Inflammaging: A Guide to Age-Related Inflammation

Have you heard about inflammation? It is virtually impossible to scroll through social media, read the latest headlines, or even talk to your doctor without discussing the implications of inflammation. 

Inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury and infection and serves an important purpose in the healing process. However, over time, the immune system begins to produce irregular immune responses, a condition known as immunosenescence. 

These immune responses cause low-grade inflammation to occur in the body. Researchers now understand this leads to chronic inflammation and a much higher susceptibility to associated metabolic illness. 

Together, we’ll unpack what inflammaging is and what health implications it may have. We’ll also discuss whether or not there are any steps you can take to prevent it from happening. 

Immunology 101

It’s best to start our discussion about inflammation with a brief overview of immunology. Although it may have been a while since you’ve had a biology course, you are probably familiar with the basics. 

The immune system is how our bodies fight off infections and heal wounds. When we have an infection or an injury, those events trigger an immune response. The immune response causes white blood cells to take action and move toward the infection or wound to heal it. 

The collection of white blood cells and fluid causes an inflammatory response or inflammation. Consider how your ankle swells when you sprain it or your lymph nodes enlarge when you are sick. These are examples of inflammation that are necessary and important to healing. 

Types of Immunity

Within the scope of immunity, there are several types of immunity the body uses. 

• Innate immunity. This is immunity we are born with, like the skin protecting us from external stressors.
  
• Adaptive immunity. Adaptive immunity is gained over time through the survival of diseases and colds and through vaccinations.
  
• Passive immunity. Passive immunity is obtained from one source for a short time. A good example of passive immunity is the use of antibody injections, or the passing of immunity from a mother to her child through antibodies in breast milk. 

Although this explanation of immunity is very basic, the overarching takeaway is that immunity is important and necessary, and inflammation is also important and necessary.

How Does Our Immune System Affect Aging?

At some point, our immune systems begin to negatively impact the way our bodies age. It was once believed that the aging process negatively impacted our immunity, but researchers studying geroscience now believe it is the other way around. In other words, our immune systems begin to experience dysfunction, and that dysfunction leads to accelerated aging. 

The biological aging process, as researched by scientists, happens because of 12 specific events that happen in the body, known as the Hallmarks of Aging. If you’ve guessed that chronic, low-level inflammation is on the list, you’re correct. 

Chronic inflammation has been directly associated with:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Rheumatoid Arthritis and joint diseases
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Allergies
• Metabolic syndrome
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Frailty 

In addition, chronic inflammation is also a primary factor in the development of cancers and respiratory diseases. Many of these diseases are referred to as age-related illnesses or age-related diseases because they occur much more frequently in older adults. 

What’s Happening Inside the Body

The problem starts with innate immunity. The innate immune system becomes chronically stimulated. 

To put it simply, the innate immune system responsible for sending those helpful white blood cells to heal us sends out the white blood cells for no reason. There are no wounds and no germs to eradicate, but the immune system still sends out the white blood cell brigade and the result is inflammation that serves no actual purpose. 

Why does it happen? There are several reasons that science says our immune system may start to malfunction.

• Exposure to pathogens over time. If you suffer from chronic viral infections, it can negatively impact your T cell function, which can lead to chronic inflammation.
  
• Tissue damage. Tissue damage refers to cellular death. Cells make up every tissue in our bodies. When cells die, it triggers an inflammatory response. However, cell death is a normal part of the cell cycle, and our body makes use of an excellent clean-up molecule known as AMPK to remove damaged cells. Unfortunately, some cells (called senescent cells) don’t die when they lose function. Instead, they stick around, creating an inflammatory environment, which leads to chronic inflammation.
  
• Genetic alterations. Genetic alterations occur when a portion of DNA changes during DNA replication. Causes of genetic modulations can include exposure to chemicals or certain drugs, or exposure to radiation that leads to DNA damage.
  
• Internal clean-up system. When components of our cells begin to break down and lose function (like the mitochondria), the innate immune system may be triggered as the body’s internal clean-up system is activated.
  
• Chronic stress. You know it isn’t good for you, but did you know that chronic stress can lead to chronic inflammation? It can cause an environment of inflammation that causes your body to age even faster than it should.
  
• Oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants. ROS are naturally released by cells as a byproduct of ATP (energy) production and due to exposure to external stressors like UV light and cigarette smoke. 

Looking at this list might not make you concerned about inflammaging. Most of these causes are deeply scientific, but keep in mind that these very processes could be (and likely are) happening in your body as you read this article. 

What Are the Symptoms of Chronic Inflammation?

Understanding the symptoms associated with chronic inflammation can bring the deep science of inflammation to a more actionable level. 

Here are some of the common symptoms of chronic inflammation. 

• Body pain (especially joint pain)
• Chronic fatigue 
• Insomnia
• Depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders
• Gastrointestinal impairments
• Inability to maintain a healthy weight
• Frequent infections

Simply having these symptoms doesn’t necessarily indicate you are experiencing chronic inflammation, but these biomarkers can provide clues to healthcare providers for additional testing. 

Is There a Test for Chronic Inflammation?

