Biological age
Why do I feel older than I am? Inflammaging, and how to cool it down
Quick answer
Inflammaging is the slow rise in low-grade, body-wide inflammation that tends to come with age. It is linked to heart disease, diabetes and dementia. In randomised trials, two years of moderate calorie restriction lowered inflammatory markers, and three months of a Mediterranean diet with olive oil lowered C-reactive protein (CRP) compared with a low-fat diet.
Stiff in the morning. Slow to recover from a cold or a long-haul flight. Foggy by 3pm. Many high achievers put this down to age or pressure, and carry on. Part of the story may be a quieter process running underneath: inflammaging.
What is inflammaging?
Inflammation is your immune system's repair crew. A cut swells, heals and settles. Inflammaging is different: a low, constant hum of inflammation that never fully switches off. It is driven by things like extra visceral fat, inactivity, poor sleep and ongoing stress.
You cannot feel it directly. Doctors often look for clues in a blood test such as CRP, alongside waist size, blood pressure and blood sugar.
What randomised trials show lowers it
- Eating a little less, for longer: in the CALERIE trial (Aging, 2016), 220 adults without obesity were asked to cut calories by 25% for two years. Inflammatory markers, including CRP and TNF-alpha, fell significantly and stayed lower.
- Eating the Mediterranean way: in a PREDIMED substudy of 772 adults aged 55–80, a Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil lowered CRP by 0.54 mg/L in three months compared with a low-fat diet. Systolic blood pressure also fell by about 6–7 mmHg in the Mediterranean groups.
Neither trial asked people to buy anything exotic. Olive oil, nuts, vegetables, beans and fish, and slightly smaller portions. That is the whole intervention.
What most people miss
Inflammation is not only about food. The things that drive it at work are the same things that drive it at home: sitting all day, short sleep, and stress with no recovery time. The British Society of Lifestyle Medicine treats these as connected pillars for a reason. A perfect lunch will not cancel out a five-hour night.
And beware of quick fixes. "Anti-inflammatory" supplements are a large market, but the strongest human evidence so far is for everyday food patterns, not powders.
Three ways to start cooling things down
- Swap your fats: cook with extra-virgin olive oil and add a handful of unsalted nuts most days.
- Shrink the plate, not the meals: a slightly smaller plate at dinner is an easy way to eat a little less without dieting.
- Break up sitting: stand or walk for a few minutes every hour, especially on meeting-heavy days.
FAQs
Can a blood test show inflammaging? A CRP test can show inflammation, but it rises with infections and injuries too. A doctor should interpret it alongside your other results.
Is inflammaging the same as an autoimmune disease? No. Autoimmune diseases are specific conditions. Inflammaging is a general, low-level background process.
How long until diet changes help? In PREDIMED, CRP fell within three months.
For the years that matter, Dr Lwin
This article is general education, not personal medical advice. If you have symptoms or concerns, speak to your GP.