Is ‘inflammageing’ part of getting older? Here’s what the experts say

As we age, we tend to have more aches, pains and diseases. Researchers believe that some of these may be related to persistent inflammation.

They call it “inflammageing” – age-related inflammation, which is present even in the absence of injury or illness.

It is considered a hallmark of ageing and is characterised by a “chronic, smouldering low-grade inflammation”, says Vishwa Deep Dixit, a professor of pathology and immunobiology and the director of the Yale Center for Research on Ageing.

This chronic smouldering is unfortunately associated with a host of health issues, but new research suggests that not everyone may experience inflammageing. Some Indigenous people don’t seem to get inflammageing at all compared with people in industrialised countries.

Either way, researchers are stud