Inflammation can be a superhero or a villain. When you have an injury or infection, inflammatory factors rush to the scene to help. This type of acute inflammation helps keep you alive. But chronic inflammation—the type that sticks around long-term when there is no need for it—is linked to chronic disease. Fortunately, there are things you can do to help minimize chronic inflammation (and they don’t include supplements, cleanses, or superfoods).
The Inflammatory Response. When you get a cut or scrape, your immune system calls for inflammatory cells to rush to the scene. These include white blood cells, which engulf and remove germs and dead tissue. White blood cells release chemicals called cytokines that modulate inflammation. Pro-inflammatory cytokines create swelling that helps trap germs and signal other immune defenses. Anti-inflammatory cytokines signal the immune system to calm down once the threat is gone.
