Anti-inflammatory diets have been a hot topic in the news for the past few years, but people don’t often discuss “pro-inflammatory” diets. Pro-inflammatory foods may increase the risk of chronic conditions like cancer and heart disease.
A recent study suggests nearly 6 out of 10 Americans have pro-inflammatory diets based on a tool used to evaluate inflammation in the diet.
According to the study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, those more likely to eat more pro-inflammatory foods included men and individuals with lower incomes, and Black Americans.
Lead author Rachel Meadows, visiting faculty in The Ohio State University's College of Public Health stated, "Overall, 57% of U.S. adults have a pro-inflammatory diet and that number was higher for Black Americans, men, younger adults, and people with lower education and income,".
Researchers used a tool developed 10 years ago known as the dietary inflammatory index which includes 45 dietary factors to evaluate diet patterns of over 34,500 adults from the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The tool assigned inflammation values from -9 to 8 using self-reported diets. Zero was equivalent to a “neutral” diet. Nearly 34% of participants had anti-inflammatory diets and the other 9% had inflammatory levels in the neutral range.
Previous dietary measures reviewed the consumption of certain food groups like dairy, fruits, and vegetables or macronutrients like carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, which relate to national diet recommendations or certain dietary patterns such as keto or paleo.
"But inflammation is an important element to consider and the overall balance of diet is most important," Meadows noted.
"Even if you're eating enough fruits or vegetables if you're having too much alcohol or red meat, then your overall diet can still be pro-inflammatory."
Meadows notes she’s more interested in encouraging anti-inflammatory foods in peoples’ diets to improve health than labeling foods “bad”. She notes positive diet influences include using more garlic, ginger, turmeric, and black and green tea.
A less inflammatory diet could improve chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and other mental health conditions, according to Meadows.
Unprocessed foods like beans and lentils, green leafy vegetables, fatty fish, berries, and whole grains are also anti-inflammatory. Limited access to and the high cost of some of these foods can be a challenge for lower-income populations.
Non-dietary factors that may impact chronic inflammation include stress, poor sleep, and childhood trauma. Why not use diet to reduce it?
Below are diet and lifestyle tips to reduce inflammation:
· Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night. Poor sleep raises cortisol levels, which in turn rachet up inflammation. 2
· Eat. More. Whole Foods. Choose fruit over fruit snacks and vegetables over fried vegetable snacks. Buy both fresh and frozen produce and eat it regularly.
· Include fatty fish like salmon or mackerel in your diet at least twice/week for omega-3 fatty acids.
· Health is in your hands. Cook your own meals and limit fast food. Most of it is ultra-processed, which is considered pro-inflammatory.
· Reduce intake of treats high in added sugar and sodium like commercial pastries and traditional snacks such as chips.
· Swap out chips and other snacks for nuts. Nuts provide healthy fat, protein, and fiber versus fluff.
· Use chopped onions, garlic, peppers, greens, and other vegetables in soups, salads, grain dishes, and sides. These are inexpensive ways to add anti-inflammatory foods to your diet.
· Enjoy fresh or frozen berries, mango, or peaches in oatmeal, smoothies, or yogurt parfaits.
· Choose whole grains like rolled oats, brown rice, or whole-grain pasta over refined grains when possible.
· Do moderate-intensity exercise (such as brisk walking) to reduce inflammation and depression. 3
· Take time to reflect, relax, and regroup. Mental stress may also lead to chronic inflammation. 4
Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD
References:
Rachel J Meadows, Electra D Paskett, Julie K Bower, Gail L Kaye, Stanley Lemeshow, Randall E Harris. Socio-demographic differences in the dietary inflammatory index from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2018: a comparison of multiple imputation versus complete case analysis. Public Health Nutrition, 2024; 27 (1) DOI: 10.1017/S1368980024001800
Veler H. Sleep and Inflammation: Bidirectional Relationship. Sleep Med Clin. 2023 Jun;18(2):213-218. doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2023.02.003. Epub 2023 Mar 28. PMID: 37120163.
Paolucci EM, Loukov D, Bowdish DME, Heisz JJ. Exercise reduces depression and inflammation but intensity matters. Biol Psychol. 2018 Mar;133:79-84. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.01.015. Epub 2018 Feb 3. PMID: 29408464.
Rohleder N. Stress and inflammation - The need to address the gap in the transition between acute and chronic stress effects. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019 Jul;105:164-171. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.02.021. Epub 2019 Feb 20. PMID: 30826163.
Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD, is a registered dietitian and owner of Sound Bites Nutrition in Cincinnati. She shares her clinical, culinary, and community nutrition knowledge through cooking demos, teaching, and freelance writing. Lisa is a regular contributor to Food and Health Communications and Today’s Dietitian and is the author of the Healing Gout Cookbook, Complete Thyroid Cookbook, and Heart Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook. Her line of food pun merchandise, Lettuce beet hunger, supports those suffering food insecurity in Cincinnati. For more information,
Tame the flame with anti-inflammatory foods
Anti-inflammatory diets have been a hot topic in the news for the past few years, but people don’t often discuss “pro-inflammatory” diets. Pro-inflammatory foods may increase the risk of chronic conditions like cancer and heart disease.
