The slow burn that ages you from the inside

Inflammation is supposed to be a fire alarm: it flares to fight an infection or heal a wound, then switches off. But as we age, many people develop a version that never fully shuts down — a chronic, low-grade smolder scientists call inflammaging (a mash-up of inflammation and aging, coined by immunologist Claudio Franceschi around 2000).

What makes inflammaging strange is that it's sterile — there's often no germ to fight. Instead, the immune system is quietly reacting to the wear-and-tear of aging itself: damaged cells, misfolded proteins, cellular debris, and signals leaking from an aging gut. Blood markers like IL-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) creep upward, and higher levels track with a greater risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, frailty, and cognitive decline.

The encouraging part is that this fire is partly modifiable. Regular physical activity, adequate sleep, a diet rich in fiber and plants, not smoking, and keeping body fat in a healthy range are all associated with lower inflammatory markers. None of these is a magic switch, but together they can turn down the background heat that quietly drives age-related disease.