When you hear “inflammation,” you may think of swelling after a sprained ankle, an itchy welt that appears after a mosquito bite or a sore throat that comes on with the flu. Those are all

signs that your immune system is stepping up briefly to help heal the body or remove an invader.  But while acute inflammation usually fades when the injury or threat is over, in other

cases, the body's immune system is triggered into producing an unending stream of chemical signals that promote long-term inflammation. When this happens, the process that normally

defends and repairs the body can harm it. That kind of chronic inflammation “can negatively affect a host of different systems in the body,” says Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, an American Cancer

explains Filip Swirski, a cardiovascular immunology researcher and director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Mount Sinai in New York.  “What they have in common is inflammation.”

  SMART GUIDES FOR YOUR HEALTH Want to make sure you’re doing whatever you can to tamp down this kind of chronic inflammation and lower your risk of some of the most common age-related

diseases? A lot of the work comes down to what you eat and how you spend your time. Here are some suggestions on what to do. Getty Images UNDERSTAND THE BASICS 1. RISK RISES WITH AGE Chronic

inflammation tends to increase in older adulthood; one study, for example, found that older age was associated with a host of inflammatory markers. The phenomenon even has a name:

“inflammaging.” As we age, the immune system undergoes complex changes that tend to promote inflammation, Swirski says. Lifestyle may also change as we get older — we may get less exercise,

eat a less varied diet or lose our social connections — all things that promote inflammation even as we are more vulnerable to it.    2. THE MICROBIOME PLAYS A BIG ROLE In your digestive

system are trillions of microorganisms known as the gut microbiome. “We know that microbes really help to shape the immune system, making sure it doesn’t over- or underreact,” says

gastroenterologist Shilpa Ravella, M.D., author of _A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet and Disease_.  There’s no one “ideal” microbiome. Every person’s is different and will

change over their lifespan and in response to factors such as diet or exposure to toxins. What we do know is that a diverse mix of microbes is better than a homogeneous one, Ravella says.

“Diversity of the gut microbiome has been tied to the increased production of compounds that support health and wellness, improved regulation of the immune system, resistance to harmful

germs, reduced risk of chronic diseases and increased resilience to environmental stressors,” she says. 3. CHRONIC INFLAMMATION CAN IMPAIR YOUR RESPONSE TO INFECTIONS One of the effects of

ongoing inflammation is that it may make it harder for your immune system to respond appropriately to an infectious invader, such as the influenza virus. The immune response may be sluggish,

or it may overreact with too much inflammation. “It’s almost like there’s static in your body,” Ravella says. That impaired immune response may help explain why older adults and people with

obesity — both of whom tend to have more systemic inflammation — are at a higher risk of serious complications from infections including COVID-19 and the flu. 4. YOU MAY NOT KNOW IF YOU

HAVE IT Signs of acute inflammation tend to be pretty obvious — redness, swelling, heat, pain. With chronic inflammation, you might experience more subtle or less specific signs, such as

fatigue or gastrointestinal issues, or there may be none at all. In some cases, as with gauging heart disease risk or diagnosing a chronic inflammatory disease like rheumatoid arthritis,

your health care provider may order a test for c-reactive protein, or CRP, one indicator of inflammation. But the test has limits, Ravella says. For example, it can’t distinguish between

acute inflammation and chronic inflammation.  5. INFLAMMATION IS JUST ONE PIECE OF THE HEALTH PUZZLE While chronic inflammation is associated with a host of ailments, the relationship can go

both ways, with disease leading to inflammation and in some cases, inflammation leading to disease, Ravella says. There’s more evidence of inflammation as an actual cause of disease for

some conditions, such as heart disease and cancer, than for others, she says. In heart disease, for example, when cholesterol and fat build up in blood vessels, the immune system recognizes

them as dangerous and sends cells to eliminate them. The inflammation that results can help turn those particles into plaque that can eventually break off and move into the bloodstream,

potentially causing a blockage that sparks a heart attack or stroke. “Initially the immune cells come to solve the problem, but then they become part of the problem,” Swirski says.  Getty

Images EAT SMART 6. EAT MEDITERRANEAN “Diet is very important for inflammation,” Edward Giovannucci, D.Sc., M.D., professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of

Public Health, wrote in an email. Certain foods, including fatty fish, whole fruits, leafy green and orange vegetables, nuts and healthy oils such as olive oil, contain specific compounds

that fight inflammation, he says. Eating those foods also leaves less room for foods that promote inflammation. One example of a diet promoting those foods is the Mediterranean diet, which

has been associated with lower levels of inflammation. 7. OR OKINAWAN The Mediterranean diet has been the most heavily studied, but other traditional eating patterns share many of the same

characteristics, Ravella says. The Okinawan diet, originating in Japan, includes plenty of root vegetables and emphasizes plants, incorporating meat more sparingly. Traditional Hawaiian,

African and South Asian diets also reflect these principles, she says. When in doubt, “pick the stuff that’s in nature,” says David Furman, an associate professor at the Buck Institute for

Research on Aging in Novato, California.  8. LOAD UP ON FIBER People who consume a lot of fiber have a lower risk of a host of disorders and diseases. One reason seems to be fiber’s positive

effects on the immune system. Soluble fiber, in particular, is broken down by gut bacteria into short-chain fatty acids, which can travel throughout the body to calm inflammation. 

Unfortunately, “we as a nation have a significant fiber deficiency,” Ravella says. The U.S. government recommends between 21 and 38 grams daily for adults, depending on gender and age, but

most of us are not meeting that goal — and it may not be high enough.  Ravella says a more ambitious target is 50 grams of fiber per day. (Our ancient ancestors probably ate double that, she

says.) Soluble fiber is found in foods including oats, peas, berries, apples, beans and lentils. Ravella says you should aim to get your fiber from food rather than supplements, though your

doctor may recommend a supplement to address a specific problem. Helpful hint: if you’re looking to up your fiber intake, “take it slow” to avoid gas or other gut issues, Ravella says.  9.

EXPLORE FERMENTED FOODS One way to help increase the variety of microorganisms in your gut is to eat more fermented foods. One review of existing research published in 2023 found that eating

fermented dairy products such as yogurt and kefir reduced some (but not all) markers of inflammation, including CRP. Some great options: Go for yogurt and kefir containing active cultures

that are low on added sugars and additives. Sauerkraut and kimchi are good options if labeled as lacto-fermented, unpasteurized and kept in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

Want to try kombucha? Find one that’s as low in sugar as possible.