How Fat Causes Inflammation
Research has found that fat is not just a passive by-product of overeating; they have shown that body fat actually produces many inflammatory chemicals. This means that fat is not just a reservoir of excess calories waiting to someday be used as fuel when calorie intake runs low. It means that fat itself acts like an ‘organ of inflammation’, producing many of the chemicals responsible for creating a low-grade system-wide inflammatory state in the body. These chemicals include:
- IL-6 (Interleukin-6)
- IL-8 (Interleukin-8)
- IL-18 (Interleukin-18)
- TNF-α (Tumor necrosis factoralpha)
- CRP (C-reactive protein)
- Insulin
- Blood glucose
- Leptin
These markers of elevated inflammation are also one of the main reasons why obesity is associated with so many health conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, diabetes, arthritis and autoimmunity in addition to insulin resistance and obesity itself.
