Can excessive exercise cause inflammation instead of weight loss?

Listen to Story In a recent interview, actor Vidya Balan opened up about her long-standing battle with weight gain, despite maintaining a regular exercise routine and a balanced diet. She revealed that underlying inflammation in her body contributed to her weight challenges. By prioritising a diet aimed at reducing inflammation and scaling back on excessive workouts, she was able to lose weight very quickly.

While inflammation can be caused by weight gain, it usually happens when your body doesn't get enough recovery time after vigorous exercise. WHAT IS INFLAMMATION AND HOW IS IT LINKED TO WEIGHT GAIN? Inflammation is the body's natural response to injury or infection. It helps protect and heal tissues but can become chronic if prolonged , leading to diseases like diabetes, heart conditions, and arthritis.

Factors like obesity and a poor diet can exacerbate inflammation. Research has shown that inflammation caused by excess body fat can contribute to a range of health issues. While both obesity and inflammation are distinct processes in the body, they are deeply interconnected, according to Dr Naval Mendiratta, Senior Consultant, Rheumatology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute Gurugram, who explained how obesity and inflammation influence each other and affect overall health.

"Obesity is a major cause of internal inflammation because of the excess white fat cells in the body. These cells release cytokines, chemicals that are typically part of the immune response, but in cas.