Inflammaging is aging you!

Here’s how to stop it

Inflammation is a normal part of our immune system and essential to our wellbeing, but it can be extremely harmful when it goes unchecked and becomes chronic. You may be thinking, “So, what has this got to do with Aging?” Nowhere is chronic inflammation more apparent than in aging. Old cells secrete a huge amount of pro-inflammatory chemicals that cause damage. A crucial strategy to mitigate decline, is to minimise this inflammation.

Why do some people age faster and worse than others? A lifetime of living leads to numerous deteriorations in the body. A lifetime of truly bad choices accelerates this deterioration. Although with the passing years, we experience bodily wear and tear, time does not affect us all uniformly. Aging is a complex process that results from the combined effects of several factors, of which three are key: cell death, DNA damage and mostly inflammation.

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When the brain detects a foreign object, a virus, bacteria, chemical, toxin or injury, inflammation kicks in, which mobilises special cells. These inflammatory cells secrete proteins called cytokines which work to neutralise the harmful trigger. The process continues until the danger is gone and then switches off. However, sometimes the body continues to send out inflammatory cells, long after the danger has passed and never switches off. These excess chemicals attack the body’s own healthy tissue causing a myriad of unpleasant long-term problems. The bad news is that just being older means increased inflammation. A universal feature of physiological ageing is an increase in circulating levels of these pro-inflammatory cytokines. Low Grade Chronic Inflammation (LGCI) is a central hallmark of aging and the worse the inflammation the worse the aging process. Inflammaging is the term commonly used, and was first described by Professor Claudio Franceschi, Professor of Immunology at the University of Bologna. As we age, this inflammatory process serves no purpose and exacerbates damage and deterioration. Attempting to combat inflammation is a key strategy in longevity and successful aging. There is no specific treatment or magic bullet to reduce LGCI.

Research in this field has attracted the attention of academics, all searching for medications or therapies. Presently none of the pharmaceutical agents with anti- inflammatory effects such as statins (used for high cholesterol), aspirin or antidiabetic medication are approved or effective for treatment of persistent LGCI. The good news is that lifestyle behavioural interventions have powerful benefits and clinically verified effects that can prevent and even reverse some of this inflammaging.

Here are six highly effective strategies

1. Anti-inflammatory nutrition. Highly processed foods containing artificial substances, chemicals and stabilisers exacerbate inflammation. Ensure at least 80% of your diet is abundant in fresh vegetables, fruit, seeds, good quality fats and proteins. Examples of anti -inflammatory food include avocado, cruciferous green vegetables such as spinach broccoli and kale, fatty fish, berries, olive oil amongst others.

2. Physical activity is the closest to the ‘magic bullet’ in reducing inflammation. A recent article published in Nature (one of the most prestigious scientific journals) looking at four different longitudinal studies revealed that cardio and strength training resulted in significant decreases in inflammatory cells markers such a cytokines, Interleukin- 6 and CRP (C-reactive protein).

3. Caloric restriction. There is good science demonstrating that this may be an effective technique. Some intermittent fasting or cutting back on excessive intake of calories on some days reduces LGCI. Restriction of food intake is a robust means of increasing longevity and delaying onset of illnesses. The abdominal fat around internal organs is the site of activation of many inflammatory processes. Reducing this is a powerful strategy.

   

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4. The microbiome is the bacterial environment of your digestive tract. Maintaining a balance of good bacteria in the gut has been shown to be a key player in reducing inflammation. Increasing intake of probiotics in the form of live culture yoghurt, miso, apples and fermented foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut -is a good start.

5. Micronutrients. Vitamin D has emerged as a key modulator of a range of immune functions. Zinc is a trace element that seems to suppress the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. A significant proportion of older adults have low serum zinc and vitamin D levels. Consider supplementing these.

6. Stress Relief. Chronic emotional and mental stress accelerates premature aging by shortening strands of DNA called telomeres. Meditation and mindfulness don’t just calm the mind – they seem to affect our DNA too. A landmark 2017 review in “Frontiers in Immunology” across twenty randomised controlled trials and more than 1600 participants, suggest positive effects on specific markers of inflammation- a powerful tool against biological cellular inflammaging.