Chronic Inflammation 2/2: Levers for Action

📌 This article is Part 2 of our chronic inflammation series. Make sure to read Part 1: Understanding the Causes → first.

In Part 1, we explored what chronic inflammation really is, why it can set in, what fuels it daily, and how certain biomarkers can help us better understand the terrain. In this second part, we look at how to take concrete action.

Not by trying to "shut down" inflammation at all costs, some levels of inflammation are normal and necessary, but by giving the body the conditions it needs to better regulate it, recover, and repair. The goal is to understand which levers can truly impact the terrain: nutrition, blood sugar, microbiome, movement, sleep, stress, recovery, micronutrition, and biological follow-up.

What we can influence

Chronic inflammation is not a fixed state. It can be maintained by several accumulating factors: a diet low in nutrient density, unstable blood sugar, an imbalanced microbiome, sleep debt, chronic stress, insufficient recovery, sedentary behavior, excessive training load, deficiencies in certain micronutrients, or an underlying inflammatory condition.

The inflammatory terrain rarely shifts because of one single lever. It shifts when several signals move in the same direction: less burden, more resources, better recovery, better metabolic stability.

It is not about perfection. It is about direction.

1. Nutrition: the most direct lever

Nutrition simultaneously influences blood sugar, the microbiome, the intestinal barrier, the liver, adipose tissue, and the production of inflammatory mediators. It is one of the most powerful levers.

But as we saw in Part 1, the issue is not one isolated food. It is the overall dietary pattern. A diet that supports healthy inflammatory regulation is generally richer in whole foods, fiber, varied plants, quality proteins, omega-3s, polyphenols, minerals, vitamins, and minimally oxidized fats. It is also generally lower in ultra-processed foods, added sugars, refined flours, regular alcohol, repeated fried foods, and processed fats.

The idea is not to create a perfect or restrictive diet. The idea is to nourish the systems that allow the body to repair: the gut, liver, mitochondria, immune system, muscles, and connective tissues.

Foods to prioritize

Quality proteins. Eggs, fatty fish, poultry, seafood, tofu/tempeh, legumes if tolerated. Essential amino acids for tissue repair, muscle mass, immune function, satiety, and blood sugar stability.

Varied plants. Leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, carrots, beets, squash, artichokes, leeks. Fiber, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, antioxidants, support for the microbiome and immune system.

Whole fruits. Berries, citrus fruits, apples, kiwis, pomegranate. Antioxidants, soluble fiber, vitamin C, better eaten whole than as juice.

Quality fats. Extra-virgin olive oil, avocado, walnuts, flax and chia seeds. Mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols, plant omega-3s.

EPA/DHA omega-3s. Sardines, mackerel, herring, wild salmon, anchovies. Precursors of mediators involved in inflammation resolution.

Minimally processed carbohydrates. Buckwheat, quinoa, sweet potato, semi-brown rice, oats, legumes if tolerated. Slower-digesting carbohydrates, fiber, minerals.

Fermented foods. Plain yogurt, kefir, lacto-fermented sauerkraut, kimchi. Potential support for microbial diversity, depending on tolerance.

Spices and herbs. Turmeric, ginger, garlic, rosemary, thyme. Bioactive compounds that may modulate certain inflammatory pathways and oxidative stress.

Drinks. Water, green tea, herbal teas. Hydration, polyphenols, antioxidant effect.

Put protein at the center

Protein supports muscle mass, tissue repair, immune function, satiety, and blood sugar stability. This is often underestimated when we talk about inflammation. Yet a body that lacks protein repairs less efficiently, recovers less well, maintains muscle mass less easily, and often regulates blood sugar less effectively.

Increase fiber gradually

Fiber supports the microbiome, transit, short-chain fatty acid production, and metabolic health. But it should be increased according to digestive tolerance. For someone with significant bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or suspected SIBO, increasing fiber abruptly is not always the best first step.

Add polyphenols daily

Herbs, spices, berries, cacao, green tea, coffee, olive oil, colorful vegetables: polyphenols help modulate oxidative stress and interact with the microbiome. The goal is not to add one magical "anti-inflammatory" food. The goal is to create an overall nutritional environment that is more regulatory.

2. Blood sugar: an often underestimated factor

Blood sugar instability is one of the most common mechanisms maintaining an inflammatory terrain.

After a meal, it is normal for blood sugar to rise, especially when the meal contains carbohydrates. What becomes more problematic is when variations are large and repeated: high spikes followed by marked crashes. Over time, these blood sugar roller coasters can increase oxidative stress, disrupt energy, intensify cravings, promote abdominal fat storage, and gradually contribute to poorer insulin sensitivity.

The goal is not to have perfectly flat blood sugar, but a response that is more stable, more gradual, and better tolerated. This is not only relevant for people with diabetes. It also matters when we see fatigue after meals, sugar cravings in the late morning or afternoon, night wakings with hunger, agitation, or palpitations, irritability when meals are delayed, brain fog, abdominal weight gain, or difficult recovery.

The goal is not to eliminate carbohydrates. The goal is to choose them better, distribute them better, and avoid repeated blood sugar roller coasters.

