Is Chronic Inflammation Bad for You?

Acute inflammation is a normal occurrence in the body; however, major problems could arise when inflammation becomes ongoing. Chronic low-grade inflammation increases your risk of many chronic diseases and conditions including:

• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Mood disorders (i.e., anxiety and depression)
• Some Autoimmune diseases
• Some Neurodegenerative diseases (1, 2, 3, 5, 6).

Does Inflammation Cause Stress or Does Stress Cause Inflammation? 

According to extensive research, chronic inflammation increases the risk and/or exasperates feelings of stress; (7, 8). Inversely, stress can also contribute to inflammation (7, 8).  In other words, stress contributes to inflammation while inflammation is simultaneously promoting increased stress levels. It becomes a vicious cycle.  Both stress and chronic inflammation increase the risk of all the conditions mentioned above.

What are Some Calming Anti-inflammatory Foods You Can Eat?

The good news is, certain foods can promote calmness and help with inflammation.

Anti-inflammatory Calming Nutrients include:

• Omega-3
• Antioxidants
• Vitamin D
• B Vitamins (9)

You Can find a full list of anti-inflammatory foods here.

You should also be aware of foods that could increase stress and inflammation. Pro-inflammatory foods are:

• Ultra-processed foods, especially processed meats and sugary pastries
• Foods that are high in refined sugar and refined grains
• Fried foods

Are there Calming Anti-inflammatory Supplements You Can Take?

It is important to include anti-inflammatory foods in your regular diet. However, taking supplements along with eating a healthy diet can also be beneficial.  SwellNoMore is a great anti-inflammatory supplement option. Many of the ingredients in SwellNoMore have been shown to not only reduce inflammation but also have a calming effect as well.

Green tea, for example, contains EGCG and L-theanine. EGCH and L-theanine may have a calming effect without making you feel drowsy (10, 11, 12). In fact, according to research, green tea may even improve alertness (12).

Parsley and Dandelion roots are also found in SwellNoMore. Both Parsley and Dandelion roots are good sources of vitamin C. According to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, patients with generalized anxiety disorders had significantly lower levels of the antioxidants Vitamin C as well as several other antioxidant vitamins compared to healthy controls. After these patients were given supplements of these vitamins for 6 weeks, their anxiety and depression score significantly improved. (13).

Another study found that when people took vitamin C supplements before a stressful task, their cortisol (the stress hormone) levels returned to normal more quickly (13).

SwellNoMore also contains Magnesium. Deficiencies in Magnesium have been linked to increased stress levels as well (14).

Written By: Lacy Ngo M.S., RDN