SNP41: Do Certain Foods Really Cause Inflammation – And Are Anti-Inflammatory Diets the Answer?

Inflammation has become a nutrition buzzword, often used in extreme or misleading ways. This episode aims to clarify what inflammation is, how it relates to diet and health, and whether specific foods truly provoke inflammatory responses in the body.

The episode provides a nuanced, evidence-based look at inflammation and diet. It explains the difference between acute and chronic inflammation, outlines the role of chronic low-grade inflammation in disease, and emphasizes that overall dietary patterns – rather than any single food – are what influence our inflammatory status.

Commonly demonized foods (such as sugar, wheat, and dairy) are scrutinized, and the conversation debunks myths about them being uniformly “inflammatory.” In this episode, Danny takes a look at what the scientific evidence actually shows about anti-inflammatory diets.

Note: This is a Premium-exclusive episode.

Timestamps

• 01:06 Understanding Inflammation: Basics and Biomarkers
• 04:02 Acute vs. Chronic Inflammation
• 14:21 Biomarkers of Inflammation
• 22:51 Dietary Patterns and Inflammation
• 34:53 Specific Foods and Nutrients Impacting Inflammation
• 47:01 Practical Takeaways for an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
• 51:30 Conclusion

Related Resources

• Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium
• Enroll in the next cohort of our Applied Nutrition Literacy course
• Related podcast episodes:
  • 329: Diet & Inflammation
  • 353: James Hébert, ScD – Dietary Inflammatory Index
• Sigma Statement: Nutrition & Immune Function
• The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) – Hébert et al., 2019