Figure 4.

Factors contributing to chronic, non-resolving inflammation and disease. Numerous environmental and biological factors can conspire to contribute to chronic inflammation, including stress, adiposity, dietary intake, the bacterial composition of the gut microbiota, and the relative balance of T-cell subpopulations, including proinflammatory Th-17 cells and anti-inflammatory T regs. Through both epidemiologic and mechanistic studies, chronic inflammation, in turn, is now recognized to be a common pathway to pathology, having a role in a diverse set of illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and depression. Strategies targeting these contributors to chronic inflammation represent an important approach to the prevention and treatment of these diseases.