Did you know that the average lifespan has significantly increased in the last few decades? People are living longer and longer these days, and with this extended lifespan comes an increase in age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and dementia (1–4).
Some scientists believe that these age-related diseases are preventable and can be explained by something called inflammaging.
"Inflammaging may be one of the main driving forces of morbidity and mortality in older people, playing an important role in the development of age related disease that previously were thought to be unrelated"
What is Inflammaging?
Inflammaging is a recently emerged term that is used to describe the development of low grade, chronic inflammation that starts early in life and progresses with aging (5). A number of studies show that older people have higher levels of CRP, and that CRP is associated with a number of age related diseases resulting from chronic, long term inflammation (6). Inflammaging may be one of the main driving forces of morbidity and mortality in older people, playing an important role in the development of age related disease that previously were thought to be unrelated, such as diabetes, COPD, Alzheimer’s, and atherosclerosis.
Furthermore, inflammaging begins long before any symptoms appear, making it an important area of focus for preventative healthcare (5). The most effective interventions for Inflammaging are lifestyle interventions. These include:
• Nutrition (e.g., Mediterranean diet)
• Mental health care
• Exercise
(5)
Consistent monitoring of CRP levels can help you stay on top of your low grade-inflammation. CRP has been established as a reliable marker for both acute and chronic inflammation (2). Along with monitoring your inflammation, prolonged elevation of CRP is a strong predictor of a lot of diseases (3–6). Long-term monitoring of CRP can be an easy, convenient way to keep track of your health and reaffirm your health decisions so that you have control over your own wellbeing.
Sources
1. Roth GA, Mensah GA, Johnson CO, Addolorato G, Ammirati E, Baddour LM, et al. Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risk Factors, 1990–2019: Update From the GBD 2019 Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 Dec 22;76(25):2982–3021.
2. Khan MAB, Hashim MJ, King JK, Govender RD, Mustafa H, Al Kaabi J. Epidemiology of Type 2 Diabetes – Global Burden of Disease and Forecasted Trends. J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2020 Mar;10(1):107–11.
3. WHO EMRO | Stroke, Cerebrovascular accident | Health topics [Internet]. World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. [cited 2022 Sep 26]. Available from: http://www.emro.who.int/health-topics/stroke-cerebrovascular-accident/index.html
4. Dementia [Internet]. [cited 2022 Sep 26]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia
5. Witkowski JM, Bryl E, Fulop T. Chapter 5 - The role of inflammaging in the development of chronic diseases of older people. In: Caruso C, Candore G, editors. Human Aging [Internet]. Academic Press; 2021 [cited 2022 Aug 15]. p. 89–104. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128225691000147
6. Luan Y yi, Yao Y ming. The Clinical Significance and Potential Role of C-Reactive Protein in Chronic Inflammatory and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Immunol. 2018 Jun 7;9:1302.