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(Aging Untold) — Most people associate inflammation with something visible — a sprained ankle or a swollen joint. But Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician, said that visible swelling is actually the healthy kind
Understanding the difference between helpful and harmful inflammation could be one of the most important steps you take for your long-term health
Short-term inflammation is actually your body doing its job
“Short-term inflammation is just your body’s natural defense system — that’s a good thing,” Rogers said. “You get sick, immune cells come in, they heal you, they protect you. … You turn it on, you do your job and you turn it off.”
Chronic inflammation is a different story. The inflammation you can’t see is the kind to worry about
“That’s like this alarm system that never turns off, and that’s where the problem comes in,” Rogers said. “Over time you start to damage tissues and then that’s what you see as linked to different diseases — cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, cognitive decline.”
Routine bloodwork can reveal inflammatory markers before outward symptoms appear
“The labs will show up and tell what’s going on with your body before the outward signs come in,” Rogers said
She also cautioned against accepting “normal” as good enough
“Normal and optimal are not the same,” Rogers said. “Normal is just a stat. They’re taking a stat of people in the area. A lot of time, it’s the 80-year-olds. That’s the norm. It’s a bell curve. But optimal is that lab level that makes you look good, feel good and function well.”
She used the analogy of making sure a car does not run out of gas
“I want to catch it when the red light comes on. I don’t want to keep driving and run out of gas,” Rogers said
Sam Cradduck, a gerontologist who lives with lupus, noted that chronic pain is often part of the picture
“There’s a chronic pain that comes with inflammation, and so people need to recognize that that’s part of what it is — and then how do you control it becomes the next question,” Cradduck said
Rogers said the foundations of reducing chronic inflammation come down to daily habits
Processed foods and seed oils contribute to systemic inflammation, she said
Poor sleep keeps inflammation elevated. And movement matters — “movement is key, so good movement, blood flow and all that,” Rogers said
She also addressed belly fat directly and said it is inflammatory as well
“Visceral fat is the fat that’s around your organs. That’s the bad fat and inflammation lives in fat cells, so you can’t get to it,” Rogers said
Rogers also pointed to a concept called “skinny fat” — people who appear lean but carry high visceral fat
“If you do a body composition, their visceral fat is high. They’re ‘skinny fat,’ so the danger is still there,” Rogers said
- Take proactive steps to help reduce inflammation
- Limit ultra-processed food
- Get good sleep
- Make movement and exercise a priority
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