Foods that cause inflammation: 5 to cut and what to eat
The short answer
Five everyday foods keep chronic, low-grade inflammation switched on: sugary drinks, processed meat (deli turkey included), refined grains, ultra-processed food, and food that is fried, grilled or charred. They work through two doors: they add body fat, especially the deep fat around your organs, and they starve your gut bacteria of the fiber they need. Whole-food swaps lowered CRP, a blood marker of inflammation, in several trials, though many were small or short, and seed oils, often blamed, did not raise CRP across 30 trials. To see where you stand, ask for a high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) blood test, make the swaps for 8 weeks, then test again.
What we cover
Why it matters. In almost 28,000 women followed for 30 years, those with the highest hs-CRP had about a 70 percent higher risk of a heart attack, stroke or other major heart event than those with the lowest, about twice the gap LDL cholesterol showed. Primary source
Sugary drinks. In a 6-month trial, 47 adults who drank a liter a day of regular cola ended up with about the same total body fat as those drinking milk, diet cola or water, but more than twice the liver fat and about 25 to 30 percent more of the deep belly fat around the organs. Primary source That deep belly fat tracks with higher CRP even after accounting for BMI and waist size. Primary source In feeding trials, adding whole fruit lowered CRP by about 0.5 mg/L. Primary source
Processed meat, deli turkey included. In more than 400,000 UK adults, every 50 grams a day, about one hot dog, went with 38 percent higher CRP, a link the authors found was mostly explained by body fat. Primary source The World Health Organization's cancer agency puts processed meat in its highest-certainty group for colorectal cancer, with risk about 18 percent higher per 50 grams a day. Primary source The swap: beans, lentils, chickpeas or tofu.
Refined grains and the bread label. Multigrain only means more than one grain, so look for the word whole at the very start of the ingredient list. In a Danish trial of 50 adults, 8 weeks of whole grains lowered CRP and IL-6, another inflammation signal, compared with refined grains, even after accounting for weight. Primary source
Ultra-processed food. In an NIH trial, 20 adults living in a research hospital ate about 500 more calories a day on ultra-processed meals and gained about 2 pounds in two weeks. On unprocessed meals, they lost about 2 pounds. Primary source
Fried, grilled and charred food. High, dry heat forms AGEs, advanced glycation end products. A broiled hot dog measured over 1,000 times the AGEs of a banana. The free fix: cook with water, turn the heat down, and marinate in lemon juice or vinegar first, which cut the AGEs formed during cooking by more than half. Primary source
Why seed oils aren't on the list. Across 30 randomized trials, eating more linoleic acid, the main fat in seed oils, did not significantly change CRP. Primary source
The blood test and the 8-week plan. Ask for high-sensitivity CRP by name. Under 1 mg/L is low risk, 1 to 3 is average and over 3 is high; over 10 usually means an infection or injury, so recheck in two weeks. Test twice, two weeks apart, and average the two. Then make the swaps for 8 weeks and test again. Primary source
Timestamps
0:00 The inflammation you can't feel
1:24 Two doors
1:59 1. Sugary drinks
3:46 2. Processed meat
5:44 3. Refined grains
8:01 4. Ultra-processed food
9:27 5. Fried, grilled and charred food
12:12 The food missing from this list
13:02 The blood test to ask for
15:00 Your 8-week plan
References
Ridker PM, et al. Inflammation, Cholesterol, Lipoprotein(a), and 30-Year Cardiovascular Outcomes in Women. New England Journal of Medicine, 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39216091/
In 27,939 initially healthy women followed for 30 years, those in the top fifth for hs-CRP had a 70 percent higher risk of a first major cardiovascular event than those in the bottom fifth, against 36 percent for LDL cholesterol. Evidence type: observational cohort.
Maersk M, et al. Sucrose-sweetened beverages increase fat storage in the liver, muscle, and visceral fat depot: a 6-mo randomized intervention study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22205311/
In 47 overweight adults, 6 months of a liter a day of regular cola raised liver fat and visceral fat more than milk, diet cola or water, with no difference in total fat mass. Evidence type: randomized trial.
Pou KM, et al. Visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue volumes are cross-sectionally related to markers of inflammation and oxidative stress: the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation, 2007. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17709633/
In 1,250 Framingham Heart Study participants, both visceral and under-the-skin belly fat were linked with CRP and IL-6, and visceral fat stayed linked with CRP after accounting for BMI and waist size. Evidence type: observational, cross-sectional.
Qi X, et al. Effect of Important Food Sources of Fructose-Containing Sugars on Inflammatory Biomarkers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Feeding Trials. Nutrients, 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36235639/
Across 64 controlled feeding trials with 4,094 people, sugary drinks on their own did not change CRP, while adding whole fruit lowered it by 0.50 mg/L. Evidence type: systematic review and meta-analysis of feeding trials.
Papier K, et al. Higher Meat Intake Is Associated with Higher Inflammatory Markers, Mostly Due to Adiposity: Results from UK Biobank. Journal of Nutrition, 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34587250/
In 403,886 UK Biobank adults, each 50 grams a day of processed meat went with 38.3 percent higher CRP; the associations shrank after accounting for body fat, and the authors judged them mostly due to adiposity. Evidence type: observational, cross-sectional.
Bouvard V, et al. Carcinogenicity of consumption of red and processed meat. Lancet Oncology, 2015. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26514947/
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified processed meat as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) for colorectal cancer, with about 18 percent higher risk per 50 grams a day. Evidence type: expert classification.
