13 ways inflammation can affect you

 

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Stone Hearth News

 

   

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You’ve heard of anti-inflammatory medications and anti-inflammatory diets, but do you really know what inflammation is? In short, it’s the body’s response to outside threats like stress, infection, or toxic chemicals. When the immune system senses one of these dangers, it responds by activating proteins meant to protect cells and tissues.
“In a healthy situation, inflammation serves as a good friend to our body,” says Mansour Mohamadzadeh, PhD, director of the Center for Inflammation and Mucosal Immunology at the University of Florida.
“But if immune cells start to overreact, that inflammation can be totally directed against us.” This type of harmful, chronic inflammation can have a number of causes, including a virus or bacteria, an autoimmune disorder, sugary and fatty foods, or the way you handle stress. Here are a few ways it can affect your health, both short-term and long.
It fights infection
Inflammation is most visible (and most beneficial) when it’s helping to repair a wound or fight off an illness: “You’ve noticed your body’s inflammatory response if you’ve ever had a fever or a sore throat with swollen glands,” says Timothy Denning, PhD, associate professor and immunology researcher at Georgia State University, or an infected cut that’s become red and warm to the touch.
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