Hallmark 11: Chronic Inflammation
What Is Chronic Inflammation?
Inflammation is not the villain it is often made out to be. In fact, it is one of the body’s most important survival tools. Have you ever wondered who comes to the rescue when you cut your finger or catch a cold? You guessed it: Inflammation rushes in as an emergency repair doctor, bringing heat, swelling and immune cells to deal with the problem and restore order [1]. The trouble begins when this emergency response is not sure when to stop.
Chronic inflammation is what happens when the body’s alarm system keeps ringing long after the original threat has passed or when it is triggered without a clear cause at all. Instead of protecting us, inflammation quietly lingers in the background, wearing down tissues, disrupting normal function and accelerating ageing [2,3].
This is why inflammation becomes a familiar companion of later life. Conditions like osteoarthritis, which affects nearly half of adults over 65, are defined by persistent swelling and pain in the joints [4], However, joints are only one visible example of a much broader process unfolding throughout the body.
How Does It Happen and Why Does It Contribute to Ageing?
Under ideal circumstances, inflammation is short-lived. The body identifies a threat, responds, repairs the damage and returns to balance. Ageing, however, makes this process less clean.
Over time, cells accumulate damage and each small injury sends a signal for help. When these signals become constant, the immune system shifts into a low-grade but permanent state of alert. Imagine a smoke detector that starts reacting not only to fires, but also to steam from the shower or burnt toast, eventually, the noise itself becomes the problem.
This ongoing immune activation contributes directly to ageing by:
Damaging healthy tissue alongside unhealthy cells.
Disrupting communication between cells.
Draining the immune system, making it less effective against real threats.
As immune function declines, inflammation paradoxically increases - a phenomenon often called inflammaging [5]. The body becomes both more inflamed and less capable of responding appropriately.
Accumulation and Organ-Specific Effects
Chronic inflammation can be widespread, affecting the whole body, or it can settle into specific organs - each with its own consequences.
In blood vessels, it contributes to the gradual stiffening and narrowing that underlies heart disease [6].
In the brain, long-standing inflammation is linked to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration [7].
In the spine, it accelerates disc degeneration and chronic back pain. In joints, it manifests as the swelling, stiffness and loss of mobility so many associate with ageing [8].
What makes inflammation especially important is that it rarely acts alone. It builds up as damage accumulates elsewhere in the ageing process, becoming both a result and a driver of further decline. Once established, it creates a vicious cycle: damage fuels inflammation, and inflammation causes more damage. This is why chronic inflammation is considered an integrative hallmark of ageing [3], reflecting the body struggling to maintain balance after years of accumulated strain.
Can We Slow Inflammation to Slow Ageing?
Experiments in animals demonstrate that adjusting immune activity can dramatically change how fast ageing unfolds. Reducing overactive inflammatory pathways improves metabolism, preserves brain function, maintains mobility and, in some cases, extends lifespan.
Human studies are beginning to echo these findings. Large clinical trials have shown that targeting inflammation can reduce not only heart disease risk, but also conditions such as diabetes and even certain cancers - suggesting inflammation sits at a crossroads of many age-related diseases [9]. There is also growing interest in compounds that help the body clear out old, damaged cells that provoke inflammation simply by lingering [10]. Removing these cellular “bad tenants” appears to calm inflammatory signals and restore healthier tissue function.
While most of these approaches are still being refined for safety and long-term use, the direction is clear: calming chronic inflammation is a powerful way to slow biological ageing.
Lifestyle Approaches to Keep Inflammation in Check
The most effective tools available today are not found in a laboratory, but in daily life.
Caloric-Restriction
Periods of mild calorie reduction give the body a break from constant processing and repair. This helps reset immune function and improves the production of new, well-trained immune cells.Prioritising Movement
Regular, moderate exercise acts like an anti-inflammatory signal. It flushes inflammatory by-products from tissues, improves circulation and trains the immune system to respond more precisely rather than overreact.Protecting sleep
Poor sleep is a powerful trigger for inflammation. Consistent, high-quality rest allows inflammatory signals to settle and repair systems to do their work.Managing stress
Chronic psychological stress keeps the body in a constant “fight or flight” mode, which directly fuels inflammation. Practices that restore calm - whether through breathing, time in nature or meaningful social connection - have measurable biological effects.Supporting gut health
The gut is one of the immune system’s main command centres. A diverse, fibre-rich diet supports beneficial microbes that help keep inflammation under control.
Bottom line:
Chronic inflammation is not an inevitable consequence of ageing, nor is it something that happens overnight. It builds slowly, quietly and cumulatively but that also means it can be slowed. By understanding inflammation not as an enemy, but as a system that has lost its balance, we gain the opportunity to restore it.
References:
[1] Hannoodee S, Nasuruddin DN. Acute Inflammatory Response. 2024 Jun 8. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan–. PMID: 32310543
[2] Pahwa R, Goyal A, Jialal I. Chronic Inflammation. 2023 Aug 7. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan–. PMID: 29630225
[3] López-Otín C, Blasco MA, Partridge L, Serrano M, Kroemer G. Hallmarks of aging: An expanding universe. Cell. 2023 Jan 19;186(2):243-278. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.001. Epub 2023 Jan 3. PMID: 36599349
[4] Knights AJ, Redding SJ, Maerz T. Inflammation in osteoarthritis: the latest progress and ongoing challenges. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2023 Mar 1;35(2):128-134. doi: 10.1097/BOR.0000000000000923. Epub 2022 Dec 22. PMID: 36695054; PMCID: PMC10821795
[5]Ferrucci L, Fabbri E. Inflammageing: chronic inflammation in ageing, cardiovascular disease, and frailty. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2018 Sep;15(9):505-522. doi: 10.1038/s41569-018-0064-2. PMID: 30065258; PMCID: PMC6146930
[6] Jebari-Benslaiman S, Galicia-García U, Larrea-Sebal A, Olaetxea JR, Alloza I, Vandenbroeck K, Benito-Vicente A, Martín C. Pathophysiology of Atherosclerosis. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Mar 20;23(6):3346. doi: 10.3390/ijms23063346. PMID: 35328769; PMCID: PMC8954705
[7] Jaramillo Ramos JJ, Galindo Pupo NM, Mena D, Solis RP, Bedoya Jaramillo JE, Vega Solano M. Cognitive Decline in Chronic Inflammatory Conditions: Exploring Links Between Systemic Inflammation and Neurodegeneration. Cureus. 2025 Jul 21;17(7):e88397. doi: 10.7759/cureus.88397. PMID: 40842786; PMCID: PMC12365618
[8]Roberts S, Colombier P, Sowman A, Mennan C, Rölfing JH, Guicheux J, Edwards JR. Ageing in the musculoskeletal system. Acta Orthop. 2016 Dec;87(sup363):15-25. doi: 10.1080/17453674.2016.1244750. Epub 2016 Oct 17. PMID: 27748151; PMCID: PMC5389428
[9] Nguyen TQT, Cho KA. Targeting immunosenescence and inflammaging: advancing longevity research. Exp Mol Med. 2025 Sep;57(9):1881-1892. doi: 10.1038/s12276-025-01527-9. Epub 2025 Sep 1. PMID: 40887496; PMCID: PMC12508447
[10] Nakadate K, Ito N, Kawakami K, Yamazaki N. Anti-Inflammatory Actions of Plant-Derived Compounds and Prevention of Chronic Diseases: From Molecular Mechanisms to Applications. Int J Mol Sci. 2025 May 28;26(11):5206. doi: 10.3390/ijms26115206. PMID: 40508016; PMCID: PMC12154257.
