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Which Comes First, and Why It Matters for Your Health

Did You Know What Really Comes First?

Did you know that inflammation in your body often begins years before most cancers are ever detected?

Did you also know the same is true for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and all chronic diseases?

Most people believe disease starts suddenly. One day you feel fine, and the next day you are told something is wrong. But chronic disease rarely begins overnight.

It starts quietly.

Long before cancer, high blood pressure, or diabetes show up, the body is often dealing with chronic inflammation and/or insulin resistance.

Sometimes inflammation comes first.
Sometimes insulin resistance comes first.
Often, they begin together.

Once one is present, the other tends to worsen.

This is why inflammation and insulin resistance are best understood as two sides of the same coin.

Inflammation: The Common Thread Behind All Chronic Disease

One of the most respected voices in nutrition and inflammation research is Artemis P. Simopoulos, MD.

Dr. Simopoulos has spent decades studying inflammation, fatty acids, and chronic disease. Her conclusion is clear and direct:

“We know from clinical studies and animal experiments that inflammation is at the base of ALL chronic diseases.”
– Dr. Artemis P. Simopoulos

Not most.
Not many.
Not the majority.

ALL chronic diseases.

That statement alone forces an important question:
Why should physicians, researchers, and health professionals pay attention to her work?

Why Dr. Simopoulos Matters

Dr. Simopoulos is not a fringe voice. She is a globally recognized physician, nutrition researcher, and endocrinologist, and the Founder and President of the Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health.

Her credentials include:

• • Former Chair of the Nutrition Coordinating Committee at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Consultant to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs
  • Former Executive Secretary for the Division of Medical Sciences at the National Academy of Sciences
  • Author of more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers
  • One of the most-cited researchers in the world on inflammation and the omega-6 to omega-3 balance

Her research helped establish what many clinicians now see every day:
Inflammation is not a side issue; it is the foundation of chronic disease.

What Is Chronic Inflammation?

Inflammation is not always harmful. Short-term inflammation helps the body heal and fight infection.

The problem is chronic inflammation.

Chronic inflammation:

• • Is low-grade and long-lasting
  • Often has no early symptoms
  • Slowly damages cells, blood vessels, and organs

Many people feel “healthy” while chronic inflammation is quietly building inside their bodies. If you are not already aware that you have low-grade, chronic inflammation, there is a strong chance you do, or have had it at some point. And if nothing has been done to address it, it is likely still present.

It is also important not to assume, “Not me.” What you look like on the outside does not rule out inflammation on the inside. Many people who are very fit and eat what most would call a healthy diet still experience low-grade, chronic inflammation, a known precursor to cancer and other chronic diseases.

You may be thinking, “My doctor hasn’t mentioned this,” or “Nothing showed up in my annual lab work.” That is common. Inflammation is rarely measured. If your doctor ordered a C-reactive protein (CRP) test, you were fortunate. Even then, CRP is a general marker and not a deeper cellular marker discussed later in this article.

What Is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin is a hormone that helps control how energy is used inside your cells. It is best known for moving energy, such as glucose, from your bloodstream into your cells.

When insulin works properly, your cells receive energy, blood sugar stays stable, and your body can switch between burning fuel and storing energy when needed.

Insulin resistance happens when cells stop responding well to insulin. To compensate, the body produces more insulin.

Over time, this can lead to multiple health-related issues, including but not limited to:

• • Fat storage, especially around the belly
  • Higher blood pressure
  • Elevated triglycerides
  • Increased inflammation
  • Type 2 diabetes

These are just some of the more visible outcomes. Insulin resistance can affect nearly every system in the body, which is why it is linked to so many chronic conditions.

Importantly, insulin resistance often develops years before blood sugar becomes high.

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The Chicken-and-Egg Question

So, which comes first, inflammation or insulin resistance?

The answer is both.

Inflammation plays a leading role in the development of insulin resistance, and/or insulin resistance plays a leading role in the systemic impact of inflammation throughout the body.

They have a bidirectional relationship. Either one can start the process, and once one is present, it amplifies the other.

This explains why addressing only one side rarely leads to lasting improvement.

Why This Leads to Chronic Disease

This double-sided coin explains why inflammation and insulin resistance are linked to:

• • Cancer
  • High blood pressure
  • Heart disease
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Fatty liver disease
  • Obesity
  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Cognitive decline

Different diagnoses, same root problem.

A Call to Action

The rise in inflammation and insulin resistance over the last 60 years did not happen by chance. It closely follows changes in how food is manufactured, how animals are fed, and how modern diets have shifted fatty acid balance.

The good news is this: there are things we can all do.

The first step is awareness.

That begins with an at-home test that measures your omega-6-to-omega-3 ratio, one of the most potent indicators of cellular-level inflammation. This is insight most people never receive in a doctor’s office.

To learn more about this test:

• • Contact the person who shared this article with you
  • Email me directly at robert@dietfreelife.com
  • Or schedule a free consultation to review your results and next steps

Knowledge creates choice.
And choice is where better health begins.

References

1. 1. Calder, P. C. (2015). Inflammation and chronic disease. Nature Reviews Immunology, 15(7), 497–511. https://doi.org/10.1038/nri3853
   2. Hotamisligil, G. S. (2006). Inflammation and metabolic disorders. Nature, 444(7121), 860–867. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05485
   3. Libby, P. (2007). Inflammation and cardiovascular disease mechanisms. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83(2), 456S–460S. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/83.2.456S
   4. Reuter, S., Gupta, S. C., Chaturvedi, M. M., & Aggarwal, B. B. (2010). Oxidative stress, inflammation, and cancer. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 49(11), 1603–1616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2010.09.006
   5. Simopoulos, A. P. (2008). The importance of the omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio in cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. Experimental Biology and Medicine, 233(6), 674–688. https://doi.org/10.3181/0711-MR-311
   6. Saltiel, A. R., & Olefsky, J. M. (2017). Inflammatory mechanisms linking obesity and metabolic disease. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 127(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI92035

________

Robert Ferguson is a California- and Florida-based single father of two daughters, clinical nutritionist, Omega Balancing Coach™, researcher, best-selling author, speaker, podcast and television host, health advisor, NAACP Image Award Nominee, creator of the Diet Free Life methodology, and Chief Nutrition Officer for iCoura Health. He also serves on the Presidential Task Force on Obesity for the National Medical Association and the Health and Product Advisory Board for Zinzino, Inc.

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