Simple levers

Avoid meals made only of carbohydrates.
Add protein at breakfast.
Pair carbohydrates with fiber, protein, and/or fat.
Choose minimally processed carbohydrates: potatoes, rice, buckwheat, quinoa, oats, legumes if tolerated, whole fruits.
Limit liquid sugars: juices, sodas, sweetened drinks.
Walk for 10 to 15 minutes after meals when possible.
Adapt carbohydrates to your physical activity level, rather than removing them by principle.

Blood sugar is a point of connection between inflammation, energy, mood, sleep, hunger, body composition, and cardiovascular health. When it becomes more stable, many systems become easier to regulate.

3. Gut health: acting on the microbiome

The microbiome is one of the major regulators of immunity. Supporting its diversity and the strength of the intestinal barrier means acting directly on one of the key crossroads of the inflammatory terrain.

The microbiome of populations living in industrialized environments is now considered structurally depleted compared with populations less exposed to modern lifestyles. This loss of diversity is associated with several aspects of contemporary life: ultra-processed diets, low plant diversity, repeated antibiotic use, stress, sedentary behavior, and reduced contact with varied natural environments.

The aim is to progressively rebuild an intestinal environment that is more diverse, more stable, and better regulated.

Increase fiber according to tolerance

Fermentable fibers feed butyrate-producing bacteria, and butyrate is an important short-chain fatty acid for the intestinal barrier and local inflammatory regulation. But the increase needs to be progressive, especially in cases of bloating, constipation, diarrhea, suspected SIBO, or inflammatory bowel disease.

Diversify plants

Plant diversity provides a wider range of substrates for the microbiome. The goal is not to eat 30 different plants tomorrow, but to gradually expand: vegetables, herbs, fruits, legumes if tolerated, seeds, nuts, spices, whole grains.

Introduce fermented foods if tolerated

A diet rich in fermented foods may increase microbial diversity and reduce several pro-inflammatory proteins. However, they should be introduced gently, because fermented foods are not suitable for every digestive terrain.

Reduce what weakens the microbiome

Regular alcohol, highly processed foods, chronic stress, lack of sleep, repeated antibiotics, frequent NSAID use, or long-term PPI use can, depending on the context, disrupt the intestinal ecosystem.

Supporting the gut does not mean always adding more fiber or more probiotics. It means adapting the level of stimulation to the real digestive terrain.

4. Movement: regular, progressive, recovered

Regular physical activity is one of the best-documented anti-inflammatory levers. It improves insulin sensitivity, reduces visceral fat, supports muscle mass, improves mitochondrial function, stimulates circulation, and participates in immune regulation.

But intensity has to be modulated. Very intense, repeated training, combined with lack of sleep, insufficient intake, and poor recovery, can become an additional burden rather than a positive adaptation signal. So "more exercise" is not always the answer. It is the right signal, at the right time, with enough resources to adapt.

What works

Daily movement. Walking, stairs, active commuting, standing breaks, mobility. NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) matters a lot, especially for people who train a few hours a week but sit all day.

Strength training. Muscle is a metabolic organ. The more functional it is, the more it supports insulin sensitivity, energy expenditure, metabolic stability, and resilience with age.

Adapted cardio. Moderate and regular cardio supports cardiovascular health, circulation, mitochondrial capacity, and recovery.

Planned recovery. One or two lighter days allow the nervous system, tissues, and immune system to adapt instead of accumulating more load.

The message is to do better, more consistently, and with the recovery required.

5. Sleep: the foundation of regulation

Sleep is when the body repairs, sorts, consolidates, regulates hormones, modulates immunity, and restores its adaptive capacity.

Experimental sleep restriction studies show an increase in inflammatory markers such as IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP, with effects that can be reversed after sleep recovery. This is why sleep is a foundational condition for the other levers to work.

Priorities

Keep wake-up and bedtime as regular as possible.
Get natural light exposure in the morning.
Reduce bright light in the evening.
Avoid alcohol in the evening.
Limit caffeine after late morning or early afternoon, depending on sensitivity.
Keep the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet.
Avoid dinners that are too light if night wakings are associated with hunger, palpitations, or functional hypoglycemia.
Create a real transition between the active day and sleep.

Sleep is not only about duration. It is also about rhythm, depth, continuity, and perceived recovery.

6. Stress and recovery: getting out of permanent alert

Chronic stress maintains a baseline activation of the sympathetic nervous system. This can disrupt blood sugar, digestion, appetite, recovery, sleep quality, and immune regulation.

The objective is to create sufficient recovery phases so the system can return to balance. A healthy body is not a body that is never activated. It is a body that knows how to alternate: activation, then return to calm.

Useful levers

Slow breathing, heart coherence breathing.
Walking without a phone.
Exposure to nature.
Breaks between work blocks.
Reducing notifications.
Meals without screens when possible.
Real social time.
Adapted physical activity.
Morning/evening transition routines.

Mindfulness-based interventions have shown interesting effects on several immune parameters in randomized trials, although effects vary depending on the protocol, duration, adherence, and individual context.

The goal is to give the nervous system repeated signals of safety.

