“Cut out all dairy. Ditch gluten. Never touch sugar again.” More than 20 million people have watched TikTok videos listing these kinds of rules under the banner of “anti-inflammatory diets.”

The promise is simple: avoid entire food groups and you’ll lose weight, banish bloating and transform your health.

But while the idea of eating to reduce inflammation has a scientific foundation, the social media version strips out nuance and risks becoming unnecessarily restrictive.

Let’s check what’s going on.

What is inflammation?

People often think of inflammation as something to avoid at all costs, but it’s actually a healthy and normal process that helps the body heal and defend itself against infections, injuries, or diseases. Without it, we wouldn’t recover from even small injuries.

Inflammation and the immune system work together: when the body notices injury or infection, the immune system starts to trigger inflammation, which brings immune cells, nutrients and oxygen to the affected area. This helps with healing.

Inflammation can be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic). Acute inflammation is helpful and part of normal healing. For example, a scraped knee becomes red, swollen and warm as the skin repairs, or a sore throat swells while fighting infection.

Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, can be harmful. It occurs at a low level over time and is often unnoticed, but is linked with many chronic diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

What causes chronic inflammation?

Factors such as age, smoking, sedentary behaviour, obesity, hormonal changes, stress and irregular sleep patterns have all been linked with chronic inflammation.

Diet also plays a key role. A typical Western diet, which is high in ultra-processed foods such as packaged baked goods, soft drinks, fast food, processed meats and confectionery, and low in fresh fruits and vegetables, has been strongly linked with higher levels of inflammation.

Can anti-inflammatory diets help?

Yes. What we eat can influence inflammation in the body. Diets rich in fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes and healthy fats – and low in highly processed foods and added sugars – are associated with lower levels of inflammation.

The Mediterranean-style diet is the most researched example. It’s packed with vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, nuts, seeds and olive oil, with moderate amounts of fish, chicken, eggs and dairy, and minimal red or processed meat and added sugars.

In 2022, researchers reviewed the best available evidence and found people following a Mediterranean-type diet had lower levels of inflammatory markers in their blood, suggesting it can help reduce chronic inflammation.

Growing research also suggests diets high in processed foods and low in fibre can change the balance of bacteria in the gut, which may contribute to low-level, chronic inflammation.

Where TikTok gets it right… and wrong

Right: probiotics may help

Many TikTok videos recommend probiotic supplements to lower inflammation, and there is emerging science to support this. A 2020 review of randomised controlled trials (the strongest form of evidence) found probiotics may reduce some inflammatory blood markers in both healthy people and those living with a health condition.

But while promising, researchers caution more studies are needed to determine which strains and doses are most effective.

Wrong: ‘avoid lists’ (gluten, dairy) without a medical reason

TikTok advice to avoid dairy or gluten to reduce inflammation isn’t backed by strong science for most people.

Inflammation from dairy or gluten typically only occurs in those with allergies or coeliac disease, in which case, medical dietary restriction is necessary. Cutting them out without cause risks unnecessary nutrient gaps.

For the general population, systematic reviews show dairy products often have neutral or even protective effects on inflammation.

Plus, foods such as yogurt, kefir and certain cheeses are rich in probiotics, which are helpful in reducing inflammation.

Many people believe cutting out gluten will lower chronic inflammation and avoid it to help with gut issues or fatigue.

But there’s little scientific evidence to back this up. In fact, wholegrain consumption has been shown to positively affect health status by improving inflammation.

A Mediterranean-style diet already avoids most processed, gluten-heavy foods such as cakes, pastries, white bread, fast food and packaged snacks. If you feel sensitive to gluten, this way of eating naturally keeps your intake low, without the need to cut out nutritious wholegrains that can benefit your health.

Who might benefit from an anti-inflammatory diet?

For people with certain medical conditions, an anti-inflammatory eating pattern can play a useful role alongside conventional care.

Research suggests potential benefits for conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, autoimmune conditions and arthritis, where chronic inflammation contributes to symptoms or disease progression.

In these cases, dietary approaches should be guided by an accredited practising dietitian to ensure that changes are safe, balanced and tailored to individual needs.

The bottom line for healthy people

If you’re otherwise healthy, you don’t need to cut out entire food groups to reduce inflammation.

Instead, focus on balance, variety and minimally processed foods: essentially a Mediterranean-style eating pattern. Support your body’s natural defences with a colourful plate full of vegetables and fruit, enough fibre, healthy fats such as olive oil and nuts. No TikTok “avoid list” required.

