What does inflammaging mean?
The term “inflammaging"Chronic low-grade inflammation" or inflammaging, such as a state of low intensity but constant organic inflammation (associated with an increase in some proteins, the inflammatory cytokines) that causes damage to the body.” refers to a state of low-intensity inflammation that persists over time and causes damage to the body. In fact, as we get older, the immune system can be permanently activated and generate a silent and very insidious inflammatory state at the cellular and molecular level, referred to as “chronic low-grade inflammation,” or, indeed, inflammaging. By increasing the production of proteins called inflammatory cytokinesCytokines are small proteins produced by the immune system, which bind to specific receptors present on the cell membrane and communicate to the cell a specific set of instructions such as, for example, the stimulus to grow, or to differentiate or even the order to die. They are produced by different types of cells and, once released in the body, induce specific reactions in adjacent cells (paracrine effect), in others far away (endocrine effect) or in those that have created them (autocrine effect)., inflammaging consequently plays a key role in the onset of chronic diseases associated with aging, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and some gut diseases, which reduce the length and quality of life. It should be emphasized, however, that inflammaging can also be an asymptomatic condition, independent of the presence of other diseases.
What are the causes of inflammaging?
Although not fully understood today, the triggers of inflammaging appear to be unhealthy lifestyles. For among the various factors that may contribute to its development are being overweight and obesity, because excess fat produces inflammatory cytokines; an unbalanced diet, because excessive consumption of foods high in saturated fats, sugars and additives promotes inflammation. What’s more: sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress, smoking, gut dysbiosis (alterations in intestinal bacterial flora), and some chronic infections, such as hepatitis C or HIV infection, can promote and keep chronic low-grade inflammation active.
How does one measure inflammaging?
Knowing whether the body is in a state of inflammation is useful because it can allow us to devise strategies to prevent associated diseases and improve our health. Inflammaging can be measured by tests using different biomarkers, although not all are equally reliable and sensitive. One option is the highly sensitive C Reactive Protein (CRP) test, which is used in cardiology to identify the risk of cardiovascular events, and indicates, precisely, whether or not an inflammatory state is present. Other measurements can be made by detecting the levels of some specific pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood, for example, interleukin-6, Tnf, and IL1-beta. These techniques, however, are quite expensive and are not frequently used in clinical practice. Another way to assess chronic low-grade inflammation is to measure the plasma concentration of another cytokine, called Cxcl9, which is associated with cardiovascular disease risk. It has, indeed, been shown that there are polymorphisms of the gene encoding for this cytokine associated with longevity. An approach that relies on epigenetic modifications of certain genes is also being studied to analyze inflammaging. It is actually possible to measure the methylation level of genes related to inflammation, such as genes in the iNOS (Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthases) family.
