You don't have to look sick to be sick. There are all kinds of invisible illnesses—and inflammation, a helpful bodily process that can turn harmful when it persists even at low levels, is behind many of them, writes Dr. Shilpa Ravella, a gastroenterologist and author of the recent book A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet & Disease. Here's what Ravella reveals about inflammation in her piece for TIME:
It’s evolutionary. Hyperactive immune systems helped protect us from rampant dangers like infections in olden times. Though our environments have become safer, our immune systems are still "exceptionally sensitive to the triggers of this new world," she writes.
It's tied to aging. Many of the illnesses linked to inflammation—stroke, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's—are more common in older people. That's no coincidence. “‘Inflammaging’—the hidden inflammation of old age—is one of several essential factors that drive aging in humans,” Ravella writes.
Moving more will help. Regular exercise calms chronic inflammation, even if your workout doesn’t result in weight loss.
Inflammation is being unmasked. Blood and imaging tests are now being used to detect inflammation. “Unveiling this force—seeing what has long been unseen—is poised to make its mark on medicine,” she writes.
