What Inflammation Really Does To Your Body, According To Doctors

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You're feeling a little…off. Your body is achy, your brain feels foggy, you're getting rashes, and your digestive system is making more noise than your rowdy neighbors. Naturally, you start Googling. Before long, you've come up with a credible-sounding culprit—and it's a word more ominous than any of the symptoms you're experiencing.
The word? Inflammation. 34.6 percent of American adults have systemic inflammation, according to 2024 research out of the University of Florida. It can be pretty serious. Inflammation is what's behind many chronic illnesses and most modern autoimmune diseases like arthritis, Crohn's disease, and lupus.
And, unfortunately, the risks for autoimmune diseases are a lot higher for women. Four of every five people with an autoimmune disease are female, according to the National Institutes of Health, a complex puzzle researchers are still trying to solve.
Put lightly, having unchecked inflammation throughout your body isn't necessarily a good thing. But there's more to it than its buzzy, bad-guy reputation would have you believe. Ahead, experts explain what inflammation is, when it's nothing to worry about, and when you should call your doctor.
Meet the experts: Esther Sternberg, MD, is a physician, research director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, and author of Well at Work, Creating Wellbeing in Any Workspace. Shilpa Ravella, MD, is a gastroenterologist and author of A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet & Disease.
When Inflammation Isn't So Bad
Social media is full of advice on how to reduce inflammation, often accompanied by a pitch to buy a supplement or special tea. But sometimes, inflammation is actually on your side, a sign that your feisty white blood cells are working the way they're supposed to in order to fight off any threats.
When your deltoid gets red and sore after a flu shot, for example, that's your immune system charging in to attack the virus—which is an inflammatory response. And while it's doing battle, it's also learning to recognize the virus, so that you can easily fend it off when flu season rolls around. Pretty smart.
Without the inflammatory response, you wouldn't heal when you cut your finger while dicing onions, because it's your immune system that wards off infection and promotes scabbing. You wouldn't be getting strong and building muscle either. When you're working out correctly and not injuring yourself, you create small tears in your muscles that the inflammatory response helps repair and then strengthen.
That's not to say it feels good. These forms of inflammation, known as acute inflammation, often bring side effects like redness, swelling, heat, pain, and even temporary loss of function of the body part affected. Luckily, for the discomforts acute inflammation brings, simple over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen are usually all you need. Just be careful about not overdoing it, and try to hold off using them post-workout so the inflammation can have its positive effects.
When Inflammation Goes Wrong
Inflammation is like the helpful friend who will always rush first to your defense when you're in need—and mutiny if you push her too far. When your alert system malfunctions and inflammation hangs around too long, it becomes chronic, attacking what should be healthy areas instead of repairing damaged ones.
'Inflammation is not always helpful, or even harmless,' says Shilpa Ravella, MD, a gastroenterologist and author of A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet & Disease. 'It can rage against the body's own tissues, disrupting essential functions and leading to injury.'
We know that untempered inflammation plays an important role in many chronic conditions, including heart disease, cancer, obesity, and diabetes. It also factors into rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, among other health issues.
And while factors like genetics and environment play a major role in who develops inflammatory diseases, even lower-level chronic inflammation can undermine your overall well-being and make you more vulnerable to disease.
A healthy system is alert to threats and fends them off as needed. One that's fighting all the time will feel like, well, it's fighting all the time, leading to issues like fatigue, joint pain, skin problems, or a rebellious stomach. But there are actions we can take to reduce risks and mitigate symptoms. 'Chronic, low-level inflammation is fueled in large part by dietary, lifestyle, and other environmental factors,' Dr. Ravella explains.
How To Tell If Inflammation Is Something Serious
A good rule of thumb is that if you know why you're experiencing an inflammatory reaction—like swelling around a cut—and can tolerate it, you likely don't have to worry. However, 'To err on the side of caution,' says Dr. Ravella, 'I always tell folks to visit the doctor if they have any concerning or out-of-the-ordinary symptoms that persist.'
Talk to your medical team about what's been going on and for how long, to see if there's a more serious issue to be addressed. You'll also then be able to rule out other issues like anemia or hormonal changes, which might be the result of similar symptoms.
Worried about chronic inflammation? Start here.
