Inflammaging and ageing




Inflammaging and ageing


Speaking directly, the term "Inflammaging" is derived from two terms linked together i.e., "inflammation" and "ageing". Are these two terms really related to each other? Yes, they are.

Inflammation is the body's natural way of reacting to external stimuli like toxins, physical injury, infection, or illness. In other words, it is an important part of body's immune mechanism and a way to protect the body from these harmful external stimuli. When we talk about this protective nature of inflammation and the beneficial part of it, it is usually short lived (acute) and usually in the form of full-blown immune response (example: fever in response to infection). When this inflammation is chronic in nature and low-grade in quantum, it becomes damaging in nature rather than protective. This low-grade chronic inflammation can damage cells, tissues, organs and can be degenerative in nature. Lifestyle choices and other factors can result into this type of low-grade chronic inflammation, which is usually the root of many chronic age-related disorders like Alzheimer's, atherosclerosis, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, age related macular degeneration, type-2 diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer and other diseases. Simple lifestyle choices like processed foods, which contain a lot of added sugar, preservatives and conservatives can also lead to this chronic low- grade inflammation, if consumed regularly. This low grade, chronic inflammation is also a natural part of ageing. So, addition of these external factors which can enhance this type of inflammation can lead to acceleration of the natural ageing process. Inflammaging is the term that describes this process clearly. With age, the damaged cells increase due to increased inflammatory responses and decreased elimination. Also, with age the oral and intestinal bacteria produce harmful substances which can leak to surrounding tissues and cause damage. All these factors along with the natural changes involved in the process of ageing, can significantly contribute to accelerated ageing. Whatever be the source, Inflammaging is rightly identified as an important determinant of the speed of ageing. All these sum o the fact that Inflammaging accelerates the process of ageing and death and can significantly impact longevity and quality of life.


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