Inflammation & Fatigue: Is Chronic Inflammation Holding You Back?

Could inflammation be the reason you feel sluggish or achy without a clear explanation?

You eat well, exercise, and do your best to stay healthy—so why do you still feel tired or just a bit ‘off’? The answer could be chronic inflammation, the hidden issue behind many modern health problems.

While inflammation is a natural defence mechanism, when it becomes chronic, it can silently contribute to symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, and even weight gain—without you even realising it.

So, how do you know if inflammation is affecting you? And what can you do about it? Let’s look at how you can take control with simple lifestyle changes, debunk some common myths, and talk about the powerful role of Omega-3 and testing.

What Is Inflammation? (And Why It’s a Problem)

Inflammation isn’t always bad. In fact, it’s your body’s way of protecting itself when you get injured or sick. But problems arise when this short-term defence system stays switched on permanently, leading to chronic inflammation, something many people unknowingly live with every day.

What causes chronic inflammation?

• A diet high in processed foods and poor quality fats

• Stress, overworking and lack of sleep

• Poor Omega-3 to Omega-6 balance (more on this later!)

• A sedentary lifestyle

• Toxin exposure

When inflammation becomes long-term, it can contribute to fatigue, poor digestion, joint pain, skin issues and even increase the risk of more serious conditions like heart disease and autoimmune disorders.

5 Signs Your Body Might Be Inflamed

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms regularly, chronic inflammation could be something to look into:

• Constant Fatigue: Feeling tired no matter how much you sleep? Chronic inflammation puts extra stress on your body, leading to energy crashes and fatigue.

• Achy Joints or Muscle Pain: Inflammation can trigger aches, stiffness, and slow recovery from workouts.

• Brain Fog & Low Mood: Trouble concentrating or feeling more anxious than usual? Inflammation impacts brain function and neurotransmitters, which regulate mood and focus.

• Digestive Issues: Bloating, IBS-like symptoms, or sluggish digestion can be linked to inflammation in the gut.

• Skin Problems (Acne, Eczema, Redness): Your skin is often a reflection of what’s happening internally, and inflammation plays a major role in flare-ups, breakouts, and dryness.

• Hormonal imbalances and infertility: Your hormones being out of whack, especially when it comes to inflammatory conditions like endometriosis, and the menopause (when inflammation rises as oestrogen drops).

The Truth About Inflammation: 3 Myths We Hear all the Time

❌ Myth #1: "Inflammation is always bad."
Not true! Acute inflammation (like when you cut your finger) is necessary for healing. The issue is when it becomes chronic. It’s a constant, low-grade state of stress that can impact every aspect of health from digestion to skin problems to immunity.

❌ Myth #2: "Only unhealthy people have inflammation."
Even those who eat well and exercise can suffer from chronic inflammation—especially if their Omega-6 to Omega-3 balance is off. Testing is essential to truly understand your body’s inflammatory state. In fact, we’ve seen even the healthiest individuals show signs of inflammation!

❌ Myth #3: "I take Omega-3 supplements, so I’m covered."
Not necessarily! Without testing, you don’t know if your body is absorbing Omega-3s properly or you’re a taking the right omega 3 supplement. Many people assume they’re getting enough, yet still show high inflammation levels.

The Omega-3 Connection (And Why It Matters More Than You Think!)

Omega 3 plays a key role in reducing inflammation, supporting brain function, improving heart health, hormone health and even enhancing mood and concentration. One of the biggest drivers of chronic inflammation is an imbalance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. 

Modern diets are way too high in Omega-6 (from vegetable oils, processed foods, grain-fed animal meats and grains), which fuels inflammation. Omega-3s, found in fatty fish and high quality supplements, help counteract this imbalance.

But the challenge? People are consuming less Omega-3 than ever before. Concerns over ocean pollution, poor quality farmed fish, and rising food costs mean many aren’t getting enough.

How to Get Enough Omega-3:

Opt for a clean, toxin-free fish oil like Pure & Wild Omega-3 and eat wild caught salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, and herring a few times a week. Even just once or twice weekly, topped up with a good supplement, can make a big difference.

For Vegans: Choose a high quality Omega-3 algae supplement containing EPA & DHA, the true anti-inflammatory components of Omega-3. While plantbased sources like chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, and perilla oil contain ALA (a precursor to Omega-3), conversion rates to EPA/DHA are low, making supplementation essential.

Aside from omega 3, some of the other best anti-inflammatory foods include blueberries, leafy greens, turmeric, ginger, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocado. A varied diet with a good balance of these foods is fantastic for reducing inflammation.

How Zinzino Blood Testing Can Help:

Zinzino are pioneers in test based, personalised nutrition, having tested over 1 million people for inflammation. Shockingly, 97% were imbalanced! Even elite athletes with seemingly perfect health had underlying inflammation.

A Zinzino blood test takes the guesswork out, measuring your Omega-3 and Omega-6 levels to find out if your body is inflamed. It’s a simple at home test that provides real, personalised data so you can take the necessary action.

Why Test? Seeing your results on paper motivates real change. As people, we like to see the proof. Once you understand your levels, take action, and see improvement, you’ll be driven to maintain those lifestyle changes for life.

We’ve worked with Zinzino for over a year, and the transformations we’ve seen in our clients have been incredible. If others can do it, why not you? We understand everything is an investment, but the investment in your health is the best one you could ever make.

A Holistic Approach to Your Best Health:

It’s no surprise inflammation is on the rise, not just due to lack of Omega-3, but also modern day stressors. Chronic stress, rushed meals, poor sleep, and high workloads all contribute to inflammation.

When we start to look at the body as a whole, that’s when we get results. Here is our step to step guide for results. 

Step 1: Test your inflammation levels with a Zinzino test.

Step 2: Identify your triggers - is it diet, lack of sleep, stress? You probably already know the answer to this. 

Step 3: Take action. Improve your omega 3 intake, sleep, stress management and lifestyle habits. 

Step 4: Retest & track your progress – Zinzino offers the option to retest so you can see the real results of your efforts.

The lessons you’ll learn will transform your health forever, giving you the tools to maintain vitality, energy, and balance for life. And we can’t wait to help you get there!