Chronic Inflammation Increases Risk of Heart Disease, and Most Likely Cancer, But An Anti-Inflammatory Diet Can Help Lower Your Risk. What is inflammation and how does it work? Inflammation can be short-lived or chronically persistent. Short-lived, or acute inflammation, is in response to an injury or infection from a virus or bacteria. This type of inflammation causes the body to make anti-inflammatory cells, as well as chemicals, that stop the inflammation at the site of injury. Here an anti-inflammatory diet can help with this acute inflammation. Chronic inflammation is inflammation that does not resolve on its own and persists. For whatever reason, the inflammatory cells and chemicals that are released when the injury occurs do not work against the inflammation. Chronic inflammation creates an environment that allows DNA damage to occur in healthy cells. If chronic inflammation is not resolved, this damaged DNA