Genes That Affect Inflammation

Inflammation is a natural body defence mechanism and an important part of the normal immune response; it protects you from infections and helps with tissue repair after an injury. Your health and well-being is critically dependent on this inflammatory response being well regulated and operating correctly.

Ideally, when you get sick or injured you want a strong inflammatory response that ensures you deal effectively with any infection or injury, but then settles down. You do not want an inflammatory response that is overly aggressive as this can lead to more inflammation, tissue destruction, muscle wastage, and bone loss. Genetically, some people are more likely to have this overly aggressive inflammatory response.

You also do not want a state of chronic inflammation. Elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines are associated with many chronic diseases: cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, periodontal disease and many autoimmune diseases.

Pro-inflammatory Cytokines – Advanced Health

1	IL-1α-1	Produced in response to tissue injury. Associated with many auto-immune diseases. Triggers IL-6, IL-8, TNFα. Orange dot and particularly red dot indicate increased production of IL-1α and increased risk of inflammation.	TC
2	IL-1α-2		GT
3	IL-1-β		AG
4	IL-6	Increases in response to infection, trauma or stress. Body fat produces IL-6. Associated with many auto-immune diseases. Main trigger of CRP. Green dot indicates increased production of IL-6 and increased risk of inflammation. Red dot has other clinical implications. IL-6 can be both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory, depending on bio-markers, such as waist circumference and body fat mass.	G
5	IL-8	Produced early in the inflammatory response and controls activity of white blood cells / neutrophils. Persists for weeks once released. Triggered by IL-1α, IL-1β and TNFα. Orange dot and particularly red dot indicate increased production of IL-8 and increased risk of inflammation.	TA
6	IL-18	Triggers TNFα and decreases production of anti-inflammatory IL-10. Orange dot and particularly red dot indicate increased production of IL-18 and increased risk of inflammation.	T
7	TNFα	Immune system produces TNFα to kill bacteria, viruses and parasites. Body fat produces TNFα. Triggers CRP, COX-2, IL-6, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-8. Orange dot and particularly red dot indicate increased production of TNFα and increased risk of inflammation.	GA
8	CRP-1	Elevated CRP indicates systemic, chronic inflammation. Associated with many chronic diseases. Triggered mainly by IL-6. Orange dot and particularly red dot indicate increased production of CRP and increased risk of inflammation.	TC
9	CRP-2		A
10	COX-2-1	COX-2 is the main enzyme that converts arachidonic acid into pro-inflammatory prostaglandins. Orange dot and particularly red dot indicate increased production of COX-2 and increased risk of inflammation.	G
11	COX-2-2		A

Anti-inflammatory Cytokines – Advanced Health

Your body produces anti-inflammatory cytokines to ensure your inflammatory response remains controlled. Genetically, some people do not produce good levels of these anti-inflammatory cytokines and are unable to control their inflammatory response, and are more likely to end up with chronic inflammation.

Body fat produces a range of inflammatory cytokines. The more body fat you have, the more inflamed you become. The production of these inflammatory cytokines from body fat contributes to many of the risk factors associated with being overweight.

12	IL-10-1	Immune regulating cytokine. Inhibits the pro-inflammatory IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNFα. Orange dot and particularly red dot indicate decreased production of IL-10 and increased risk of inflammation.	A
13	IL-10-2		C
14	IL-10-3		C