Unnecessary weight can be a difficult struggle to overcome, and everyone has their own struggles with it. But weight loss isn’t just a problem when your clothes are too tight or you have a slow metabolism. In this article, we’ll expose what the general community doesn’t know about the unacknowledged link between chronic inflammation and weight loss.
Chronic inflammation from certain diseases and injuries can also cause weight gain, which is one of the factors that contribute to the worldwide obesity epidemic.
What is Inflammation?
Inflammation is the body’s way of trying to protect itself from infection, irritation, or damage. It helps your body heal by getting rid of things that can make you sick.
Acute inflammation (short-term inflammation) may last for days or weeks and generally goes away once its job is done. Chronic (long-term) inflammation may last for years and is not always helpful in healing because it doesn’t turn off as acute inflammation does. Some inflammatory conditions are not known to cause autoimmune diseases, but others can do so, which can result in damage to organs such as the liver, kidneys, lungs, brain, and skin.
What Causes Inflammation?
Chronic inflammation results from one or more of the following:
Some people are at greater risk of developing chronic inflammation than others. This is due to genetics, environment, medical conditions as well as medicines and supplements.
Inflammation is the body’s way of trying to protect itself from infection, irritation or damage. It helps your body heal by getting rid of things that can make you sick. Chronic inflammation is when an immune system response continues for long periods of time. It can put stress on your body’s organs and systems and may lead to disorders such as heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and autoimmune diseases in some cases.
Chronic inflammation may be caused by autoimmune diseases as well as a variety of other causes.
The Link Between Inflammation and Weight Loss
Inflammation exists in a number of pathways that contribute to obesity.
Chronic inflammation can be caused by obesity, endometriosis, and several other illnesses. If these ongoing inflammatory responses are eliminated from the body, many of these diseases may be avoided.
From the standpoint of obesity, inflammation is a direct result of the ability of fat cells to produce large amounts of leptin, which helps to regulate appetite and metabolism. These fat cells also secrete inflammatory mediators to cause an inflammatory response, reducing insulin sensitivity and further contributing to weight gain.
Research has shown that leptin resistance might play a part in weight loss. (1) Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells that signals to your brain how much fat is stored in your body. When leptin levels are low, the brain responds by telling you that you’re full; this drives people to eat more and gain weight. People experiencing leptin resistance don’t process leptin properly and so the hormone doesn’t reach their brains in sufficient amounts to tell them they’re full.
And if you want to get rid of that pesky fat too, you may be interested to know that inflammation has a direct link to why fat cells release so much leptin. The reason that some people are more predisposed to weight gain is because they have inflammation.
Virtually all obese people are inflamed, and the more overweight a person is the greater their inflammatory response. It’s well known that overweight people tend to have higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (cytokines are proteins produced by white blood cells that signal other immune cells to respond). (2)
Tips On Reducing Inflammation for Weight Loss
1) Stay Fit to Be Anti-Inflammatory
Exercise increases your circulation, which helps promote the lymphatic system to carry toxins away from your body and into the digestive tract. This stimulates a ‘re-feeding’ response in the body where intestinal juice and bile flow more freely to help digest food and absorb nutrients. The lymphatic system removes dead cells, bacteria, and toxins – which are inflammatory factors – from our bodies. Exercise also helps activate anti-inflammatory pathways like the PPARs (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors) that help reduce inflammation in the body, while increasing metabolism as well as hormone production, fat burning skills, and even against viruses!
2) Exercise Your Heart to Lower Cholesterol and Lower Inflammation
Exercise helps reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both of which are known to lead to inflammation. LDL (the bad) cholesterol can cause flushing and other skin reactions when it is deposited in the vessels of the body. Exercise is also known to increase HDL (the good) cholesterol levels in the body, which further reduces inflammation and helps with weight loss.
3) Eat Right
Inflammatory cytokines are also found in foods as well as in other parts of your body, such as your skin cells. Reducing these by consuming more anti-inflammatory foods is important for reducing skin inflammation and improving the look of your skin. The most wonderful thing about exercise and food is that you can choose which inflammation type your body has. The choice is up to you – be a pro-inflammatory/pro-arthritic or an anti-inflammatory/anti-arthritic individual.
It’s also important to avoid inflammatory foods, such as sugar, processed oils, soy products, and many others. These triggers cause a pro-inflammatory response in the body that includes water retention and bloating in some people; this can lead to weight gain and other problems for those afflicted with a sensitivity or allergy to these foods. As long as you take care of your diet the link between inflammation and weight loss won’t be as strong.
4) Precise Nutrition is the Best Way to Manage Inflammation
Inflammation is yet another indicator of how important proper nutrition is for you. Eating the right foods and staying in shape means not only that you’ll look great, but also that you’ll be healthier in many ways. There are a variety of herbs and over-the-counter medications designed to target different types of inflammation. Be sure to check with your doctor before trying these or any other type of anti-inflammatory therapies. One thing’s for sure, you can’t ignore those extra pounds forever!
5) Make Sleep a Priority
Getting enough quality sleep is important for reducing inflammation. Normally the body releases pro-inflammatory cytokines when you’re sleeping, but most people don’t get the proper amount of sleep to offset them. (3) That’s why it’s important to get into the habit of going to sleep earlier and getting up at the same time every day. Keep your bedtime and wake time consistently – even on weekends! It’s a good idea to also practice calming techniques like meditation or yoga before you go to bed as well.
If you want to practice yoga but do not know where to start, please check the articles below:
11 Poses in Yoga For High Blood Pressure
Yoga For Diabetes – 7 Poses to Change Your Life
Begin Yoga for Belly Fat Reduction
Summary
Inflammation is a natural process of the body, but when it becomes chronic, it can affect your health and lead to diseases and weight gain. Reducing inflammation in the body can help treat many conditions from obesity to heart disease.
The best way to reduce inflammation is to use natural treatments – such as diet and herbs instead of drugs. Some of the most profound herbs for reducing inflammation include turmeric, ginger, aloe vera, and cinnamon just to name a few! And by using these herbs you (or anyone you know) can reduce chronic inflammation with ease!
If you have a serious condition, please talk to your doctor before you take measurements.
Thank you for reading.
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