Inflammation is called the silent killer because it can cause damage to the body over time without being noticed, but looking at what most Americans eat can give a good indication it's already waiting to be noticed. A new study from Ohio State researchers shows nearly 60 percent of Americans have a pro-inflammatory diet.

This can lead to a cascade of health problems such as heart disease and cancer. But the scientists who used a tool designed to examine inflammation in the diet are sounding the alarm.

The tool they used is called the dietary inflammatory index, which uses 45 dietary components to calculate the amount of inflammation in a person's diet. The study looked at what 34,500 adults ate based on self-reported forms from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Using a scale from -9 to 8 with 0 being considered a neutral diet, the data showed 34 percent had an anti-inflammatory diet and 9 percent had a neutral diet in terms of inflammation.

"Overall, 57% of U.S. adults have a pro-inflammatory diet and that number was higher for Black Americans, men, younger adults and people with lower education and income," said lead author Rachel Meadows, visiting faculty in Ohio State University's College of Public Health.

Meadows said previous dietary measures looked at intake from certain food groups and compared that to national diet recommendations, but it wasn't doing enough to consider inflammation.

"But inflammation is an important element to consider and the overall balance of diet is most important," Meadows said. "Even if you're eating enough fruits or vegetables, if you're having too much alcohol or red meat, then your overall diet can still be pro-inflammatory."

Meadows suggested instead of labeling some foods as bad, it might be better to think in terms of how anti-inflammatory foods can boost health. Some examples she gave include adding more garlic, ginger, turmeric and green and black tea to your diet. Other examples she gave are whole grains, green leafy vegetables, legumes, fatty fish and berries.

"Moving toward a diet with less inflammation could have a positive impact on a number of chronic conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even depression and other mental health conditions," Meadows said. "There are a lot of factors that contribute to chronic inflammation, and they all interact—even sleep is a key component. Diet can be used as a tool to combat that."

Click here to read more in the journal Public Health Nutrition.