Weight Gain - Inflammation Connection

Weight Gain- Inflammation Connection

There is so much talk about calories consumed, weight gain, fat gain, wrong eating habits, lack of exercise. The list is endless. But have we ever wondered what exactly wrong eating does to our body.. and how it contributes to weight gain. It goes beyond extra calories consumed. It causes inflammation in the body.

Let’s look at one of the less or hardly discussed topics – Inflammation. Many of us associate inflammation only with injury – redness, swelling, warmth and/or pain. This is the body’s natural response to injury. Sometimes inflammation is obvious – like in an injury it causes redness, warmth and/or pain. Also in allergies, asthma, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. 

Silent Killer

Chronic inflammation can be silent. If you are overweight, you may not know it, but you are experiencing silent inflammation. As we gain weight, our bodies do not add more fat cells. The fat cells we already have become larger and are filled with more fat instead. They may leak as they are stretched more and more. Then immune cells called macrophages come in to clean up the mess. The macrophages release inflammatory chemicals in the fatty tissues as they are cleaning up. This inflammatory response may be the mechanism behind many of the negative effects of overweight on health.

Food Allergies

Obesity, inflammation, and food allergies are intimately related. Obesity and food allergies trigger inflammation. Your body counteracts this silent inflammation by producing anti-inflammatory chemicals. Some of these interfere with the function of the hormone leptin. Leptin is the satiety hormone, also known as the body’s ‘master weight control’ hormone. Inflammation makes it impossible for leptin to function properly. This is Leptin Resistance. In optimally healthy people, leptin is responsible for automatically maintaining weight at the right level.

When leptin is made ineffective by inflammation, the dysfunction is called leptin resistance. Leptin levels are usually high among those who are overweight. As you slim down, leptin resistance abates. 

Persistent Inflammation

So inflammation isn’t just linked to swollen joints — it plays a role in everything from digestive disorders and allergies to autoimmune diseases and abdominal fat. Excessive or persistent inflammation leads to tissue destruction, disease and weight gain. Its very presence can interfere with our fat loss goals. Reducing inflammation is an absolutely vital step in allowing the body to lose unwanted fat.

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