenia. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2015 Oct;45(2):220-8. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2015.04.014. Full article.