7. Micronutrition: useful, but targeted

Supplementation can have a place, but it does not replace the foundations. A supplement taken in a context of poor sleep, regular alcohol intake, ultra-processed food, chronic stress, and unstable blood sugar will probably have limited impact.

Micronutrition becomes relevant when it answers a specific question: documented deficiency, insufficient intake, objectified inflammation, digestive issues, oxidative stress, increased needs, poor omega status, difficult recovery.

The most coherent supplements depending on context

EPA/DHA omega-3s. Precursors of resolvins and protectins, involved in inflammation resolution. Interesting data on cardiovascular health, omega-3/omega-6 balance, and certain inflammatory markers. Standard doses (1 to 2 g/day of EPA+DHA) generally have a good safety profile. Caution applies to high doses (3 to 4 g/day and above), anticoagulant treatment, planned surgery, or coagulation disorders.

Vitamin D. Insufficiency is common. Recent intervention studies suggest supplementation is most relevant in cases of documented insufficiency. Test before and during supplementation, avoid blind high-dose supplementation.

Magnesium. Stress, sleep, muscle tension, recovery, nervous system. Insufficient intake is common and underestimated. Form and digestive tolerance matter.

Curcumin. Clinical studies show potential effects on certain inflammatory markers, but the oral bioavailability of native curcumin is very low. Most positive trials use enhanced formulations, so the galenic formulation is key. Caution in cases of biliary disorders, anticoagulants, pregnancy, surgery.

Targeted probiotics. Digestive or immune support depending on strain and context. Strain-dependent and context-dependent.

Fiber and prebiotics. Transit, microbiome, blood sugar, metabolism. Introduce progressively, caution in cases of major bloating or suspected SIBO.

Zinc. Immunity, intestinal barrier, skin, antioxidant status. Avoid long-term use without monitoring, balance with copper.

The data on omega-3s, vitamin D, curcumin, or magnesium are interesting, but they do not justify systematic, identical supplementation for everyone. Relevance depends on baseline status, terrain, treatments, dose, form, and tolerance.

The right question is not: "Which anti-inflammatory supplement should I take?" The right question is: what is maintaining inflammation, and which lever should be prioritized?

8. Measuring: the Lucis approach

Acting on inflammation without measuring means moving forward with very few reference points. Biomarkers do not replace symptoms, personal history, or life context. But they make it possible to objectify certain signals, identify trends, and check whether the terrain is actually moving in the right direction.

At Lucis, the goal is not to look at one biomarker in isolation. The goal is to place results within a broader reading: inflammation, metabolism, energy, hormones, recovery, nutrition, digestion, sleep, stress, physical activity, cardiovascular health.

One test gives a snapshot. Two tests over time begin to tell a trajectory. We can then observe whether certain markers are changing, and whether this evolution matches what the person feels: better energy, better recovery, more stable digestion, more restorative sleep, more regular blood sugar, fewer symptoms, or better exercise tolerance.

It is a measurement to understand what truly works, for you, on your terrain. Not to chase a perfect number.

Where to start?

When we talk about chronic inflammation, the temptation is often to change everything at once. But the most effective approach is usually to prioritize.

Stabilize nutrition and blood sugar: more complete, regular meals with protein, fiber, quality fats, and adapted carbohydrates.
Reduce the ultra-processed load: fewer industrial products, regular alcohol, added sugars, repeated fried foods.
Support the gut according to tolerance: progressive fiber, plant diversity, regular transit, fermented foods if tolerated.
Move regularly: walk, strength train, reduce sitting time, but without exceeding recovery capacity.
Protect sleep: because without recovery, inflammatory regulation remains fragile.
Create windows of return to calm: the nervous system needs repeated signals of safety.
Measure to adjust: use biomarkers to understand the trajectory, not to chase a perfect number.

It is not spectacular. But it is often what actually changes the terrain.

Key takeaways

Reducing chronic inflammation is a question of individualization and understanding the global terrain. The action levers mentioned are well documented, but each lever does not carry the same weight for everyone. For some people, the priority will be blood sugar. For others, sleep, the gut, training load, a deficiency, an inflammatory condition, or chronic stress that prevents the body from returning to balance.

This is precisely why it is useful to understand, measure, and follow the evolution over time. The objective is to allow the body to resolve inflammation when it no longer needs to be there.

A healthy body is not a body that never reacts. It is a body that knows how to react, repair, and then return to balance.

Going further: a podcast episode on inflammation

Brain fog, chronic fatigue, digestive issues, skin problems, joint pain, hormonal imbalances. What if ALL these symptoms shared the same origin? Low-grade chronic inflammation is now the common denominator of most modern diseases. The word is everywhere, but almost no one knows what it really covers.

With William Kadmiry, naturopath and micronutritionist, co-founder of Naturaneo, Anaïs Gautron sets the record straight: what inflammation REALLY is, when it becomes toxic, how to identify it on a biological panel, and which nutritional and lifestyle levers can help bring it down.

References

The information shared in this article is for educational purposes only and does not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or individualized care. In case of persistent symptoms, known inflammatory disease, autoimmune disease, suspected chronic infection, or abnormal biological markers, it is important to consult a qualified healthcare professional.

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