Fitness is just as important as diet in controlling inflammation in the body. Cardiovascular and muscle toning exercises help reduce overall body fat. In turn, when a person has less fat cells, the amount of inflammatory cytokines released in their bloodstream reduces as well – leading to less inflammation.

“Fitness is vitally important in the control of inflammation,” said Stanton. “Reducing fat and increasing lean muscle mass enables the body to process sugar, a highly inflammatory substance, more effectively.”