Is paleo inflammatory? Separating fact from fiction about the ancestral diet

October 1, 2025 •

4 min read

According to a 2022 meta-analysis, the Paleo diet was identified as the most effective diet for reducing biomarkers of inflammation and chronic disease among 16 popular eating plans. Yet, the question persists: is paleo inflammatory, or is this a misunderstanding of how dietary choices affect individuals differently?

Quick Summary

The Paleo diet is generally considered anti-inflammatory, thanks to its elimination of processed foods, grains, and dairy. However, individual sensitivities, especially concerning autoimmune conditions, can necessitate a stricter approach like the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) to manage specific triggers and reduce inflammation effectively.

Key Points

Paleo's Anti-Inflammatory Base: The Paleo diet is generally anti-inflammatory by design, eliminating processed foods, sugar, and grains, which are common triggers of chronic inflammation.
Individual Reactions Vary: Some individuals, particularly those with autoimmune conditions, may experience inflammatory reactions to foods allowed on a standard Paleo plan, such as eggs or nightshades.
AIP is a Stricter Option: The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet is a more restrictive, extended version of Paleo specifically designed to identify and eliminate specific inflammatory triggers for those with autoimmune disorders.
Focus on Whole Foods: Both Paleo and AIP emphasize nutrient-dense, whole foods rich in antioxidants and healthy fats, which helps lower inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP).
Personalization is Key: The right approach to inflammation depends on the individual. Consulting a healthcare professional is recommended to determine specific sensitivities and ensure a balanced dietary strategy.
Nutrient Monitoring is Important: Eliminating major food groups like grains and dairy requires careful planning to avoid potential nutrient deficiencies, such as calcium and fiber, that could indirectly impact health.

The Link Between Diet and Chronic Inflammation

Inflammation is the body's natural response to protect against injury and infection. Acute inflammation is a temporary, necessary process, but when it becomes chronic, it can contribute to a host of health problems, including heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and cancer. Modern Western diets, characterized by high intake of refined carbohydrates, processed sugars, unhealthy fats, and processed foods, are widely understood to promote a pro-inflammatory state. The Paleo diet proposes that returning to the unprocessed, whole foods that our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate can correct these modern dietary imbalances and, as a result, reduce chronic inflammation.

The Anti-Inflammatory Power of the Paleo Diet

Several mechanisms explain why the Paleo diet is fundamentally anti-inflammatory for most people. By avoiding modern processed foods, the diet targets and removes many key culprits of inflammation.

Eliminating Pro-Inflammatory Foods

One of the main reasons the Paleo diet is associated with lower inflammation is its strict avoidance of certain food groups that can trigger inflammatory responses in the body. These typically include:

Grains: Grains, especially those containing gluten like wheat, can promote inflammation in sensitive individuals due to compounds like gliadin, which can increase intestinal permeability, or "leaky gut".
Legumes: Beans, lentils, and peanuts contain antinutrients like phytic acid and lectins, which can trigger immune responses and impair nutrient absorption for some people.
Dairy Products: A significant number of people are sensitive or intolerant to dairy proteins (casein, whey) and lactose, which can trigger inflammatory reactions.
Refined Sugar and Processed Foods: These items cause rapid spikes in blood sugar and trigger inflammatory messengers called cytokines.
Unhealthy Fats: Vegetable oils high in omega-6 fatty acids, trans fats, and hydrogenated oils can disrupt the body's omega-3 to omega-6 balance, leading to increased inflammation.

Emphasizing Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients

In addition to removing inflammatory foods, the Paleo diet actively promotes the intake of foods rich in anti-inflammatory compounds. This includes:

Fruits and Vegetables: Abundant in antioxidants and phytonutrients that help protect the body from oxidative stress and reduce inflammation.
Healthy Fats: The diet favors healthy, unsaturated fats from sources like olive oil, avocado oil, nuts, and seeds, which help support an anti-inflammatory environment.
Omega-3 Rich Fish: Fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel are excellent sources of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.
Lean, Quality Protein: Sourcing lean, grass-fed meats is encouraged to provide protein without excess saturated fat, which can be pro-inflammatory.

Is Paleo Inflammatory for Certain Individuals?

