Sometimes, inflammation – which happens when your body responds to illness, injury, and bacteria – is helpful. It can help us to heal and may even be key to muscle growth.

But, like the “fight or flight” hormone cortisol , too much of a sometimes-useful thing can be harmful.

Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis can occur when your body’s inflammation levels stay too high for too long (in this case, your body mistakenly attacks your own joints).

However, not every instance can lead to a full-blown, identifiable illness, Dr Suzanne Wylie, GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor , told HuffPost UK.

“Inflammaging,” a portmanteau of “inflammation” and “ageing,” can lead to “contribute to conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and frailty,” hastening the appearance

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