There are several blood tests that can check whether or not a person has chronic inflammation in their bodies. One test checks levels of C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Having a high level of C-reactive protein indicates inflammation, but isn’t reliable enough to indicate that the inflammation is chronic. 

The detection of pro-inflammatory cytokines (like tumor necrosis factor-alpha or TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta) are better indicators of chronic inflammation because they are known to be key drivers in the aging process. 

What If I Already Have Chronic Inflammatory-Related Diseases?

People of advancing age, as well as people who are still in their 20s, could be suffering from diseases that are directly associated with chronic inflammation. Type 2 diabetes, for instance, affects more than 38 million Americans, many of whom are over age 45, but it is increasingly common in children. 

If you already have health conditions that could be the result of chronic inflammation, you can take steps to decrease the inflammatory response. 

How Do I Support Longevity?

Increasing our lifespan is a goal most of us have. With the presence of chronic inflammation, it can seem nearly impossible to avoid age-related illness, but early interventions have proven to reduce inflammatory markers and help support a healthier, longer life. 

Change Your Diet

Focus on a diet that is rich in foods like fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. Avoiding processed foods, excess sugar, and alcohol are good ways to reduce the risk of obesity and metabolic illness.

Get Moving

One way to change your risk factors for metabolic illness is to keep moving. Getting that gold-standard 30 minutes of heart-pumping cardiovascular exercise per day is key in keeping healthy and mobile and fending off age-associated diseases, like type 2 diabetes, which is strongly associated with a sedentary lifestyle. 

Stop Smoking

Smoking leads to chronic inflammation and is directly associated with several different types of cancer. There are numerous resources to help you quit, and your immune cells will thank you.

Take Care of Your Cells

Your cellular health matters. The foundation of every tissue, organ, and system in your body is the cell. 

As it turns out, your cells are also the place where the aging process happens. Taking care of your cells is a combination of lifestyle changes and positive habits like exercise and a healthy diet. Recently, one particular nutrient has shown promise in reversing and slowing aging at the cellular level. 

What Is the Best Supplement for Cellular Health?

Strengthening your cells just got a whole lot easier. Fatty15 is the first and only supplement that contains pentadecanoic acid, or C15:0 for short. This groundbreaking supplement was born from a discovery made by doctors and scientists studying how to help Navy dolphins live healthier for longer. Fatty15 contains pure C15:0, which is the first essential fatty acid to have been discovered in over 90 years. 

What Is C15:0?

C15:0 is an odd-chain saturated fatty acid that was initially discovered and published in Nature’s Scientific Reports in 2020. Since that time, there are now over 100 peer-reviewed publications that support C15:0 as an essential nutrient that our bodies must have to maintain our health. C15:0 strengthens our cells and reverses cellular aging through several mechanisms:

• Protects cells against lipid peroxidation and strengthens cellular membranes by up to 80%.
  
• Clears damaged cells. C15:0 activates AMPK and inhibits mTOR, which helps deal with the outfall of cellular senescence by clearing the damaged cells and regulating the inflammatory response.
  
• Lowering levels of proinflammatory cytokines.
  
• Fixing mitochondrial function. C15:0 increases ATP production while simultaneously reducing ROS.

In addition, C15:0 binds to receptors in the body known as PPARs to restore whole-body homeostasis. These receptors support metabolic, immune, heart, and liver health, along with improving mood and sleep. 

C15:0 has also been shown to lower bad LDL cholesterol, improve liver enzymes, and support the gut microbiome. In longevity studies, C15:0 was able to target 6 out of the 12 hallmarks of aging, even better than leading longevity molecules like rapamycin.

You Can Be Deficient

C15:0 has been found to be so essential for our health. Having too low levels can cause a nutritional deficiency syndrome called Cellular Fragility Syndrome. Interestingly, Cellular Fragility Syndrome has been directly linked to a specific type of cell death known as ferroptosis, which is associated with poor metabolic health outcomes and accelerated aging. 

Protect Your Cells

Healthy aging is the goal, and avoiding inflammatory diseases is a great place to start. By reducing your inflammatory factors through lifestyle changes and healthier habits, you can effectively reduce your biological age even if you’ve already lived to an old age. 

Taking fatty15 once per day can help keep your immune response healthy and support your long-term health. It is an easy way to armor your cells and slow aging at the cellular level. 

Sources:

Hallmarks of aging: An expanding universe | PubMed

Chronic Inflammation - StatPearls | NCBI Bookshelf

Inflammaging: a new immune–metabolic viewpoint for age-related diseases | Nature Reviews Endocrinology

Efficacy of dietary odd-chain saturated fatty acid pentadecanoic acid parallels broad associated health benefits in humans: could it be essential? | Scientific Reports

A review of odd-chain fatty acid metabolism and the role of pentadecanoic Acid (c15:0) and heptadecanoic Acid (c17:0) in health and disease | PubMed

Effect of an Asian-adapted Mediterranean diet and pentadecanoic acid on fatty liver disease: the TANGO randomized controlled trial | ScienceDirect

Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0), an Essential Fatty Acid, Shares Clinically Relevant Cell-Based Activities with Leading Longevity-Enhancing Compounds