Inflammation and how it aids in speeding up aging

We think it is inevitable for our body to slow down and present symptoms of diseases as we age. Still, as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. This also applies to aging. One factor that speeds up aging that we can help slow down is INFLAMMATION or, as we call it, “Inflammaging”. 

Inflammaging is something that we can prevent with awareness and a good and healthy lifestyle. We should break the belief that getting older equates to becoming sickly and inactive. Yes, the risk of illness might be higher as we age, but there is a lot we can do to prevent or slow down aging and illness. You can live a healthy and active lifestyle at any age because it is a choice. 

Not a lot of people know what inflammaging is. So, what are we talking about?

Inflammaging is a chronic, low-grade inflammation in the body that characterizes aging. This may worsen some age-related symptoms and diseases. It may be caused by an innate and acquired immune system that increases inflammatory cytokine production in the body. Factors such as genetics and environment play a role in inflammaging and other related symptoms. 

A review published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology last 2018 stated that various stimuli cause inflammaging, such as the level of friendly gut bacteria or pathogens such as bad bugs, parasites or candida, toxic overload, inflammatory foods or poor nutrition. Since 75% of our immune system is in our gut wall, these can activate an innate immune response that will drive meta-inflammation throughout the body, which is a form of low-grade chronic inflammation. 

A connection between inflammaging and oxidative stress also plays a role in speeding up age-related diseases, as mentioned in a 2019 scientific review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Your diet, assessing gut microbiome issues, plant supplements to feed good gut bugs, and stem cell therapy are a potential treatments for inflammaging. 

To prevent inflammaging we need to understand the root cause and its signs and symptoms. 

Root Causes: 

1. Unhealthy Diet

Diet plays a significant role not just in the development of inflammaging issues but can be a treatment as well. Avoiding certain foods may help keep inflammation under controlled. 

Eating inflammatory food such as fried food, sugar, processed meats, refined carbohydrates, and food additives does not just cause inflammations but may also cause hormonal dysfunction and blood sugar imbalance. Many react to grains, breads and gluten containing foods.

Studies show that inflammation, stress, and diabetes are interlinked. As mentioned earlier, inflammation and oxidative stress are factors in speeding up age-related issues.

Some foods are high in histamine or oxolates that promote inflammation if genetically you have trouble clearing them.

2. Leaky Gut Syndrome

Leaky gut syndrome is a digestive condition that affects the intestines’ lining, which causes gut permeability. This is caused by an unhealthy diet and lifestyle, and toxin exposure. It may cause inflammation that results in limitation of mobility, lower physical function, and cardiometabolic disease.

Leaky gut syndrome does not just cause inflammation throughout the body but is implicated in the onset of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and Lupus.

3. Unhealthy Lifestyle

Two top factors that may cause inflammation are chronic stress and poor sleeping habits. Chronic stress can be very detrimental to our body. It contributes to sleep troubles, increases blood pressure and heart rate, stomach cramps, lower bone density. There are age-related concerns as well.

Chronic stress disrupts the homeostasis in our body, which causes an increase in chronic inflammation, and leads to more stress-related chronic diseases. 

High levels of the stress hormone cortisol break down muscle and puts on tummy fat. If you are not sleeping well, you will produce more of the stress hormone to keep going in the day and will not be able to lose weight.

4. Environmental Toxins 

There are also external causes of inflammaging, one of these is environmental toxins. This includes pollution, artificial ingredients in food, plastic packaging, pesticides, and other harmful products. These can disrupt our body’s homeostasis and cause inflammation, and other chronic symptoms and health issues. 

Other than inflammation, environmental toxins may disrupt our immune system and our hormones and increase the risk of cancer. 

Aside from environmental toxins, EMF and 5G exposure can also cause health issues that are characterized by chronic inflammation. My suggestion is to turn off your phone and internet while you sleep at night.

5. Chronic Infections

Our immune system helps protect our body from infections caused by inflammaging and other infections such as cytomegaloviruses that amplify age-related diseases. 

Chronic infections such as gut infection, dental caries, herpes virus infections, and Lyme disease can compromise our immune system. These all result in chronic inflammation and contribute to inflammaging and other chronic age-related diseases. 

6. Nutrient Deficiencies

Nutrient deficiencies are one of the major factors that contribute to inflammaging as well. Listed below are some nutrients necessary in preventing inflammaging. 

• B Vitamins are important for cellular health, sleep, energy levels, brain function, digestion, and mental health. 

• Vitamin D for muscles, bones, teeth, brain and immune system. 

• Zinc which is vital for our immune system and metabolic function. 

• Glutathione a potent antioxidant important for cellular function and prevents oxidative stress. 

• Omega 3-s that helps reduce inflammation and enhance recovery from health issues. 

Possible signs and symptoms of inflammaging:

• Bone and muscle loss

• Weakness and loss of strength

• Weight gain and fat gain

• Memory concerns

• Mood swings

• Brain fog

• Muscle and joint pains 

• Body pain

• Chronic pain

• Digestive issues

• Blood sugar fluctuations

• Frequent illness

• Frequent injuries

• Fatigue and Low Energy 

• Lethargy 

• Sleep disturbance

If you observe and feel some sign and symptoms, it is best to have a consultation and undergo lab tests.

Here are the best lab tests to review inflammaging: 

• Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate to measure inflammation.
• Fasting Insulin and HbA1C to check blood sugar levels and detect inflammation, insulin resistance, blood sugar concerns, and diabetes. 
• Serum Ferritin measures the level of ferritin in our body and can detect iron deficiency anemia and other issues. 
• Comprehensive Blood Analysis a detailed blood test to look for markers of inflammation. This is done not just for monitoring but as a preventive measure as well. 
• Hs-CRP (C Reactive Protein) to measure protein produced in the liver to assess inflammation. 
• Red Blood Cell Width to detect underlying inflammation in our body. 
• Organic Acids to assess cellular health, liver function and more.

Natural methods to help prevent inflammaging

• Healthy Diet, Intermittent Fasting, and Ketosis — avoid eating inflammatory foods and opt for a high-fat ketogenic diet together with intermittent fasting. But don’t forget to eat lots of low carb veggies and fruits for antioxidants.
• Healthy Lifestyle by doing regular exercise, having a good quality of sleep, and regular exercise helps reduce stress. If sleep is a struggle we can do tests to see what can help.
• Improve Detoxification Pathways by keeping ourselves hydrated with clean, purified water, regular bowel movements, and regular exercise. A detox program may be required.
• Limit EMF Exposure by minimizing our use of phones and other devices. 
• Increase Vitamin D Levels by spending time outside under the sun and eating oily fish, egg yolks, and liver. Check for genetic issues with Vitamin D conversion.
• Increase Omega-3 Levels by eating foods rich in omega-3 such as seafoods, walnuts, flax seeds, and chia seeds. 
• Aid Glutathione Levels by eating food such as asparagus, cabbage, tomatoes, garlic, almonds and taking a good quality liposomal glutathione and/or N-Acetyl cystine supplement daily. 

Living a healthy life is a choice, and age-related symptoms may be slowed down or prevented if we make the right choices. Getting old is inevitable, but it does not mean that we should be sickly and stop prioritizing our health. It all comes down to having a healthy lifestyle — physically, psychologically, and emotionally. 

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