Sherman RA, Mehta O. Phosphorus and potassium content of enhanced meat and poultry products: implications for patients who receive dialysis. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 2009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19628683/
Of 36 uncooked meat and poultry products, those with phosphate additives had on average 28 percent more phosphorus per gram of protein, and 8 of 25 enhanced products did not list the additives. Evidence type: laboratory analysis of foods.
Dickinson KM, et al. Effects of a low-salt diet on flow-mediated dilatation in humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19106240/
In 29 overweight and obese adults with normal blood pressure, 2 weeks of a low-salt diet improved the function of the blood vessel lining, unrelated to the change in blood pressure. Evidence type: randomized crossover trial.
Pereira MA, et al. Effect of whole grains on insulin sensitivity in overweight hyperinsulinemic adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2002. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11976158/
In 11 overweight adults with high insulin, fasting insulin was 10 percent lower after 6 weeks of whole grains than after 6 weeks of refined grains. Evidence type: randomized crossover trial.
McKeown NM, et al. Carbohydrate nutrition, insulin resistance, and the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Diabetes Care, 2004. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14747241/
In 2,834 adults in the Framingham Offspring Study, those who ate the most whole grains had lower insulin resistance and lower odds of metabolic syndrome (odds ratio 0.67). Evidence type: observational, cross-sectional.
Atkinson FS, et al. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care, 2008. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18835944/
International tables listing the glycemic index, a measure of how fast a food raises blood sugar, for more than 2,480 foods. Evidence type: reference tables.
Roager HM, et al. Whole grain-rich diet reduces body weight and systemic low-grade inflammation without inducing major changes of the gut microbiome: a randomised cross-over trial. Gut, 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29097438/
In 50 Danish adults at risk of metabolic syndrome who completed two 8-week periods, a whole-grain diet lowered CRP and IL-6 compared with refined grains, even after accounting for weight. Evidence type: randomized crossover trial.
Hall KD, et al. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake. Cell Metabolism, 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31105044/
In 20 adults living at the NIH Clinical Center, an ultra-processed diet led to about 508 more calories a day and a 0.9 kg gain over 2 weeks, against a 0.9 kg loss on an unprocessed diet. Evidence type: randomized crossover trial.
Selvin E, et al. The effect of weight loss on C-reactive protein: a systematic review. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2007. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17210875/
Across 33 weight-loss studies, CRP fell by about 0.13 mg/L for each kilogram lost. Evidence type: systematic review.
Goldin A, et al. Advanced glycation end products: sparking the development of diabetic vascular injury. Circulation, 2006. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16894049/
Reviews how advanced glycation end products (AGEs) injure blood vessels and switch on inflammatory signaling. Evidence type: narrative review.
Vlassara H, et al. Inflammatory mediators are induced by dietary glycotoxins, a major risk factor for diabetic angiopathy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2002. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12429856/
In 13 people with diabetes, CRP rose about 35 percent on a high-AGE diet and fell about 20 percent on a low-AGE diet over 6 weeks; a separate 2-week crossover in 11 people showed no clear difference. Evidence type: small randomized trials.
Uribarri J, et al. Advanced glycation end products in foods and a practical guide to their reduction in the diet. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2010. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20497781/
Measured AGEs in 549 foods: dry heat raised them 10- to 100-fold over the uncooked state, meats and high-fat foods were highest, and an hour in lemon juice or vinegar cut the AGEs formed during cooking by more than half. Evidence type: laboratory analysis of foods.
Su H, et al. Dietary linoleic acid intake and blood inflammatory markers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Food & Function, 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28752873/
Across 30 randomized trials with 1,377 people, eating more linoleic acid did not significantly change CRP or other inflammatory markers. Evidence type: meta-analysis of randomized trials.
Johnson GH, Fritsche K. Effect of dietary linoleic acid on markers of inflammation in healthy persons: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2012. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22889633/
Across 15 randomized trials in healthy people, adding linoleic acid did not significantly change any inflammatory marker measured. Evidence type: systematic review of randomized trials.
Pearson TA, et al. Markers of inflammation and cardiovascular disease: application to clinical and public health practice. Circulation, 2003. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12551878/
The CDC and American Heart Association statement that set the hs-CRP risk ranges: under 1 mg/L low, 1 to 3 average, over 3 high, averaging two tests about two weeks apart and retesting a level over 10. Evidence type: scientific statement.
Mensah GA, et al. Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease: 2025 ACC Scientific Statement. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41020749/
The 2025 American College of Cardiology scientific statement calls for broad hs-CRP screening, alongside LDL cholesterol, in people being assessed for heart disease prevention. Evidence type: scientific statement.
Ridker PM, et al. Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28845751/
In 10,061 people with a prior heart attack and hs-CRP of 2 mg/L or more, canakinumab 150 mg lowered heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death by about 15 percent without changing cholesterol, with more fatal infections and no difference in deaths overall. Evidence type: randomized trial.
Esposito K, et al. Effect of a Mediterranean-style diet on endothelial dysfunction and markers of vascular inflammation in the metabolic syndrome: a randomized trial. JAMA, 2004. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15383514/
In 180 adults with metabolic syndrome, 2 years of a Mediterranean-style diet lowered hs-CRP more than a prudent low-fat diet, and 50 of 90 no longer had metabolic syndrome, against 12 of 90. Evidence type: randomized trial.
One study explained in plain language every week, with sources attached, plus the free metabolic health guide: https://guides.selfprinciple.org/metabolic
This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for individual care. The views expressed are Dr. Hashmi's own and do not represent his employer.
If you have advanced kidney disease, or a potassium or phosphorus limit, check with your care team before adding a lot of beans, fruit or whole grains.
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