Based on a recent study in Nature Aging as summarized in the New York Times:
Inflammation is a natural immune response that protects the body from injury or infection. Scientists have long believed that long-term, low-grade inflammation — also known as “inflammaging” — is a universal hallmark of getting older. But this new data raises the question of whether inflammation is directly linked to aging at all, or if it’s linked to a person’s lifestyle or environment instead.
The study, which was published today, found that people in two nonindustrialized areas experienced a different kind of inflammation throughout their lives than more urban people — likely tied to infections from bacteria, viruses and parasites rather than the precursors of chronic disease. Their inflammation also didn’t appear to increase with age.
The studies looked at four distinct populations in Italy, Singapore, Bolivia and Malaysia with the latter two populations being comprised of individuals in nonindustrialized areas. What is the cause of these differences? Pollution? Diet? Sedentary lifestyle? More research is needed.
