What are Inflammation and Inflammaging? A Primer for Chronic Inflammation, Immune Balance and Healthy Ageing
- Alastair Hunt
- Apr 17
- 8 min read
Updated: May 31
Inflammation is a word that often crops up in conversations around diet, disease, biohacking and ageing—but what does it actually mean? And why is it so central to modern health concerns?
In its proper place, inflammation is essential. It’s how the body responds to injury and infection. But when inflammation becomes persistent, subtle or systemic, it can quietly contribute to the development of chronic diseases. This long-term, low-grade inflammation has even earned its own name: inflammaging - a slow-burning process closely linked to accelerated biological ageing.
We often think ageing is just the passing of time. But science reveals something deeper: ageing is accelerated by silent, chronic inflammation. Most age-related diseases - heart disease, dementia, osteoporosis, and the gradual loss of strength - aren’t simply due to getting older. They’re driven by inflammation that was never resolved.
This invisible process builds up through several internal mechanisms:
Oxidative stress – An excess of free radicals damages DNA and mitochondria.
Senescent cells – These non-dividing “zombie” cells remain in tissues and secrete inflammatory signals.
Defective autophagy – Impaired cellular clean-up leads to toxic build-up.
DAMPs (danger-associated molecular patterns) – Cellular debris that overstimulates the immune system.
Mitochondrial dysfunction – Less cellular energy, more inflammatory signalling.
Gut dysbiosis – A disrupted microbiome leaks endotoxins into the bloodstream.
Together, these processes feed the fire of inflammaging. And what follows?
Hormonal and metabolic disruption – The body’s internal balance becomes harder to maintain.
Sarcopenia – Muscle loss accelerates.
Bone fragility – Inflammation weakens skeletal tissue.
Reduced exercise capacity – You fatigue more quickly, and naturally move less.
Loss of function – Everyday tasks become harder.
Loss of independence – Frailty and vulnerability increase.
To understand how this all unfolds, we need to look at how the immune system responds and regulates inflammation across time.
The Basics: Innate and Adaptive Immunity
The immune system has two arms: innate immunity and adaptive immunity.
Innate immunity acts as your body's first responder. It includes cells like neutrophils, macrophages and mast cells, which are constantly on the lookout for threats. These cells react quickly, triggering a generalised inflammatory response. Adaptive immunity takes longer to activate but is more precise. It involves T cells and B cells, which learn to identify and remember specific invaders. Together, these systems protect the body from harm, repair damaged tissue and prevent future infections.
But when inflammation becomes chronic, even this well-designed system can go awry.
How Inflammation Communicates: Cytokines and Signals
Cytokines are the small messenger proteins that immune cells use to coordinate their response. Some encourage inflammation, others help resolve it. Among the better-known cytokines are Interleukin-6 (IL-6), which plays both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory roles depending on the context; TNF-α, an early responder that amplifies immune activity; and IL-1β, which often signals the body to escalate its defences.
Cytokine activity is tightly regulated under healthy conditions. However, in cases of chronic immune activation, this signalling can become dysregulated. Fortunately, the body also produces cytokines like IL-10, which help calm the response and prevent unnecessary damage—reminding us that inflammation is not inherently bad, but its balance is everything.
Measuring Inflammation in the Body
Medical practitioners often check for inflammation using blood tests such as CRP (C-reactive protein), ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and hs-CRP (high-sensitivity CRP). While these tests can’t diagnose a specific condition, they give useful insight into whether inflammation is present and how active it is.
Of particular note is hs-CRP, which can detect very low levels of inflammation and is increasingly used to assess cardiovascular risk. Elevated hs-CRP levels - even when no other symptoms are present - can indicate underlying inflammatory processes that may contribute to conditions such as atherosclerosis.
Chronic Inflammation and Inflammaging
Inflammation is meant to be short-lived - a flare-up that resolves when the job is done, for example, in post-exercise muscle repair. But in many people, it lingers. Chronic low-grade inflammation is less obvious than an acute response like swelling or fever, but it can silently damage blood vessels, tissues, and organs over time.
This is the insidious nature of inflammaging. It doesn’t feel like illness. But over years and decades, it erodes resilience and accelerates physical decline. Addressing it early through lifestyle interventions can significantly reduce the risk of degenerative disease and extend your healthy years.
