Chronic Inflammation & Anti-Inflammatory Diet: The Evidence Base

Chronic low-grade inflammation — termed 'inflammaging' by biogerontologist Claudio Franceschi — is now recognized as a central driver of nearly all age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. Unlike acute inflammation (a beneficial immune response to injury), inflammaging is persistent, systemic, and subclinical — measurable by elevated CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α but producing no acute symptoms until disease has taken hold.

The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) — a validated tool developed at the University of South Carolina — scores dietary patterns on their predicted inflammatory potential based on 45 food parameters. A 2021 systematic review in Ageing Research Reviews found that higher DII scores (more pro-inflammatory diets) were associated with 40% higher all-cause mortality, 46% higher cardiovascular mortality, and 26% higher cancer mortality across 18 prospective cohort studies.

“'Inflammaging' — chronic low-grade inflammation — is now recognized as the central driver of nearly all age-related diseases. Diet is its most powerful modifiable input.”

The most anti-inflammatory dietary components — those with the strongest evidence — include: omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA), fiber (via SCFA-mediated NF-κB suppression), polyphenols (quercetin, resveratrol, curcumin), and cruciferous vegetables (via sulforaphane-driven Nrf2 activation). The most pro-inflammatory components: trans fatty acids, refined sugar, refined grains, and excessive omega-6 fatty acids from processed seed oils.

A high-protein diet itself has complex inflammatory effects: while adequate protein supports immune function and reduces inflammaging risk factors (sarcopenia, obesity), excessive consumption of red and processed meat is independently pro-inflammatory. VITA's protein sources — Greek yogurt, eggs, fish, legumes, nuts, collagen — are the forms for which the inflammatory profile is neutral to strongly anti-inflammatory.