We used to think that maintaining a healthy weight was a simple equation. If you needed to lose weight, you were told to simply “eat less and exercise more.” 

These days, however, we know that it’s way more complicated than that. In fact, there are almost endless factors affecting our ability to lose weight, including underlying health conditions, food allergies, chronic stress, and gut microbiome issues—just to name a few. 

And all these barriers to weight loss have one thing in common: they produce chronic inflammation in the body.

The cycle of inflammation and weight gain 

The relationship between inflammation and weight gain is a complicated one. It appears that inflammation causes weight gain and weight gain causes inflammation, so they feed off each other in a vicious cycle that can be hard to break. For example, studies have suggested  that overeating triggers the immune system, which causes the body to generate excessive inflammation. 

Fat in and of itself causes inflammation, as one study concluded that an excess of macronutrients in adipose tissue stimulates the release of inflammatory mediators like tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin . Visceral fat—which is the name given to the particularly unhealthy fat that accumulates in the abdomen—has been shown to be even more active, producing inflammatory markers, triggering long-term inflammation, and increasing a person’s risk for inflammation-based chronic diseases, such as arteriosclerosis  and diabetes. 

If you’re surprised by how complicated this all seems, you’re not alone. It is complicated! Clearly, the “calos in, calories out” equation we were all taught as kids isn’t going to cut it anymore. When you dive deeper into the relationship between inflammation and weight gain it will inevitably lead you to the gut, which brings us to…

How alterations in gut health cause inflammation and weight gain 

As journalist James Hamlin wrote in an article  for The Atlantic, “The immune system determines levels of inflammation in the gut that are constantly shaping the way we digest food—how many calories get absorbed, and how many nutrients simply pass through.” He’s accurately trying to communicate that our gut really controls how we utilize the food we eat, how much inflammation is produced, and whether or not we gain weight, lose weight, or maintain our weight. Hamblin was also correct when he wrote that “the relationship between microbes and weight gain has long been overlooked in humans.” 

But research over the last few years has made the connection harder and harder to ignore; it’s now very clear that our gut microbiome plays a huge role in weight management. Studies have shown  that gut microbes in people that are overweight and obese are different from those found in people of a healthy weight. It’s thought that it’s these alterations that cause changes in the immune system that feed low-grade inflammation and trigger the metabolic changes that occur with obesity and diabetes. Unfortunately, the standard American diet is chock full of inflammatory foods like sugar, unhealthy fats, and grains that, when eaten too often, can lead to a damaged gut lining, which only adds fuel to the fire. 

Food allergies—such as those to dairy or gluten—can also be a trigger for the inflammatory response. If you don’t address underlying food sensitivities and allergies, it will be close to impossible to maintain a healthy weight. One study even showed  that with the help of an RD, 54% of overweight and 47% of obese individuals lost weight on a gluten-free diet. 

How inflammatory foods cause hunger, cravings, and changes in eating behavior 

Unfortunately, the connections between weight gain and inflammation continue even deeper. Inflammation in the gut can affect the hypothalamus, which is the part of the brain in charge of hunger signals. When this happens, your ability to know when you’re actually hungry and stop eating when you’re full is impaired resulting in something called leptin resistance 

Acting as the cherry on top, the bacteria in our gut also have the powerful ability to increase or decrease cravings,  which means the microbes living in our gut essentially tell us what to eat.  And if you have too many microbes that like to feed off of sugars and simple carbs, when you try to eat less of them, you’ll crave them more and more. That’s one of the many reasons why it’s so hard to detox the body from sugar. Pretty crazy (and scary), isn’t it? 

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