Systemic Inflammation Is a Big Deal. And Lifestyle Matters.

We often think of cardiovascular risk in terms of cholesterol, blood pressure, or genetics. But a massive new study of nearly 500,000 UK Biobank participants puts another factor squarely in the spotlight: chronic systemic inflammation.

Researchers measured inflammation primarily using GlycA, a blood-based marker of chronic inflammation, and found that people in the highest fifth had a 43% greater risk of major adverse cardiovascular events than those in the lowest fifth. Higher inflammation was also associated with changes in heart structure and function. Importantly, the investigators performed parallel analyses using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), the most widely studied inflammatory blood biomarker, and observed similar associations with cardiovascular outcomes.

But perhaps the most encouraging finding is what appears to shape that inflammation. Body fat distribution, smoking, psychological factors, and socioeconomic conditions showed some of the strongest relationships. In the other direction, greater physical activity and healthier diet were associated with lower systemic inflammation.

Genes still matter. In fact, the study showed that genetic susceptibility can influence how strongly people respond to environmental exposures. But the larger message is encouraging: your inflammatory physiology is not dictated by genetics alone. Many of the factors associated with it are things we can influence – including what we eat.

That is part of the problem Quellios is working to solve. If chronic systemic inflammation is clinically meaningful, and diet is one of the everyday factors associated with it, then simply telling everyone to “eat healthy” leaves an important question unanswered: Which foods actually work best for you? Quellios is developing bio-optical tools to help track inflammatory physiology, alongside individual food responses, with the goal of helping people identify eating patterns that may help lower their inflammatory burden over time.

This study is observational, so it does not prove that changing a particular food will lower inflammation or prevent a cardiovascular event. But across nearly half a million people, the picture is hard to ignore: systemic inflammation is strongly associated with cardiovascular risk, and many of the factors associated with inflammation are modifiable.

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Quellios is for people who want to learn how their body responds to the foods they eat, using personalized physiological signals rather than assumptions or generic nutrition advice. Our vision is a world where people can better understand and manage inflammation and digestive wellness through individualized insight.

You can join our early access program on the website, follow along for updates, and be among the first to try Snap & Sense.