4 min readAS MOST ANYONE on TikTok will tell you, unchecked inflammation can be very, very bad for you. Chronic inflammation can lead to all manner of health problems, from tissue damage to cardiovascular disorders. While this is true, there’s one part that often gets left out of the conversation: not all inflammation is bad.
“We’re all so triggered by the word ‘inflammation’ now,” says Joshua T. Goldman, MD, family medicine and sports medicine physician at UCLA. “I see a lot of buzz around inflammation, but if you turned [inflammation] all off, we’d be a mess. We’d never fix any damaged structure.”
Case in point: We need acute inflammation to build muscle. “Without inflammation, exercise-induced muscle overload would not lead to increased muscle size, strength, and function,” Brian Andonian, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, tells MH.
Here, experts explain why inflammation is vital to our health—and whether anti-inflammatory products make it harder to build muscle.
The Difference Between Acute and Chronic Inflammation
MANY FACTORS INFLUENCE inflammation in your body, explains Tamiko Katsumoto, MD, clinical associate professor in the division of immunology and rheumatology at Stanford University. “It’s a combination of lifestyle, diet, and stress. Environmental exposures are also important to bring into the equation, as toxins and contaminants end up driving a lot of inflammation.”
There’s two types of inflammation: acute and chronic.
Acute inflammation is the state of short-lived immune activation. When the body is hit with short-term stress, damage, or infection, white blood cells are deployed. Dr. Andonian says coordination of this immune response with acute inflammation is vital to proper body function. “Acute inflammation is the key to fight off infections, heal from injury, and prevent damaged cells from becoming cancerous.”
The problem is when the inflammation doesn’t go away. “Acute inflammation becomes chronic inflammation when immune activation fails to resolve,” explains Dr. Andonian. “Chronic inflammation is a state of immune dysfunction, where white blood cells and immune pathways are unable to turn off.” As a result, chronic inflammation impairs your ability to heal from infection, damage, or stress—all of which increases the risk of developing chronic diseases.
How Strength Training Induces Acute, Not Chronic Inflammation
BUILDING YOUR MUSCLES does require activation of your immune system. “During an acute bout of resistance exercise, muscles undergo microinjuries. Healing from micro-injuries caused by resistance training requires acute inflammation and a coordinated immune response,” Dr. Andonian says. “After an exercise bout, a wave of immune cells enters the muscles to clear out damaged cells and debris. Over the following hours and days, our immune system signals a switch from acute inflammation to resolution, which stimulates muscle repair and growth.”
Inflammation is a non-negotiable when it comes to building muscles. Though it can be a game of balance. If you have too much inflammation (which can happen if you overtrain) or too little inflammation (which can occur if you’re constantly turning to anti-inflammatory therapies) you might not reach your fitness goals. “Both too much and too little can impact the repair process and blunt gains in fitness and muscle health,” Dr. Andonian says.
Does That Mean You Should Stop Eating Anti-Inflammatory Foods?
NOT NECESSARILY. MOST anti-inflammatory foods are what’s usually recommended to make big gains in the gym.
“An anti-inflammatory diet is a high-quality diet that prioritizes complex carbohydrates, healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids, lean protein, and a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, says Lauren Roper, MS, RD, outpatient clinical dietitian at Hospital for Special Surgery. “Regardless of inflammation status, anyone can benefit from a high-quality diet such as this one.
In other words, she says following an anti-inflammatory diet is not going to inhibit the acute inflammatory response required to repair and build muscle after exercise. Plus, most pro-inflammatory foods are the ones you would normally try to stay away from if you’re trying to get fit. These are your saturated and trans fats, refined carbohydrates, and alcohol.
Okay, but what about other anti-inflammatory practices?
The short answer: Don’t obsess over them. Dr. Andonian advises using your best judgment when deciding on using NSAIDs like ibuprofen and ice baths after a workout.
The rules of thumb depend on how often—and to what extent—you’re working out. For example, anti-inflammatory activities such as cold water immersion may be a better option for professional athletes who are constantly performing high-intensity movements than people who are less likely to overtrain and cause injury.
“For those looking for quick recovery to maintain peak performance—such as an athlete with another competition the next day—post-exercise anti-inflammatory can be beneficial,” Dr. Andonian explains. “On the other hand, those focused on training and maximizing health benefit should likely avoid post-exercise anti-inflammatory therapy, except perhaps in the case of overtraining.”
The bottom line, experts say, is that the anti-inflammation craze is just that. Despite what influencers are selling on TikTok, there’s no need to invest in expensive over-the-counter products or jump in an ice bath after every trip to the gym. Instead, stay focused on training at a steady pace and eating a diet of fresh, whole foods.
Maggie is a freelance writer and editor based in New York who covers health and wellness. Her work has appeared in Everyday Health, Outside, Well+Good, BBC, Verywell Health, SELF, Health, Vice, CNN, Observer, and elsewhere. She was a fellow of the Association of Health Care Journalists’ 2020 class on Women’s Health Journalism and 2021 class on Cancer Reporting.
