The truth about inflammaging in middle age
Ageing isn't just about wrinkles!
You might be wondering whether "inflammaging" is some sort of typo on my part. It isn't. It's the name for the chronic low level of inflammation that often accompanies getting older.
It isn't caused by a specific injury or illness; affects both the body and brain; and is persistent and sneaky.
You might think of it like a small fire that starts somewhere and then spreads, never quite going out. Just burning away.
Why should we care about inflammaging?
It's a significant risk factor for diabetes, cardio vascular disease and dementia, which it causes by gradually damaging tissues. And, it also contributes to:
- osteoarthritis (break down of joint cartilage leading to pain)
- sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss); and
- osteopenia (loss of bone density leading to fractures and breaks).
So, yeah, worth caring about, I think.
What causes inflammaging?
Inflammaging as a concept was first discussed in a paper in 2000 (paper can be read below). The concept was pretty revolutionary, and I'm going to try and summarise it.
Essentially, your immune system works throughout your life to protect you from injuries and illnesses, including cancer. It's an adaptive process where the system "learns" - it gets exposed to a new stressor, works out what the appropriate response is and applies it. So the next time that stressor appears, boom, it's on like Donkey Kong.
This means it's constantly adapting and changing.
Maladaptation of immune system
However, it may get to a point where it's simply absorbed all the stresses and threats it can manage. At that point, it starts to instigate the inflammatory response without there being a reason for it, or indeed anything for it to deal with and is then said to be "maladpative". This point is different for everyone and determined both by genetics and environment.
Cell senescence
At the same time, all cells in the body have a lifespan. Once they've reached the end of that lifespan, they stop dividing to create new cells. When this happens, the immune system should, step in to tidy them away. But if it's in a maladaptive state, it stops clearing them away and the cells build up, causing further inflammation.
Gut dysbiosis
And finally, where the gut has more of the bad microbes and fewer of the good ones, it can be said to be in "dysbiosis" and this is also inflammatory.
How they act together..
So we've got different reasons for inflammation going on that create a vicious circle where each one creates more inflammation with nowhere to go. And when that happens, the inflammatory cells start attacking the body instead of protecting it => diabetes, CV disease, ostearthritis, sarcopenia etc.
Oh, and by the way, oestrogen is highly anti-inflammatory. So when we experience menopause and levels drop, we also lose that added protection.
Does this mean there's nothing we can do about it?
We absolutely can do something about this. I mean, obvs, you can't change your genetics but you can change your environment.
1. Put your body under good stress and reduce bad stress.
Exercise is a good stressor because it triggers adaptive responses that improve resilience (growth of CV and skeletal muscle, and of bone cells), as well as helping to reduce stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.
Bad stressors include mental stress. I've written loads about this before, so feel free to head down to the "lower cortisol" link below.
Also, sorry, but alcohol's a bad stressor. If you're a member of the "wine o'clock" club, please consider reducing your intake.
2. Improve gut health
The gut is an integral part of our immune system and we need to keep it as happy as possible.
✅ Lots of fibre to feed the good microbes - beans, pulses, wholegrains
✅ Lots of different coloured foods to provide the building blocks, vitamins and minerals for all our body's activities
✅ Swap processed foods for whole foods
3. Minimise infections
Keep your vaccinations up to date. And if you get offered a shingles vaccination, take it - it's a very strong protector against dementias! Maintain good hand and dental hygiene, and if you've got a cold or infection, consider others and wear a mask in public places.
4. Remember that your body's a whole system
Change one thing and you change everything. This means that you don't have to do all the things at once - that in itself would be stressful. But perhaps pick one thing to improve.
If you're interested in any of these topics, you'll find around 120 blogs right here. I've picked out some below that will give you more info on all the topics covered.
But if there's a topic that you'd like to hear more about, please shout!!
Read more:
The birth of inflammaging (paper)
3 FAQs before starting exercise
Add these powerful anti-aging habits
Gut dysbiosis and the immune system
