When most people hear the word inflammation, they think of something obvious.
A swollen ankle.
A red rash.
A painful joint.
Something you can see. Something you can feel. But the type of inflammation I see most often in clinic isn’t loud.
It doesn’t shout. It whispers. It shows up as:
- Persistent fatigue
- Brain fog
- Slower recovery
- Weight that won’t shift
- Slightly elevated cholesterol
- Irritable digestion
- Mood that feels flatter than it used to
Nothing dramatic.
Just a sense that your body isn’t quite firing the way it once did.
This is what we call low-grade or silent inflammation.
And it’s far more common than people realise.
What Is Silent Inflammation, Really?
Inflammation itself is not the enemy. It’s protective. It’s how your immune system responds to infection, injury or threat.
Without inflammation, we wouldn’t heal.
The problem arises when inflammation becomes chronic, low-grade and unresolved.
Not high enough to create acute illness.
But persistent enough to slowly disrupt physiology.
On blood tests, this might show up as:
- High-normal CRP (C-reactive protein)
- Elevated ferritin without infection
- Slightly raised fasting glucose
- Mildly elevated triglycerides
- Borderline liver enzymes
Each marker alone may sit “in range.”
But together, they tell a story.
And over time, that story matters.
How Does It Start?
Silent inflammation doesn’t usually come from one single event.
It accumulates.
- Poor sleep
- Chronic stress
- Ultra-processed food
- Blood sugar instability
- Gut irritation
- Environmental exposures
- Excess visceral fat
- Overtraining
The modern lifestyle is incredibly inflammatory.
And the body adapts. It compensates. It manages.
Until it doesn’t.
Why It Matters
Chronic low-grade inflammation is associated with:
- Insulin resistance
- Cardiovascular disease
- Autoimmune conditions
- Thyroid dysfunction
- Cognitive decline
- Hormonal disruption
But here’s the important part. It doesn’t suddenly appear the day you receive a diagnosis.
It builds quietly over years.
Which means — and this is the hopeful part — it can also be addressed early.
The Signs I Look For
In clinic, I don’t just look at CRP in isolation. I look at patterns.
Is fasting insulin creeping up?
Is HDL dropping?
Is ferritin elevated but iron saturation low?
Are liver enzymes sitting at the high end of normal?
Is there central weight gain with fatigue?
Inflammation is more detailed than a single marker. It’s a pattern.
And often, people feel it before pathology confirms it.
They say things like:
“I just don’t feel as resilient.”
“I used to bounce back faster.”
“I feel puffier.”
“I’m not as clear-headed.”
That is the grey zone again. Not disease. Not optimal.
This Is Not About Fear
I want to be very clear.
Silent inflammation is not something to panic about. It is something to understand. The body is not fragile. It is adaptive.
When inflammation rises, it is responding to signals.
Our job is not to suppress it aggressively. Our job is to ask:
Why is it there?
What is driving it?
What does this body need to restore balance?
And often, the answer is surprisingly foundational.
Stable blood sugar.
Deep sleep.
Protein adequacy.
Omega-3 sufficiency.
Gut integrity.
Nervous system regulation.
Not extreme detoxes. Not elimination of entire food groups. Not panic.
Just intelligent recalibration.
The Quiet Power of Early Action
The beauty of preventative medicine is this:
You don’t have to wait until inflammation becomes disease.
You can lower the background noise early.
You can strengthen resilience.
You can build a physiology that is calm, steady and less reactive.
Because thriving is not about the absence of symptoms. It’s about the presence of balance.
If you’ve been feeling slightly off — not sick, but not fully yourself — it may be worth looking at your inflammatory patterns more closely.
Not urgently. But thoughtfully. Because silent inflammation may be quiet. But it is not insignificant.
Warmly,
Teressa,
Naturopath +Biochemist
Ready to kick start Gut Health? Book a Call!
This is how gut microbes can influence weight!
Probiotics can help you gain weight or lose weight by interacting with our genetics, food and metabolism.
And yes, I did say lose or gain weight……..
Firstly, let me explain that the trillions of microbes in the gut need to be varied, meaning that there should be a large variety of species. There are many different species (or breeds) of microbes, and they all have their place in aiding health — the more variety and balance, the better health results.
Back to the weight loss or weight gain issue….
Do you eat yogurt and berries for breakfast? Thinking that it’s helping you lose weight?
Well, Lactobacillus acidophilus (like the species found in yoghurt) has been connected to weight gain.
I am not saying throw your yoghurt and berries in the bin. Instead, I am suggesting looking at the overall picture. If Lactobacillus acidophilus is the predominant micro-organism of the gut, then weight gain can result.
It is about the variety of species of gut microbes. Imagine if we only have trained german shepherd guard dogs in the world. It may be a safe world, but I am sure that other breeds may be more suitable as a family pet.
While Lactobacillus acidophilus is associated with weight gain, other Lactobacillus species correlate with weight loss.
Species like Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Bifidobacteria animalis have been found to support weight loss.
Want to lose weight?
Look at your gut flora to support your goal.
Tests can be performed to identify the predominant species of the gut, and specific species can be utilised to support weight changes.
Want more information about your gut health?
Or want to look at all the factors contributing to weight gain, I’d love to be able to help.