While the general framework of the Paleo diet is anti-inflammatory, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. For certain individuals, the diet's standard protocols may not be enough, or some of the allowed foods could still trigger an inflammatory response.

Autoimmune Conditions and the AIP Protocol

For individuals with autoimmune diseases, where the body's immune system attacks its own healthy tissues, a more restrictive approach is often necessary. This leads to the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet, which starts with the Paleo framework but eliminates additional potential triggers during an elimination phase. These extra restrictions can include:

Nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, white potatoes)
Eggs
Nuts and seeds
Certain spices

This highlights that even for a typically anti-inflammatory diet, personalization is crucial based on individual sensitivities. After a period of elimination, foods are reintroduced systematically to identify specific triggers.

Nutrient Considerations

Some critics of the Paleo diet point out that eliminating entire food groups like grains and dairy can lead to nutrient deficiencies if not carefully planned. Grains and dairy are common sources of calcium, vitamin D, and fiber. A deficiency in these nutrients could, in turn, affect overall health and potentially contribute to issues that cause low-grade inflammation.

Comparison: Paleo vs. AIP for Inflammation Management

Understanding the key differences between the standard Paleo diet and the stricter Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) is crucial for those managing chronic inflammation.


Feature	Paleo Diet	Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Diet
Primary Goal	General health improvement and reduction of chronic inflammation	Management of autoimmune symptoms by healing the gut and identifying food triggers
Food Exclusions	Grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar, most processed foods	All Paleo exclusions, plus eggs, nuts, seeds, nightshades, and certain spices
Focus	Whole, nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods	Nutrient density and gut healing; relies on a structured elimination and reintroduction phase
Flexibility	More flexible; allows nuts, seeds, eggs, and nightshades	Highly restrictive during the initial elimination phase
Who It's For	The general population aiming to reduce inflammation and improve diet	Individuals with diagnosed or suspected autoimmune conditions or severe inflammation

Conclusion: The Nuanced Verdict on Paleo and Inflammation

To answer the question, 'Is paleo inflammatory?': for the majority of people, the standard Paleo diet is not inflammatory. By eliminating key drivers of inflammation—processed foods, refined sugars, and unhealthy fats—and focusing on whole, nutrient-dense options, the diet can lead to a significant reduction in chronic inflammation. However, the picture becomes more complex when considering individual health status, especially autoimmune conditions. In these cases, a stricter protocol like AIP is often necessary to pinpoint and eliminate specific triggers. The effectiveness of the diet is highly personalized, and for those with underlying inflammatory conditions, a careful and systematic approach is required. Always consult a healthcare professional or registered dietitian before beginning a new dietary plan, especially a restrictive one, to ensure nutritional needs are met and the approach is tailored to your specific health requirements.

An anti-inflammatory approach to eating, whether through Paleo or a personalized version, can be a powerful tool for managing health, but it is not a cure-all. Combining a thoughtful diet with other healthy lifestyle choices, like exercise, adequate sleep, and stress management, is the most comprehensive strategy for long-term well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, the standard Paleo diet is generally considered anti-inflammatory. It removes common inflammatory culprits like processed foods, refined sugars, and unhealthy fats, replacing them with whole, nutrient-dense foods.

The Paleo diet emphasizes a variety of foods that fight inflammation, including antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish (e.g., salmon), and healthy fats from nuts, seeds, and oils like olive and avocado.

The main inflammatory foods eliminated on Paleo are grains, legumes, dairy, processed foods, refined sugars, and vegetable oils high in omega-6 fatty acids.

Individuals with autoimmune diseases or severe food sensitivities may find that even certain foods allowed on a standard Paleo diet, like eggs, nuts, or nightshade vegetables, can be inflammatory triggers.

AIP is a stricter version of the Paleo diet designed specifically to manage autoimmune disease symptoms. It involves a temporary elimination of additional foods, such as nightshades, eggs, and nuts, followed by a reintroduction phase to identify personal triggers.

Some concerns exist that very high consumption of fatty meats could lead to increased cholesterol. The Paleo diet encourages lean, grass-fed, or wild-caught protein sources over high-fat cuts to minimize this risk.

For those with specific sensitivities, a structured elimination and reintroduction process is the most effective method. This involves removing suspect foods for a period and then reintroducing them one at a time while monitoring symptoms, as is done in the AIP diet.