The claimEvidence B · meta-analysis
'Anti-inflammatory diet' = a one-size-fits-all list
The evidence
Stable anti-inflammatory signal comes from whole dietary patterns (Mediterranean / DASH), not 'avoid nightshades' lists.
The mechanism, in brief
Chronic low-grade inflammation is a small fire in the body that never quite goes out. Acute inflammation (the redness, heat, swelling and pain of a cut or an infection) is a protective response that lasts hours to days and switches off once the problem is dealt with. This small fire is low in intensity and stays on…
Sources (3)
- Furman, D., Campisi, J., Verdin, E., Carrera-Bastos, P., Targ, S., Franceschi, C., et al. (2019). Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span. Nature Medicine, 25(12), 1822-1832.
- Libby, P. (2017). Interleukin-1 beta as a target for atherosclerosis therapy: biological basis of CANTOS and beyond. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 70(18), 2278-2289.
- Ridker, P. M., Everett, B. M., Thuren, T., et al. (2017). Antiinflammatory therapy with canakinumab for atherosclerotic disease (CANTOS). New England Journal of Medicine, 377(12), 1119-1131. Canakinumab (anti-IL-1beta) reduced recurrent cardiovascular events (HR 0.85) without altering lipids; proved that inflammation directly causes atherosclerosis; established IL-6/IL-1beta pathway as therapeutic target.