Inflammation, Weight Gain, and Obesity: How They're Linked

It should be no surprise that inflammation in the body can lead to weight gain when inflammation is a low-level swelling in which the tissues hold on to extra water, which in itself can increase your weight.

Chronic inflammation can result from poor diet choices, exposure to environmental allergens and toxins, or a variety of chronic diseases. Inflammation is the body’s attempt to protect itself from injury and heal itself, but that effect sometimes causes problems when it persists over a long period of time, according to Garcia Weight Loss and Wellness Centers.

In short, when the body perceives a threat, it releases cytokines that cause inflammation and can also cause insulin resistance, which leads to weight gain and more cytokines. This cycle can eventually culminate in heart disease or stroke in many cases; it aso can lead to cancer.

Another way inflammation can lead to weight gain and even obesity is by preventing the body’s normal response to leptin, a hormone that signals fullness to the brain and makes you stop eating. A Science Direct study suggests inadequate leptin response is now the main reason people gain weight and eventually become obese.

A big factor in obesity, especially obesity that persists despite attempts to lose weight and healthier eating habits, is metabolic syndrome, which involves an inflammatory state and is now thought to be autoimmune in nature, according to studies.

The good news is that even small amounts of weight loss, as little as five pounds, may be enough to at least lessen inflammation, which has positive effects on the entire body, including reduced insulin, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Being able to disrupt the inflammatory cycle may also help reduce or prevent heart disease and stroke in the future if the weight loss, however slight, can be maintained, another Science Direct study suggested.

Not surprisingly, a pro-inflammatory diet — high in red meat, white flour, sugar, and processed foods — has been shown to lead to progressively more weight gain and obesity in studies, whereas an anti-inflammatory diet — low in red meat, processed foods, white flour, and sugar, but high in vegetables and fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and small amounts of lean meats — resulted  in weight loss and lower rates of obesity.

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