Chronic inflammation and disease

Chronic inflammation in the body is associated with all kinds of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, and bowel diseases like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (1). Chronic inflammatory diseases contribute to more than half of deaths worldwide.

Inflammation is associated with diseases such as the following:

Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis
Cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure and heart disease
Gastrointestinal disorders like inflammatory bowel disease
Lung diseases like asthma
Mental illnesses like depression
Metabolic diseases like Type 2 diabetes
Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease
Some types of cancer, like colon cancer (2.)

Diet plays a key role in inflammation, Western dietary patterns, which are characterized by low consumption of fruits and vegetables and high consumption of ultra-processed high-calorie foods, are associated with increased levels of inflammation (3).

One of the most powerful tools to combat inflammation is diet. To reduce levels of inflammation, aim to consume mostly anti-inflammatory foods. If you're looking for an eating plan that closely follows anti-inflammatory eating, consider the Mediterranean diet, which is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, and healthy oils (4).

Turmeric has been used over the centuries for chronic inflammatory diseases, its constituent curcumin in turmeric has proven, strong anti-inflammatory properties that block the action of inflammatory molecules in the body. Studies show positive effects of curcumin on people suffering from conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, amongst others (5). Teamed with black pepper the bioavailability of curcumin is increased by 2,000 percent (6).