Chronic Inflammation
Inflammation is the immune system's normal response to injury or infection, and it is meant to wind down once the threat is cleared. Chronic inflammation is what happens when that response does not switch off: low-grade inflammatory signaling continues for months or years, and immune activity that would normally be protective can begin to act on healthy tissue. It is a biological process rather than a diagnosis on its own, and clinicians associate persistent low-grade inflammation with conditions including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disease. Its signs are often quiet and non-specific, and may include joint pain and swelling, persistent fatigue, brain fog, digestive trouble, and recurring skin problems. Because those signs overlap with many other conditions, only a qualified healthcare provider can evaluate what is behind them.
How Medical Foods Can Help
Iaomai's medical foods for chronic inflammation are formulated for the dietary management of chronic inflammation and are intended for use under the ongoing supervision of a physician. They provide nutrients and plant-derived compounds that nutrition science has studied in connection with the body's inflammatory and oxidative-stress biology: turmeric curcumin and boswellia extract, omega-3 fatty acids, and micronutrients including magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D3. A medical food is a distinct FDA category, neither a drug nor a dietary supplement, so these formulas are meant to sit alongside your prescribed care rather than in place of it. Whether they belong in your plan is a decision for your physician, who can weigh them against your diagnosis, your bloodwork, and the medications you already take.
Botanicals Studied in Inflammatory Signaling
Turmeric curcumin and boswellia extract are plant-derived compounds that researchers have studied in connection with the body's own inflammatory signaling pathways.
Antioxidant Nutrients
Curcumin and related phytonutrients are studied for their antioxidant activity. Oxidative stress is one of the processes that accompanies persistent inflammation.
Cofactors in Cellular Energy Metabolism
Magnesium, zinc, and methylated B vitamins are cofactors the body uses in normal mitochondrial energy metabolism.
Common Symptoms
- Joint pain and swelling
- Persistent fatigue
- Brain fog and cognitive issues
- Digestive problems
- Skin conditions
What Causes Chronic Inflammation?
Chronic inflammation is generally associated with triggers that persist rather than with any single event. A diet high in processed food and refined carbohydrate, ongoing stress, insufficient sleep, and a sedentary pattern are each associated with sustained inflammatory signaling, as is exposure to environmental toxins such as tobacco smoke and air pollution. Excess adipose tissue is metabolically active in its own right and releases pro-inflammatory cytokines. Disruption of the gut microbiome can allow bacterial lipopolysaccharide to reach the bloodstream, where it activates the innate immune system, and chronic infection or autoimmune activity is associated with those same signaling pathways remaining active. Nutrition is part of the underlying biology in the sense that the body relies on nutrients for its ordinary immune and inflammatory physiology: micronutrients such as magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, and the B vitamins are involved as cofactors in normal immune and antioxidant processes, and omega-3 fatty acids are among the substrates the body uses to form the lipid mediators involved in the resolution phase of a normal inflammatory response. These describe the role such nutrients play in ordinary physiology; they are not a statement that any nutrient or food treats, prevents, or resolves chronic inflammation, and questions about nutritional status belong with a qualified healthcare provider.
“Dr. Hecker recommended a genetic test, which revealed a mutation in a gene. After a year on a supplement, my almost constant shin pain is nearly completely gone. I am back to running normally. Amazing knowledge of such a unique field of study.”
Individual experience. Results vary from person to person and are not typical or guaranteed. Testimonials describe one person's experience and are not evidence that any product will work for you. Iaomai Health products are medical foods for the dietary management of specific conditions, intended for use under the supervision of a physician.
Struggling with Chronic Inflammation?
Our healthcare professionals can help you decide whether a medical food fits the dietary management of your condition, as part of a care plan they supervise.
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Get answers to common questions about Chronic Inflammation and our medical food approach.
Related Conditions
Explore how medical nutrition supports other related conditions that may co-occur or share similar underlying mechanisms.