One thing we know for sure: if you’re lucky enough to age, it’ll eventually show on your body. It’s an inevitable truth, but that doesn’t stop people from wanting to look and feel their best for as long as possible. Recently, “inflammaging” has emerged as one of the internet’s more realistic prospects for aging more gracefully. Inflammaging – a concept often used in relation to the skin – looks at how chronic inflammation can accelerate the aging process. The idea is that reducing low levels of inflammation can ultimately have an impactful (and visible) effect on aging over time. But can decreasing chronic inflammation really turn back time?
For more information, we asked experts to explain the inflammaging basics – including some common causes and symptoms. Read on to learn how inflammation really affects the aging process, and what you can do about it (plus how to tell if you might be dealing with chronic inflammation yourself).
Experts Featured in This Article:
David Brady, ND, DC, CCN, is the chief medical officer at Designs for Health. He is a licensed naturopathic medical physician and board-certified in functional medicine and clinical nutrition.
Nidal Makhoul, MD, FACC, is a cardiologist and educator at Pritikin Longevity Center.
What Is Inflammaging?
The term “inflammaging,” or “inflamm-aging,” was originally used back in 2000, to reference how low-grade, chronic inflammation affects the aging process. According to David Brady, ND, DC, CCN, there are two kinds of inflammation: acute (the immune system’s short-term response to illness or injury) and chronic. Acute inflammation may present as heat, redness, pain, and swelling. Chronic inflammation occurs “when the body’s natural inflammatory response fails to turn off,” Dr. Brady says. “The natural aging process is accompanied by low-grade, chronic inflammation known as ‘inflammaging.'” Some causes of inflammaging include:
- Stress
- Changes to Microbiota Composition
- Alterations in the Immune System
- Leaky Gut Syndrome
- Exposure to Toxins
- Chronic Infection
- Poor Diet
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Lack of Sleep
- Sun Exposure
- Smoking
- Lack of Exercise
Is “Inflammaging” Legit?
Experts say that chronic inflammation can have a real effect on aging, and it’s more than just skin-deep. As explained by Nidal Makhoul, MD, the chemical, hormonal, and cellular mediators that respond to chronic inflammation “are toxic, and could accelerate disease processes and aging processes by affecting the DNA and [increasing] apoptosis (programmed cell death).”
Dr. Brady adds that inflammaging can also have detrimental effects on your muscles and cognitive abilities. “Inflammaging affects the musculoskeletal system, causing frailty and sarcopenia,” he says, referring to the reduction in muscle size and quantity. “Sarcopenia is associated with cardiac and respiratory diseases and cognitive decline.” That’s not to mention how inflammaging can affect skin health, damaging the skin barrier and potentially accelerating physical signs of aging such as wrinkles, redness, and irritation.
Aging will still occur no matter what – wrinkles and muscle loss included. But as noted in a study published in the Journal of Immunology Research, inflammaging is “a determinant of the speed of the aging process,” and “highly related” to diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, type II diabetes, osteoporosis, and even cancer.
How to Tell If You’re Dealing With Inflammaging
“Low-grade, chronic inflammation can manifest with various symptoms affecting multiple body systems,” Dr. Brady says. Because inflammaging specifically refers to how low-grade, chronic inflammation affects aging, it pays to know what this type of inflammation actually looks like. To see if you might be dealing with inflammaging yourself, here are some symptoms of low-grade, chronic inflammation:
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Body Pain
- Digestive Issues (constipation, diarrhea, acid reflux)
- Frequent or Persistent Infections
- Skin Problems (redness, dryness, irritation, hyperpigmentation)
- Mood Disorders
- Cognitive Impairment
- Cardiovascular Symptoms
- Joint Issues (pain, swelling, stiffness)
Note that chronic inflammation is also associated with several chronic illnesses, as well as autoimmune and neurological diseases. These conditions should be addressed by a healthcare professional for the best treatment and long-term care. “Identifying the presence of chronic inflammation through lab tests is important,” Dr. Brady adds. “In addition to signs and symptoms, blood tests such as a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), fibrinogen, serum amyloid A, and cytokines can identify the presence of chronic inflammation.”
Ways to Reduce Chronic Inflammation
You can’t stop the aging process indefinitely. But lowering chronic inflammation can help prevent accelerated aging and premature death, Dr. Makhoul says. To help prevent chronic inflammation responsible for inflammaging, Dr. Makhoul emphasizes treating diseases promptly and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This means eating lots of antioxidants (berries, tomatoes, artichokes, kale), avoiding free radicals, eliminating smoking, and getting the right amount of sleep and exercise.
Diet and lifestyle is another big part of reducing chronic inflammation, Dr. Brady explains, pointing to anti-inflammatory foods commonly seen in the Mediterranean diet, including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish. “Lifestyle modifications such as physical exercise, mind-body therapies, improved sleep, and developing a social community have been shown to reduce markers of inflammation,” he says. To help with muscle loss from chronic inflammation, Dr. Brady also recommends resistance training, which can improve inflammatory status and muscle strength.
Chandler Plante is an assistant editor for PS Health & Fitness. Previously, she worked as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributed to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group. In her free time, she overshares on the internet, creating content about chronic illness, beauty, and disability.