Even with the odds stacked against women, there are simple steps we can take that make a big difference.
Get Smarter About Your Stress
Your immune system is responsible for setting off inflammatory reactions, and one of its biggest enemies is also one of the toughest to manage—stress. Chronic stress impacts the immune cells in the brain, according to a 2025 study in Biology.
But that's not all: Chronic stress 'can make your chromosomes look 10 to 17 years older than your biological age," says Esther Sternberg, MD, a physician, research director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, and author of Well at Work, Creating Wellbeing in Any Workspace. This accelerated chromosomal aging means that your body doesn't repair itself as well as it should, making you more vulnerable to diseases like cancer and making your body feel older than the number on your driver's license.
Before you freak out that your doomscrolling and deadlines are messing with your immune system and adding a decade or more to your body, remember that you can't—and wouldn't want to—eliminate stress from your life entirely. A dose of stress is what keeps you on your toes when you need to perform a task, and keeps you aware of your surroundings when you're walking home late at night. You just shouldn't be living your life 24/7 like you're trying to land a plane.
Fortunately, all the things that you already do—or try to do—to keep yourself healthy will also help lower stress and, in turn, maintain your immune system and keep inflammation at bay. Think: good nutrition, rest, regular physical activity, and stress management exercises like meditation, mindfulness, or therapy. Best of all, these things all work really well together, like an Avengers team for your body.
Catch Enough Zzzz's
It's boring but it's true: 'Sleeping is really important for good health,' says Dr. Sternberg. During sleep, your body is working hard to repair itself, and your brain is washing out waste, setting you up for success when you wake up. Sleep actually controls the production of cells that are the drivers of inflammation, according to a 2022 study in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Getting enough sleep means that less of these cells are floating around.
So skip the caffeine later in the day, limit screen time before bed, or at least get some blue light filtering, and stick as closely to a regular bedtime as you can.
Feed Your Anti-Inflammation Defenses
There are countless reasons to ditch processed and fast foods, limit alcohol consumption, and eat a colorful, whole foods-based diet, and most of them will lead you straight back to reducing inflammation. The right foods can help maximize your heart health, lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, calm your stomach issues, and more.
A great place to start is by introducing more fiber into your day. 'One statistic that is troubling is that 95 percent of Americans have a fiber deficiency,' says Dr. Ravella, 'Fiber is one of our most anti-inflammatory nutrients, and we want to go even beyond the recommended daily allowances (about 28 - 38 grams for adults) to prevent and to manage inflammation.' Fiber can affect every part of the immune system, whether directly or through the gut microbiome, she says.
Want even more info on how to fight inflammation through your diet? Check out the Women's Health+ Anti-Inflammatory Diet Guide.
Sweat It Out
Among the many benefits of exercise, it can help lower the bad kind of inflammation while it promotes the good kind with muscle repair. 'We have many clinical trials across age groups that point to the ability of regular exercise to decrease chronic, low-level inflammation,' Dr. Ravella says. Its positive effect on inflammation isn't just because it can result in fat loss; exercise lowers the number of inflammatory proteins released in the body, she explains. It might even impact your gut microbiome, which plays a role in reducing inflammation.
'When it comes to exercise and inflammation, it's not primarily about the numbers on the scale, it's about realizing that exercise can affect hidden inflammation in the body regardless of body type or weight loss,' Dr. Ravella says.
Consistency, as always, is key, so lean into the activities you enjoy. And if it's your thing, invite a buddy to the gym or on your morning run, to add an immunity shot of social connection to the package. Healthy relationships help build healthy immune systems, boosting your mental health and helping minimize your risk of inflammation-related conditions like Alzheimer's and heart disease.
But Don't Sweat It
Go easy on yourself when making lifestyle changes. "One of the problems with people trying to help themselves and reduce stress is if they can't, then they feel they're a bad person, they're guilty, or they failed," says Dr. Sternberg. "That's even more stressful." If you're feeling overwhelmed, start by targeting one thing, preferably the issue you struggle the most with, whether it's getting enough sleep or finding a workout that works.
Allow yourself space for trial and error, and don't get discouraged. Building healthy habits takes time and some effort, but you've got this. After all, you've already got a whole army inside of you, and when you treat it right, it's fighting on your side.
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