How your gut could be causing inflammation

A growing area of research suggests that an imbalance in gut bacteria could be causing inflammation. What does this mean for your health – and what can you do about it? 

In this article, we’ll look at the link between the gut microbiome and inflammation in the body, as well as the science behind it. We’ll also talk about what changes you can make to your diet to help reduce inflammation.

Inflammation itself is not a problem. It’s your body’s response to wounds and helps heal them.¹ Inflammation only becomes a problem when it gets out of control.¹ This is called ‘chronic inflammation’ and is the basis of many complex diseases and disorders, such as metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, along with autoimmune diseases and cancer.¹

Inflammation is a feature of old age, but it’s also associated with many autoimmune diseases as well as weight gain, insulin resistance, poor energy, sleep, libido, reduced brain function, and depression.¹

Inflammation is identified by inflammatory markers in the blood, including interleukin-6 (IL-6) tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP).

In the future, we may be able to address specific microbial imbalances with targeted 'friendly' bacteria medicines.² Some microbial species have been associated strongly with reducing gut inflammation, but more research is needed into this area to determine exactly how it helps.¹

Until then, we can try to mitigate chronic gut inflammation by improving our gut health with diet and lifestyle changes designed to boost the number and diversity of our gut microbes.

This means reducing stress, keeping active, and aiming for a balanced, diverse diet based on whole foods. There are plenty of foods that contain naturally occurring anti-inflammatories. But here are some other changes you can make to your diet to help balance your gut and reduce inflammation too:

Overall, it’s clear that there is a link between good gut health and inflammation. Scientific research has proven that bad bacteria can cause inflammation, but good bacteria can also help prevent it.¹

If you’re looking to reduce inflammation, try changes to your diet. There are plenty of naturally occurring anti-inflammatory foods, as well as anti-inflammatory supplements that can help. Try hot water with turmeric, honey and ginger instead of coffee in the morning, or introduce more fermented foods, like kimchi, to your diet.