Alongside a balanced diet, being physically active, getting good-quality sleep, drinking only minimal alcohol and not smoking all help the body keep inflammation in check. These healthy habits work together to strengthen the immune system and lower the risk of chronic disease.

Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland and Emily Burch, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Lecturer, Southern Cross University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

You might have heard people talking about their nervous system being “overloaded” or “dysregulated” when they’re going through periods of heightened stress.

Or perhaps you’ve been offered ways to “heal” or “reset” your nervous system on social media or at expensive wellness retreats.

But how does the nervous system actually work? And can it be overloaded and reset?

What does the nervous system do?

The autonomic nervous system influences bodily functions that aren’t in our conscious control, such as the workings of our organ systems, body temperature regulation and emotions. It’s organised into two separate branches: sympathetic and parasympathetic.

The sympathetic nervous system helps us deal with stressful situations, activating our survival responses of fight, flight, freeze and fawn.

The parasympathetic nervous system has an opposite role, bringing our automatic responses back to normal functioning after activation due to stress.

While we have evolved to be able to respond well to immediate threats, our stress-response system is terrible at helping us deal with the chronic stressors of modern life: heavy workloads, financial stress or the long-term pressures of fitting caring responsibilities into already busy lives.

“Nervous system overload” isn’t clearly defined but usually refers to the bodily effects of stress when we feel beyond our ability to cope. This might happen when we have numerous threats outside our control or when we haven’t had a chance to de-stress from one thing before another hits.

Is this the ‘nervous breakdown’ of our times?

“Nervous breakdown” is another lay term, though an outdated one, without a clear medical definition.

It was considered as a sort of collapse in the ability to fulfil one’s usual social roles. Being completely out of action – like a car broken down on the side of the road – due to a sudden and extreme mental health episode.

“Nervous system overload” is described in almost opposite terms. People may still able to go about their daily lives but feel more frazzled and sensitive, and less able to cope with the usual ups and downs.

Why is the nervous system having a moment?

Dysregulation of the nervous system has long been understood to be part of what goes wrong, biologically, in post-traumatic stress disorder.

But the nervous system – and its overload – seems to have become a mainstream self-help buzz word, particularly since the pandemic.

One reason could be rising awareness of the biological bases of emotions. There are physiological changes that are interpreted by the brain, which lead to the experience of emotions.

The recently debunked polyvagal theory has also risen in popularity. This theory posits evolutionary and neurophysiological explanations for the role of the vagus nerve in the autonomic nervous system, and is often referenced in relation to trauma.

While there aren’t many studies of therapies developed from polyvagal theory to know if they work, a recent consensus statement from 39 experts in related fields debunked the central premises of polyvagal theory.

More broadly, our fascination with the nervous system could be a move towards seeing distress as a brain or biological problem, rather than something based on our experience. Using medical-sounding term such as nervous system overload might feel easier than saying you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Using biological explanations for stress or mental ill-health can reduce stigma and shame but it also means problems can feel more long-lasting and outside our control.

There is also the risk of “concept creep”, where people extend diagnostic labels that are usually reserved for severe symptoms to relatively mild experiences. This can turn everyday problems into medical or psychiatric disorders.

Talking about “resetting the nervous system” can give the impression that something in the body is seriously wrong, even though ups and downs in our health and wellbeing are a normal part of being human.

You can’t reset the nervous system

“Nervous system resets” are described online as anything from deep breathing and time in nature to £13,000 (A$25,000) a day health retreats favoured by former British royals.

While there’s nothing wrong with any of these self-help strategies (or fancy health retreats), there’s no clear evidence that they can “reset” the nervous system or that such a thing is even possible.

So how can you actually manage stress?

Re-framing “nervous system overload” as chronic stress can help to identify some more affordable, evidence-based ways to cope.

Lifestyle interventions such as regular physical activity, adequate sleep and healthier diet patterns have all been shown to reduce chronic stress.

Mindfulness and meditation practices, which could include breathing exercises, can reduce cortisol (a stress hormone) levels in blood and saliva.

Time in nature has been shown to reduce other measures of stress such as blood pressure and self-reported stress.

Making or experiencing art – visual art, music, dance or drama – has also been shown to help with stress management and prevention.

For greater levels of distress, or for support implementing these kinds of methods, seek professional support. Psychologists are well-versed in using evidence-based therapies for helping people manage stress.

However, unlike a “reset”, sustainable change is usually gradual and requires ongoing effort. And prevention is key. If you can, reflect on how to make life more manageable over the long term before your body shows physical signs of distress.

Amy Loughman, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.