Add source Login
'Inflammaging' Can Accelerate Age-Related Disease – Here's How To Limit It

'Inflammaging' Can Accelerate Age-Related Disease – Here's How To Limit It

Inflammation of the hands Sometimes, inflammation – which happens when your body responds to illness, injury, and bacteria – is helpful. It can help us to heal and may even be key to muscle growth. But, like the “fight or flight” hormone cortisol , too much of a sometimes-useful thing can be harmful. Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis can occur when your body’s inflammation levels stay too high for too long (in this case, your body mistakenly attacks your own joints). However, not every instance can lead to a full-blown, identifiable illness, Dr Suzanne Wylie, GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor , told HuffPost UK. “Inflammaging,” a portmanteau of “inflammation” and “ageing,” can lead to “contribute to conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and frailty,” hastening the appearance of age-related conditions, she shared. What is “inflammaging”? “Inflammaging” is a term used to describe the low-grade, chronic inflammation that develops as we age, even in the absence of obvious infection or illness,” Dr Wylie said. This change is “subtle and persistent,” and is “thought to occur due to a combination of factors such as the gradual build-up of cellular damage, changes in the immune system, the presence of senescent (or “ageing”) cells, and the effects of long-term exposure to environmental stressors.” Over time, this can leave you more liable to develop health issues linked to ageing. How can I tell if I have “inflammaging”? There are no clear-cut diagnostic tools for “inflammaging” as yet. “Research studies may measure certain inflammatory markers in the blood, such as [inflammation markers] C-reactive protein (CRP) or interleukin levels, but these are not specific or practical for routine screening,” Dr Wylie said. But that doesn’t mean “inflammaging” is symptomless or impossible to notice. “In real terms, we tend to ‘spot’ the effects of inflammaging indirectly, through the presence of age-related conditions and a decline in resilience to illness or stress,” the GP told us. How can I manage “inflammaging”? Though ageing is inevitable, the inflammation associated with it is modifiable. Lifestyle changes, Dr Wylie explained, can make a huge difference. “Smoking, a poor diet high in processed foods and sugar, physical inactivity, and poor sleep can all worsen inflammation,” she said, while “regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, and healthy fats (such as those found in fish and olive oil), adequate sleep, and good stress management can help to reduce inflammation and potentially slow down some of the processes associated with inflammaging.” It’s not completely preventable, but great choices can make the symptoms of “inflammaging” more manageable. “For now,” the doctor ended, “the focus remains on promoting healthy ageing by encouraging lifestyle changes known to reduce chronic inflammation and support long-term wellbeing”. Related... Going To Bed After This Time May Affect Healthy Ageing This Is The Age When Ageing 'Accelerates', According To New Research It’s Called A ‘Fart Walk’, And It May Be The Secret To Healthy Ageing, Doctor Says

Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin, known for Anna Karenina ballet, dies aged 92

Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin, known for Anna Karenina ballet, dies aged 92

Composer, whose work ranged from opera to ballet to concertos, was married to ballerina Maya Plisetskaya for 57 years The Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin, who created the celebrated ballets Anna Karenina and the Carmen Suite, has died in Germany at the age of 92, Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre said on Friday. He and his wife of 57 years, the legendary ballerina Maya Plisetskaya , dominated the Soviet and Russian cultural scene for the latter part of the last century. She died in 2015 . Continue reading...

The Guardian view on Trump and the Fed: independence is no substitute for accountability | Editorial

The Guardian view on Trump and the Fed: independence is no substitute for accountability | Editorial

The US president’s move against Lisa Cook shows his despotic bent, but the Fed was never democracy’s guardian. It’s time to rethink who really controls money Donald Trump’s attempt to sack the Federal Reserve governor, Lisa Cook, is the familiar authoritarian trick of bending institutions to serve the leader’s immediate ends. The widespread condemnation is deserved. This is not some daring experiment in popular control of monetary policy. Yet what should follow censure is reflection. For the furore over Ms Cook has revealed a peculiar reflex: to defend the Fed’s independence as though it were synonymous with democracy itself. But is independence of the Fed, or central banks generally, really that? Eric Levitz at Vox thinks so, or at least that it is close enough. He argues that Congress sets the Fed’s objectives; independence applies only to the means. Without independence, politicians would be free to game rates for votes – as Richard Nixon did in 1972, leaning on the Fed to juice growth before the election. On this view, independence is not anti-democratic but prudent delegation. Continue reading...