Anti-inflammatory Eating

What is it?

“Anti-inflammatory diet” describes a broad eating pattern rather than one official menu. It usually emphasizes vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, fish, nuts, seeds and minimally processed foods. It often resembles a Mediterranean-style or plant-forward diet.

The goal is usually to support overall health and reduce long-term, low-grade inflammation. That is different from the short-term inflammation that helps the body respond to an injury or infection. A food pattern cannot diagnose the cause of a symptom or replace treatment for an inflammatory disease.

What the diet emphasizes and limits

Foods commonly emphasized include: vegetables and fruit, including leafy greens, tomatoes, okra, eggplant, squash and local seasonal produce; beans, lentils, monggo and other legumes; whole grains such as oats, brown rice, corn and whole-grain breads when tolerated; fish and seafood, especially oily fish; nuts, seeds and unsaturated oils such as olive, canola, or other locally available oils; and herbs, spices and water in place of sugary drinks.

Foods commonly limited include: sugary drinks and excess added sugar; refined grains and heavily processed snack foods; processed meats and frequent large portions of red meat; foods high in trans fat or excess saturated fat; and heavy alcohol use.

The pattern does not require one expensive “superfood.” It can be adapted to local foods, budget, culture, allergies and medical needs.

Where it came from

Researchers have long studied Mediterranean-style eating patterns because they contain many foods associated with better cardiovascular and metabolic health. Researchers also developed tools such as the Dietary Inflammatory Index, which estimates the inflammatory potential of an overall diet using nutrients and food components. These tools help organize research, but they do not prescribe one personal menu.

What the evidence says

Research generally supports the overall pattern more strongly than any individual ingredient. A 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials found that Mediterranean-style diets reduced some inflammatory markers, including interleukin-6 and interleukin-1 beta, while results for C-reactive protein were more variable.

A 2026 umbrella review reported that Mediterranean and vegetarian patterns may improve markers such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, but the certainty of evidence differed by outcome. A 2026 meta-analysis of 33 randomized trials also found reductions in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, although not every inflammatory marker changed consistently.

For diagnosed inflammatory diseases, results are mixed. In a randomized trial among people with rheumatoid arthritis, an anti-inflammatory diet did not significantly improve the primary disease-activity outcome, although some secondary measures were encouraging. This supports using a nutritious pattern as part of care, not treating it as a stand-alone cure.

Who may benefit and who should be careful

Adults who currently eat many ultra-processed foods or sugary drinks and few vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, or fish may benefit from moving toward this pattern. People with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or cardiovascular risk may also find it useful as part of an overall care plan.

People with arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, or another diagnosed condition should coordinate major changes with their healthcare team. Extra planning may be needed for kidney disease, food allergies, gastrointestinal symptoms, or diabetes treated with medication. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and childhood also call for adequate calories and nutrients rather than unnecessary restriction.

Takeaway

Anti-inflammatory eating is best understood as a flexible, plant-forward pattern that emphasizes minimally processed foods. The evidence is strongest for the overall pattern and for improvements in some biomarkers, while results vary by condition and outcome. It is more useful to build balanced meals that fit a person’s culture and resources than to follow a blacklist of supposedly inflammatory foods.