You don’t need visible swelling or pain to be inflamed. In fact, some of the most damaging inflammation in the body is systemic, low-grade, and hard to detect through standard labs.
We call it silent inflammation. And for many people, it’s a hidden driver of fatigue, weight gain, poor recovery, and even early aging.
At Catalyst, we test for and address silent inflammation as part of every protocol, because optimizing performance starts with reducing the drag on your system.
What Is Silent Inflammation?
Silent inflammation (also known as chronic low-grade inflammation) is your immune system being stuck in “on” mode.
It’s not enough to trigger a fever or acute symptoms, but it quietly disrupts your hormones, metabolism, and recovery systems. Over time, this constant immune activity wears down your body’s ability to function efficiently.
How It Affects Energy, Weight, and Recovery
Silent inflammation interferes with:
Cellular Energy Production: Inflammation reduces mitochondrial efficiency, the energy engines of your cells - leaving you tired even with adequate sleep.
Insulin Sensitivity: Chronic inflammation makes your body less responsive to insulin, increasing blood sugar swings and promoting fat storage.
Hormonal Balance: Inflammatory cytokines can suppress testosterone and growth hormone, while raising cortisol. This leads to worse body composition and slower recovery.
Tissue Repair and Recovery: Elevated CRP and cytokines impair healing and regeneration, whether it’s from training, illness, or surgery.
Sleep Quality: Inflammatory signals can interfere with sleep architecture, making you more likely to wake up tired.
What Causes It?
Silent inflammation has many triggers, and they vary person to person. Common culprits include:
Poor blood sugar control or frequent glucose spikes
Visceral fat (especially around the belly)
Food sensitivities and poor gut health
Chronic stress and poor sleep
Environmental toxins and oxidative stress
Nutrient deficiencies (like omega-3, magnesium, or vitamin D)
This is why generic protocols don’t work. You need to know your drivers.
How Catalyst Tests for It
We don’t rely on basic labs alone. Our intake panel includes over 65 markers: covering metabolic function, immune signaling, oxidative stress, and nutrient balance.
Key inflammation indicators we test include:
hs-CRP
ESR
Ferritin
White count differentials
We also interpret these alongside hormone, metabolic, and recovery markers to understand how inflammation is impacting all of the various body systems.
How We Treat It
We don’t chase numbers, we fix the underlying dysfunction. That might include:
Anti-inflammatory nutrition, personalized to your glucose and microbiome response
Stress and recovery protocols, including breathwork, HRV tracking, or red light therapy
Supplements, like omega-3s, curcumin, berberine, or glutathione (only if needed)
Peptides, in certain cases, to support tissue repair or immune modulation
Hormone support, if inflammation has disrupted key pathways
Everything is data-driven and tracked over time.
How You’ll Feel When It’s Addressed
Energy levels return (especially in the morning)
Less bloating, easier fat loss, and better glucose control
Faster recovery between workouts
Clearer thinking and better sleep
Lower risk of chronic disease over time
Want to Know If Inflammation Is Holding You Back?
If you feel tired despite sleeping, struggle to lose weight, or hit a plateau despite “doing everything right,” silent inflammation might be the missing piece.
