What Causes Inflammation?

Why Understanding the Chemistry Is Important

Imagine that inflammation is a multi-car pileup on a highway. The first trained people to arrive on the scene, TNFa’s, look through the wreckage to find any immediate hazards, locate injured people, and open all lines of communication so the accident response is fast and strong. The next people to arrive are the firemen and EMTs, the neutrophils, which begin to pry open cars and move the injured into ambulances.

The most important work is done by the neutrophils, but the road is still cluttered with debris and broken glass, so once they finish IL-6 calls in the road cleanup crew, in the form of monocytes and macrophages. They dutifully scour the scene, removing every last bit of broken glass and shredded tire until the road is clear.

They know which objects are debris and which aren’t because CRP has gone through and tagged the debris, making the cleanup fast and efficient. Once the road is clear, IL-6 declares the road reopened and dismisses the road crew plus anyone else remaining at the scene of the accident. This is how acute inflammation works: it is a fast, efficient process which repairs and cleans damaged areas and then leaves.

How Chronic Inflammation Is Different From Acute Inflammation

The story is somewhat different with chronic inflammation. Imagine the same road, but no accident. The first responders were called to the scene but they can’t find any wreckage or injured people. Nonetheless, they dutifully open all lines of communication so that other responders may come. The firemen and EMTs never arrive because there is no damage, but IL-6 still calls in the road crew to clear away the nonexistent debris. CRP is also present, trying to locate debris to tag for cleanup.

Even though there is no accident, the road starts to function less well. At first, only one lane is shut down, but as first responders and the road crew grow more numerous, and the lines of communication remain always open, the road becomes progressively more clogged. Eventually, the road starts to be damaged by the very presence of the first responders and road crew!

Chronic inflammation has set in, and the best way to get rid of chronic inflammation is to give your body the tools to clear away the unnecessary first responders, road crew, and other excess responses. Without reducing levels of TNFa, NFkB, IL-6, and CRP, the road stays “dysregulated” and dysfunctional.

Many factors can cause a dysregulated immune response and lead to chronic inflammation. Some are genetic, and cannot be changed. More often, however, they are lifestyle factors, and completely changeable. Today, the biggest factor is weight–excess fat tissue leads to chronic inflammation.

Following weight, food is the next biggest factor, not just what we eat but what we should be eating. Smoking is a significant source of inflammation as well. After these factors, UV radiation, stress, and environmental toxins such as pesticides can be sources of inflammation as well.