How to Slow Down Inflammation Ageing
As people are living longer, we’re trying to figure out how to prevent age-related illnesses. Researchers are studying the natural differences between healthy elderly people and sick elderly people. They’ve discovered something called “Inflamm-Ageing” which is when the body has a chronic low level of inflammation that gets worse as we age. In this blog I am going to give you some tips on how to slow down inflammation ageing.
A little bit of inflammation is good for keeping our body ready to fight infections, but too much inflammation can cause chronic diseases. Inflamm-Ageing is a major risk factor for many common diseases that cause disability in older individuals.
Diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Heart disease, Atherosclerosis, Aged-related Macular Degeneration, Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer, Type 2 diabetes, Osteoporosis, and Insulin Resistance all become more common to those of older age and are all chronic diseases with that are linked to “Inflamm-Ageing.”
Although we can’t stop ourselves from getting older, we can take steps to stay healthier and more active as we age. As with many health conditions during aging, minor signs develop first, followed by an acute period where the inflammation itself creates further damage and disease progression gathers speed very quickly.
Chronic inflammation creates an acidic environment, which in turn stimulates the release of more inflammatory chemicals called cytokines can also cause some cells to become senescent. Senescent cells are cells that have stopped dividing and have entered a state of deterioration, these cells play an important role in the aging process and the development of age-related diseases. Which in turn, can make inflammation worse, damage kidney function and harm our DNA. So, having too much inflammation in our bodies can make us more likely to get sick as we age.
3 Simple Strategies to Combat Inflamm-Ageing
1. An anti-inflammatory diet
Switch to a plant based diet (ie vegetables and fruits help to balance the alkalinity and acidity of our cells and tissues). This doesn’t mean you can’t eat any animal protein or grains but make sure your diet is full of plant based foods – it is suggested that 9 serves per day are required. Check out my healthy recipes here.
Benefits of a plant based diet:
– Reduce excess body fat
– Improves gut microbial diversity
– Lowers inflammation
– Increases percentage of lean body mass
– Improves kidney function
2. Get regular exercise
Ideally a combination of aerobic and resistance training undertaken weekly can help.
Benefits of regular exercise:
– Regulate blood sugar levels
– Improve oxygenation of the cells
– Reduce inflammation
3. Reduce stress levels
Long term stress can age us. Our bodies release stress hormones and chemicals that create inflammation (which in the short term is ok) but long term stress may negatively affect our bodies by activating immune cells and triggering inflammatory chemicals.
Clearly humans do not all biologically age at the same rate, there are many factors such as genes and exposure to toxins to name a few that play a part in the ageing process and developing chronic disease.
If you would like to talk to Diana about strategies to stay healthy and vital as you get older, book in for a session here.
You might like to read some more of my blogs.
References:
Ferrucci L, Fabbri E. Inflammageing: chronic inflammation in ageing, cardiovascular disease, and frailty. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2018 Sep;15(9):505-522. doi: 10.1038/s41569-018-0064-2. PMID: 30065258; PMCID: PMC6146930.