If you’ve ever had a swollen ankle after an injury or fought off a cold, you’ve experienced inflammation.
It’s the body’s way of reacting to harm. But did you know that long-lasting inflammation inside your body can also harm your heart and brain?
Experts are learning more about how chronic inflammation—especially the kind that’s hidden deep in your body—can raise your risk for serious problems like heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure. The good news is that there are simple things you can do to help protect yourself.
Dr. Brittany Weber from UT Southwestern Medical Center explains that inflammation comes in two main types. The short-term kind, called acute inflammation, happens after an injury or infection.
It helps your body heal. But the kind that worries heart doctors is chronic, low-level inflammation that lasts a long time and silently damages the body.
This chronic inflammation can be caused by bad habits like smoking, poor diet, and not exercising. Over time, these habits damage your blood vessels. Fatty plaque builds up in the arteries, and this also causes more inflammation. If the plaque bursts, it can block blood flow and trigger a heart attack or stroke.
Researchers have found that signs of inflammation in the body can predict heart problems and even death, sometimes better than cholesterol levels. That’s why paying attention to inflammation is important for heart health.
So, what can you do to lower this kind of inflammation and protect your heart?
Start with your lifestyle. Eating healthy, moving your body, sleeping well, and managing stress all make a big difference.
For example, a Mediterranean-style diet—full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and healthy fats—can lower inflammation. So can other eating patterns like the DASH diet, vegetarian meals, and pescatarian diets, which include fish but no meat.
Getting enough sleep is also important. Adults should try to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Not sleeping enough raises levels of stress hormones in the body, which can increase inflammation.
Stress itself is another cause. When you’re stressed, your body produces hormones like cortisol that trigger inflammation. Relaxing activities like yoga, meditation, or even deep breathing can help lower these stress hormones.
It’s also smart to protect yourself from infections like the flu. Getting sick can cause a spike in inflammation that may lead to heart attacks or strokes. A recent study found that people are much more likely to have these problems in the month after catching the flu. So getting a flu shot could help protect your heart too.
One of the best things you can do is exercise. Being active helps reduce inflammation and lowers body fat, which is known to fuel chronic inflammation.
Aim for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise like brisk walking or 75 minutes of vigorous activity like running. Add muscle-strengthening exercises a couple of times a week too.
And finally, be careful with health fads. Many products claim to fight inflammation, but there’s little proof they work. Dr. Weber warns that pills and supplements can’t fix what unhealthy habits cause. True heart protection comes from taking care of your body through healthy living.
By making a few smart choices, you can lower inflammation and keep your heart healthier for years to come.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how drinking milk affects risks of heart disease, and herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about how espresso coffee affects your cholesterol level, and results showing Vitamin K2 could help reduce heart disease risk.
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