Chronic inflammation: the Silent Agitator of Premature Ageing

Chronic inflammation is a prolonged, low-grade immune response that can last for months or even years, often due to persistent infections, autoimmune disorders, prolonged exposure to irritants, or unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Unlike acute inflammation, which is a short-term, protective response, chronic inflammation can silently contribute to serious health issues such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders.

Understanding and managing chronic inflammation is crucial for improving healthspan—the period of life spent in good health—and enhancing overall longevity.

 

What is Inflammation? 

Inflammation, broadly speaking, can be broken down into two types: acute and chronic.

 

What is Acute Inflammation?

An acute inflammatory response is the body’s immediate response (occurring within minutes to hours) to harmful stimuli such as a reaction to something like a cut, a localised injury, pathogens, a sting, etc.

You may see local redness, perhaps there is heat, and often swelling. This is a desirable, helpful, response; the body is increasing access to the injury site for immune cells and nutrients, whilst also improving clearance of waste and immune debris.The response is there to protect you from further insult, and help speed the recovery and healing process.

Acute inflammation is pretty easy to see and feel, as it mostly comes alongside pain - your body’s way of encouraging you to pay attention. Acute inflammation is short-term and will typically last only a few days.

 

What is Chronic Inflammation?

Chronic inflammation is the less obvious and much more problematic form of inflammation. The clue is in the name, it is chronic, meaning constant and ongoing - lasting months to years. It is often insidious and invisible. This type of inflammation isn’t always so helpful, despite the body’s best intentions. The way chronic inflammation is expressed may not be felt - you typically won’t feel or notice inflammation in your liver, heart, blood vessels, brain, or other internal organs.

Chronic inflammation may also be a result of ongoing damage, like in your knees as a result of too much impact sports like footy or netball in your youth. This form of inflammation is your body’s way of signalling pain to stop you causing further damage. This complex response involves leukocytes cells such as macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes, also known as inflammatory cells.

Every disease process is characterised by inflammation, which is the body's attempt to resolve an injury or harmful stimulus.

Conditions that can result from chronic inflammation include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. Not all inflammation kills, but over time, it will at least prematurely age you.

While the disease itself is the problem, inflammation is part of the body's effort to combat it. This ongoing inflammation can contribute to a process known as inflammaging.

Inflammaging, a term blending "inflammation" and "ageing" describes the chronic, low-grade inflammation that typically accompanies ageing and contributes to the development of age-related diseases.

This subtle yet persistent inflammatory state is now recognised as a significant factor in the decline of physiological functions over time.

 

What are the observable symptoms of chronic inflammation?

• Poor energy and recovery: waking tired and needing caffeine to get through
• Impaired cognition: brain fog, unable to find thoughts, poor memory and recall
• Impaired physical performance: not progressing or recovery as expected 
• Changes in mood: short fuse, irritability, quick to anger, unstable mood
• Aches and pains in joints
• Skin reactions: often after heightened stress or ingesting an inflammatory substance like alcohol or an immune-meditating food

Or in some instances, there might be no noticeable symptoms.

 

The risks of chronic inflammation

As I see it, there are three inflammation-related problems to consider:

1. Collateral damage: When the body is trying to fight off an infection, part of the immune response involves causing damage to cells, ideally targeting viruses, pathogens, and harmful microbes. Unfortunately, collateral damage (inFLAME) does happen, and more inflammation over our life equals more damage being done, which wears us out faster.
2. Resource allocation: Your body is a resource allocation machine and a master at triaging. It will prioritise whatever it deems to be most important at the time and will send relatively more resources to deal with it. Inflammation is metabolically expensive, and places the focus of the body on the ‘now’, distracting it from that which is relatively more important tomorrow. When inflammation is chronic, our future self suffers, because the body was never given a chance to prioritise fine calibrations and regulation. Meanwhile, the mitochondria in inflamed cells change from power plant mode to battleship. That can be helpful for dealing with threats, but not so great at powering your body. The outcome? We fatigue and we age.
3. Immune errors: Sometimes the immune system can get confused, or hyper-fixated with a completely inappropriate and unhelpful inflammatory response. Take the instance of autoimmunity, like rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis. The immune system has identified itself as being a threat and initiates an inflammatory response to deal with the threat, which of course never goes away, because you never stop being you. We suffer and we age

 

Arresting inflammation - the functional medicine approach

How do we stop inflammation from getting the best of us?