Oxidative Stress: A Close Companion of Inflammation
Another driver of chronic inflammation is oxidative stress, which occurs when the body produces more free radicals than it can neutralise with antioxidants. This imbalance can damage DNA, proteins and cell membranes, further aggravating inflammation.
Oxidative stress and inflammation often reinforce each other. When the body is inflamed, it produces more reactive oxygen species. And when oxidative stress occurs, it can trigger inflammatory pathways such as NF-κB, a key regulator of immune activity. Supporting the body's antioxidant defences through nutrition, sleep and rest is essential in breaking this cycle.
Gut Health and the Immune System
Emerging research increasingly points to the gut as a key player in regulating inflammation. The gut microbiome - the collection of microbes that live in your digestive tract - interacts directly with the immune system. When the microbiome is diverse and balanced, it supports healthy immune function and helps prevent unnecessary inflammation. But when it's disrupted or when the intestinal barrier becomes compromised (a condition sometimes described as “leaky gut”), the immune system can become persistently activated.
Restoring and supporting gut health through dietary fibre, fermented foods and plant diversity can help regulate immune activity and reduce systemic inflammation over time.
What You Can Do: Daily Practices That Lower Inflammation
The good news is that chronic inflammation is not inevitable. It is highly influenced by lifestyle - and small, consistent choices can make a measurable difference, not just to how you feel today, but to your healthspan - the number of years you live in good health, free from disease and dependency.
Movement is key. Regular, moderate exercise - such as walking, cycling, swimming or resistance training - has been shown to lower inflammatory markers and support mitochondrial and cardiovascular health. While intense exercise can temporarily raise cytokine levels, this is part of a healthy response that ultimately strengthens the immune system. The problem only arises when training is excessive, combined with inadequate recovery or poor nutrition.
Diet also matters. Choosing whole foods over processed ones is foundational. A diet rich in vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, oily fish, olive oil and herbs like turmeric and ginger can supply the body with anti-inflammatory compounds, particularly polyphenols and omega-3 fatty acids. These not only calm inflammation, but also support healthy ageing by protecting cells, blood vessels and brain function. In contrast, diets high in ultra-processed foods and refined sugars may accelerate metabolic decline and biological ageing.
Sleep, stress management, and social connection all play important roles too. Poor sleep increases inflammatory signalling, while high stress levels can keep the immune system in a state of alert. Making time for relaxation, spending time with supportive people and getting outdoors in nature and natural light are more than just nice ideas - they are physiological tools that help calm the body’s internal fire and protect long-term wellbeing. Learn more about breath work to relax.
Supporting the gut microbiome is also central. This means eating more prebiotic fibres (found in foods like leeks, garlic and oats), incorporating fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut or miso and reducing overuse of antibiotics unless medically necessary.
You don’t need to overhaul your entire lifestyle overnight. In fact, consistency with simple, manageable habits is far more effective than short-term intensity. Start with daily walks, more vegetables on the plate and improved sleep hygiene. These alone will begin to shift the inflammatory landscape in the right direction. Over time, these choices protect not just your current wellbeing, but also your capacity to live a long, vibrant life.
Final Thoughts
Inflammation isn’t inherently bad - it’s how we heal and adapt. But when the processes that protect us go unchecked, they can begin to damage us instead. Chronic inflammation and inflammaging don’t begin with a single moment. They build over time, shaped by the everyday choices we make.
Thankfully, those same choices also shape our future. When we address inflammation with evidence-based lifestyle habits - movement, real food, sleep, connection and gut health - we're not just reducing disease risk. We're investing in our healthspan: our ability to stay active, independent and thriving well into later life.
Supporting your body through balanced nutrition, physical activity, stress reduction, quality sleep and meaningful social connection (these are known as the Pillars of Health) are some of the most powerful longevity tools we have. As always, it's about progress, not perfection, and even small changes can make a meaningful difference over time.
As always, the best health strategy is one you can stick with - one that fits your personal lifestyle profile. For most people, improving health is about finding motivation and prioritising self-care - with an ultimate goal of taking action. If you want to take effective and targeted steps that fit into your unique lifestyle and circumstances, The Whole Health Practice is here to help.
Whether your interest is healthspan and longevity, to beat chronic illness or to enhance your mental health and well-being, our consultations and programs deliver results that are tailored to your needs.
Our foundational Whole Health Consult identifies and prioritises the key factors - known and unknown - that affect health and wellbeing. It provides targeted recommendations tailored to you, the individual, and your unique lifestyle.
Stay Healthy,
Alastair
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