A recent study suggests nearly 6 out of 10 Americans have pro-inflammatory diets based on a tool used to evaluate inflammation in the diet.
According to the study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, those more likely to eat more pro-inflammatory foods included men and individuals with lower incomes, and Black Americans.
Lead author Rachel Meadows, visiting faculty in The Ohio State University's College of Public Health stated, "Overall, 57% of U.S. adults have a pro-inflammatory diet and that number was higher for Black Americans, men, younger adults, and people with lower education and income,".
Researchers used a tool developed 10 years ago known as the dietary inflammatory index which includes 45 dietary factors to evaluate diet patterns of over 34,500 adults from the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The tool assigned inflammation values from -9 to 8 using self-reported diets. Zero was equivalent to a “neutral” diet. Nearly 34% of participants had anti-inflammatory diets and the other 9% had inflammatory levels in the neutral range.
Previous dietary measures reviewed the consumption of certain food groups like dairy, fruits, and vegetables or macronutrients like carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, which relate to national diet recommendations or certain dietary patterns such as keto or paleo.
"But inflammation is an important element to consider and the overall balance of diet is most important," Meadows noted.
"Even if you're eating enough fruits or vegetables if you're having too much alcohol or red meat, then your overall diet can still be pro-inflammatory."
Meadows notes she’s more interested in encouraging anti-inflammatory foods in peoples’ diets to improve health than labeling foods “bad”. She notes positive diet influences include using more garlic, ginger, turmeric, and black and green tea.
A less inflammatory diet could improve chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and other mental health conditions, according to Meadows.
Unprocessed foods like beans and lentils, green leafy vegetables, fatty fish, berries, and whole grains are also anti-inflammatory. Limited access to and the high cost of some of these foods can be a challenge for lower-income populations.
Non-dietary factors that may impact chronic inflammation include stress, poor sleep, and childhood trauma. Why not use diet to reduce it?
Below are diet and lifestyle tips to reduce inflammation:
· Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night. Poor sleep raises cortisol levels, which in turn rachet up inflammation. 2
· Eat. More. Whole Foods. Choose fruit over fruit snacks and vegetables over fried vegetable snacks. Buy both fresh and frozen produce and eat it regularly.
· Include fatty fish like salmon or mackerel in your diet at least twice/week for omega-3 fatty acids.
· Health is in your hands. Cook your own meals and limit fast food. Most of it is ultra-processed, which is considered pro-inflammatory.
· Reduce intake of treats high in added sugar and sodium like commercial pastries and traditional snacks such as chips.
· Swap out chips and other snacks for nuts. Nuts provide healthy fat, protein, and fiber versus fluff.
· Use chopped onions, garlic, peppers, greens, and other vegetables in soups, salads, grain dishes, and sides. These are inexpensive ways to add anti-inflammatory foods to your diet.
· Enjoy fresh or frozen berries, mango, or peaches in oatmeal, smoothies, or yogurt parfaits.
· Choose whole grains like rolled oats, brown rice, or whole-grain pasta over refined grains when possible.
· Do moderate-intensity exercise (such as brisk walking) to reduce inflammation and depression. 3
· Take time to reflect, relax, and regroup. Mental stress may also lead to chronic inflammation. 4
Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD
References:
Rachel J Meadows, Electra D Paskett, Julie K Bower, Gail L Kaye, Stanley Lemeshow, Randall E Harris. Socio-demographic differences in the dietary inflammatory index from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2018: a comparison of multiple imputation versus complete case analysis. Public Health Nutrition, 2024; 27 (1) DOI: 10.1017/S1368980024001800
Veler H. Sleep and Inflammation: Bidirectional Relationship. Sleep Med Clin. 2023 Jun;18(2):213-218. doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2023.02.003. Epub 2023 Mar 28. PMID: 37120163.
Paolucci EM, Loukov D, Bowdish DME, Heisz JJ. Exercise reduces depression and inflammation but intensity matters. Biol Psychol. 2018 Mar;133:79-84. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.01.015. Epub 2018 Feb 3. PMID: 29408464.
Rohleder N. Stress and inflammation - The need to address the gap in the transition between acute and chronic stress effects. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019 Jul;105:164-171. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.02.021. Epub 2019 Feb 20. PMID: 30826163.
Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD, is a registered dietitian and owner of Sound Bites Nutrition in Cincinnati. She shares her clinical, culinary, and community nutrition knowledge through cooking demos, teaching, and freelance writing. Lisa is a regular contributor to Food and Health Communications and Today’s Dietitian and is the author of the Healing Gout Cookbook, Complete Thyroid Cookbook, and Heart Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook. Her line of food pun merchandise, Lettuce beet hunger, supports those suffering food insecurity in Cincinnati. For more information,
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