The most common and conventional answer is to arrest the inflammation with anti-inflammatories. 

When the inflammation is truly unhelpful, as in the case of autoimmunity, this is a reasonable option. However, over-the-counter anti-inflammatories may cause their own set of problems. 

Anti-inflammatories will only ever help manage the inflammation. 

Functional medicine addresses chronic inflammation by identifying and treating its root causes rather than just managing symptoms. The goal is to figure out why the body is trying to inflame itself and to arrest or attend to that. 

Even when it gets it wrong, the body is still causing inflammation as a way to deal with something. Figure out what that is (i.e. the root cause), and the body can stand down the inflammation brigade.

This is simple in concept, but often tricky in practice.

 

Data-informed treatment

Figuring out a root cause often means trying to investigate all of the possible things that might be upsetting the body, and then change them. 

As health optimisation experts, we want to know about and arrest any inappropriate and health-compromising inflammation. 

Given your symptoms might be subtle, we use personal data and testing to learn what might be in play for you. Some of the testing pathways include:

• Genetics (including Methylation): Understanding genetic predispositions to optimize health interventions
• Gut Health (Microbiome): Assessing and improving the balance of gut bacteria for optimal digestion and immune function
• Diet and Food Sensitivities: Identifying and eliminating inflammatory foods and those causing personal reactions
• Infections: Detecting and treating viral, bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infections.
• Toxicity: Reducing exposure to metals and environmental toxins
• Stress: Managing chronic stress, a significant contributor to inflammation
• Hormones: Testing hormonal imbalances
• Nutrients: Ensuring optimal levels of essential vitamins and minerals by testing for nutritional deficiencies
• Neurotransmitters: Assessing and optimising neurotransmitter levels for mental and emotional well-being
• Cardiovascular Health: Monitoring heart health and vascular function to identify inflammatory markers
• Functional Digestion: Evaluating and enhancing digestive processes for better nutrient absorption and gut health

Strategies for reducing chronic inflammation

For many, addressing nutritional and dietary factors is an excellent first step. 

What you consume is by far your biggest exposure to foreign materials getting inside your body. The quality of your food can inform inflammatory responses. Some of the easiest ways you can reduce inflammation include:

Eat anti-inflammatory foods

Think salmon, avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil, coconut oil, chia seeds, flaxseed oil, hemp seeds. Foods rich in polyphenols like colourful non-starchy vegetables. And antioxidants from foods like green tea, apples, turmeric, grapes, rosemary, broccoli and garlic. 

Avoid inflammatory foods 

Eliminate (or significantly reduce) sugar, refined carbohydrates, high-glycaemic foods, hydrogenated oils, trans fats. Think - soft drinks, lollies, breads, pasta, baked goods, dairy, processed/fried white potatoes, deep fried foods, refined and processed foods, preservatives, colours and artificial flavours. 

There are also a lot of other potentially inflammatory foods depending on your personal intolerances and allergies, which can commonly include gluten, grains, corn, soy and nuts. 

To reduce inflammation these foods are best avoided for at least six weeks.

Take natural supplements and herbs

My favourite natural anti-inflammatories include curcumin (derived from turmeric), and pro-resolving mediators (derived from fish oil). The beauty of these two supplements is that instead of coming with side effects, they bring health benefits in all sorts of areas, including longevity. Quality certainly does matter, so be sure to use a reliably high-quality brand recommended by your practitioner

Use high-quality collagen

Supplementing with a grass-fed collagen powder can reduce inflammation by providing essential amino acids like glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline, which support gut health, joint repair, and the reduction of inflammatory markers. 

Aim for a wide variety of foods

Diverse foods provide a broad spectrum of nutrients, supporting balanced gut health and reducing inflammation

Eat slowly and mindfully

Improves digestion and nutrient absorption, reducing stress on the gut and lowering inflammation

Where possible, source organic whole foods

Avoids pesticides and additives, reducing inflammation and increasing beneficial nutrient intake

If on the go

Opt for wholefoods, low sugar and organic where possible 

Chronic inflammation, though often silent, may have a profound impact on your long-term health. By taking proactive steps to identify and address its root causes, you can significantly enhance your health span and overall quality of life. Embrace a holistic approach, nourish your body with anti-inflammatory foods, and seek personalised medical guidance.