If You Want to Reduce Your Inflammation Risk, Ditch This One Habit ASAP

Beth Ann Mayer
·6 min read
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A cardiologist shares the worst habit for inflammation and why it's so bad.

Inflammation has become something of a buzzword in health and wellness spaces. But your first thought upon hearing the term may not be about your organs and arteries.

"The common understanding of inflammation is that something you see on the outside," says Dr. Evelina Grayver, MD, a cardiologist at Northwell Health in New York. "It’s red, hot and swollen."

Dr. Grayver thinks there should be more awareness about what inflammation can do to the heart.

“It’s important to talk about inflammation and heart health because…it’s always been linked to things like arthritis and certain cancers," Dr. Grayver says. "But inflammation has not really caught up as a reason for why cardiovascular disease takes place.”

But it is a factor in cardiovascular disease. "When we talk about internal inflammation, we’re talking about an internal process that disrupts the inner layer of our vasculature," Dr. Grayver says.

Dr. Grayver explains that the inner layer of the vascular system, which includes the vessels that transport blood throughout the body, is called the endothelial. It is a thin membrane inside blood vessels. Dr. Grayver notes that inflammation can wreak havoc on the body and increase the risk of strokes, heart attacks and cardiovascular disease.

It sounds scary. But there are ways to lower your risk, including controlling this one lifestyle habit.

What Is the Worst Habit for Inflammation?

According to Dr. Grayver, poor stress management is the worst habit for inflammation. Why? In part because stress causes the release of the stress hormone known as cortisol.

"Cortisol is one of those things that goes and disrupts the inner layer of our vasculature and creates unstable plaque," Dr. Grayver says.

Wait—isn't plaque a dental problem? Yes, but it's also a cardiovascular issue.

"From the age of 30 and on, unfortunately, we start to develop plaque in our arteries," Dr. Grayver says. "It’s the deposition of cholesterol and things of such nature that creates small little beginnings of blockages. We all start to develop early-oxidative plaque."

Dr. Grayver says that many people have stable plaque, which progresses slowly.

"It's covered under a little type of hat that sits on top of it that keeps it at bay," Dr. Grayver says. "When there’s inflammation, cortisol is released, it seeps out into our vasculature and it destroys that nice, contained fibrous cap sitting on top of the stable plaque and turns it into unstable plaque."

Unstable plaque can become a problem quickly. "It’s the yucky plaque that breaks off, flows downward and causes things like stroke and heart attack," Dr. Grayver says.

It can also increase blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol, which can also heighten the risk of heart attack and stroke. "Stress causes a vicious cascade," Dr. Grayver emphasizes.

That being said, some stress is OK—good, even.

"Some stress is normal and allows us to achieve greater goals and create certain things," Dr. Grayver says. "Severe, chronic stress is what I want to hone in on. That can have a significant impact on heart health in multiple ways.”

What's the difference? "Normal stress has more goal orientation," she says. "It's not the kind of stress keeping you up at night, leading you to make unhealthy choices or have horrible chronic fatigue."

Other Habits That Can Negatively Impact Inflammation

Stress isn't great, and reducing it is one way to lower your risk for inflammation. But Dr. Grayver says other lifestyle habits factor into inflammation.

Smoking is a big no-no for various reasons, including inflammation related to heart health. "It’s one of the unhealthiest habits," Dr. Grayver says. "The chemicals in the tobacco [are terrible for you]."

Drinking too much alcohol can also increase inflammation.

"I’m not talking about one glass," Dr. Grayver says. The CDC advises men to limit alcohol use to two drinks per day and women to stick to one. (A drink is defined as a 5 oz. glass of wine, 12 oz. glass of beer, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.) Dr. Grayver says anything more starts the inflammatory cascade. A 2017 review linked high alcohol consumption to inflammation.

Diet can also increase inflammation and the risk for heart disease risk, but Dr. Grayver says figuring out the best one for you can be a challenge.

"I was at a grocery store the other day," she says. "There were 14 magazines displayed, and 12 of them mentioned the ‘heart-healthy diet.’"

Diets Dr. Grayver recommends include vegan, DASH and the Mediterranean Diet. Each is a bit different—vegan means no animal products, whereas Mediterranean and DASH are less rigid, for example. But the common ties include low sodium and an emphasis on fruits, veggies, nuts and lean—preferably plant-based—proteins.

Dr. Grayver noted people got into the habit of skipping regular check-ups during the COVID-19 pandemic. If that sounds familiar, it's time to make an appointment—your doctor can catch symptoms of inflammation and heart disease, such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and biomarkers. Together, you can work to manage inflammation before it becomes worse.

The kicker? Stress makes people more likely to make these types of choices, Dr. Grayver says.

"It’s then easy to fall back on unhealthy coping mechanisms, like poor diet choices, alcohol and smoking," she says.

What Is the Best Habit for Inflammation?

Dr. Grayver says exercise does the mind and body good, in part, by reducing stress. "I’m someone who has never been good at meditation, but when I exercise and do breathing during my run, that to me is meditating," Dr. Grayver says.

Research from 2020 indicated moderate to vigorous exercise with resting periods can have anti-inflammatory benefits. A 2019 study also found that exercise could reduce the risk of inflammatory markers. The American Heart Association recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week.

Finding the right exercise routine for you is important, though. "There is not a cookie-cutter approach to anything, not in medicine, not in personal lifestyle," Dr. Grayver says. "It’s important for people to find what works for them and makes them happy. If it works and makes them happy, they’ll continue it long-term."

Other important habits to develop include quality sleep (seven to eight hours of restful sleep). If you're tossing and turning, Dr. Grayver recommends looking for an underlying cause, such as stress or sleep apnea. On that note, build a relationship with your doctor—they're an invaluable resource in helping you reduce and manage risks for inflammation and chronic disease.

"Develop a fluid relationship where you feel like you aren’t being treated like another patient getting a cookie-cutter approach," Dr. Grayver says. "Make sure you’re getting an individualized assessment based on your personal medical history and family history."

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