Flashback Friday: How to Counter the Inflammation of Aging

One of the most recognized consequences of aging is a decline in immune function, illustrated by vulnerability to dying from the flu and poor response to vaccinations. But, about 20 years ago, a paper was published showing that the immune cells of 80-year olds produced significantly more pro-inflammatory signals, suggesting the worst of both worlds, a decline in the part of the immune system that fights specific infections, and an aggravation of nonspecific overreactions that can lead to inflammation. This has since been formalized in a concept referred to as “inflamm-aging,” a chronic low-grade inflammation we now know is typical of aging, which may be responsible for the decline and the onset of disease in the elderly.

 So, what can we do about it? Inflammaging appears to be a major consequence of growing old. Can it be prevented or cured? The key to successful aging and longevity may be to decrease chronic inflammation without compromising an acute response when exposed to pathogens. How are we going to do that? Nutrition. What we eat is probably the most powerful and pliable tool that we have to attain a chronic and systemic modulation of the aging process.

 In the first systematic review of the associations between dietary patterns and biomarkers of inflammation ever published, the dietary patterns associated with inflammation were almost all meat-based or so-called “Western” diet patterns, while vegetable and fruit-based or “healthy” patterns tended to be inversely associated, meaning more plant-based, less inflammation.

The reason why meat is associated with inflammation may be because of both the animal protein and the animal fat. In the  first interventional study that separately evaluated the effects of vegetable and animal protein on inflammatory status as it relates to obesity and metabolic syndrome when you’re trying to lose weight, what they found was that a higher intake of animal origin protein—specifically meat—is associated with higher plasma levels of inflammatory markers in obese adults.

The reason obesity is associated with increased risk of many cancers may be because of obesity-associated inflammation. Obesity-driven inflammation may stimulate prostaglandin-mediated estrogen biosynthesis in breast tissues. The inflammation may activate the enzyme that allows breast tumors to make their own estrogen via this inflammatory compound called prostaglandin. If you measure the level of prostaglandins in women’s urine, it correlates with breast cancer risk. And how do you get high levels of this inflammatory compound?  Smoking, a high-saturated fat diet, and obesity. Why does eating saturated fat lead to prostaglandin production? Because prostaglandins are made from arachidonic acid, and arachidonic acid is a major ingredient in animal fats. Animal fats contain arachidonic acid, and arachidonic acid is what our body uses to produce inflammatory compounds, like prostaglandins, with. Inflammatory compounds can then go on to stimulate breast cancer growth, and may also play a role in colon cancer, lung cancer, and head and neck cancer as well.

 In contrast, whole plant foods have anti-inflammatory effects, though some plants are better than others. The folks made to eat five-a-day of high antioxidant fruits and vegetables, like berries and greens, had a significantly better impact on reducing systemic inflammation and liver dysfunction compared to five-a-day of the more common low antioxidant fruits and veggies, like bananas and lettuce.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

• C Franceschi. Inflammaging as a major characteristic of old people: can it be prevented or cured? Nutr Rev. 2007 Dec;65(12 Pt 2):S173-6.
• E Cevenini, D Monti, C Franceschi. Inflamm-ageing. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2013 Jan;16(1):14-20.
• J Barbaresko, M Koch, M B Schulze, U Nothlings. Dietary pattern analysis and biomarkers of low-grade inflammation: a systematic literature review. Nutr Rev. 2013 Aug;71(8):511-27.
• S Kim, J A Taylor, G L Milne, D P Sandler. Association between urinary prostaglandin E2 metabolite and breast cancer risk: a prospective, case-cohort study of postmenopausal women. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2013 Jun;6(6):511-8.
• D Wang, R N DuBois. Urinary PGE-M: a promising cancer biomarker. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2013 Jun;6(6):507-10.
• S Valtuena, N Pellegrini, L Franzini, M A Bianchi, D Ardigo, D Del Rio, P Piatti, F Scazzina, I Zavaroni, F Brighenti. Food selection based on total antioxidant capacity can modify antioxidant intake, systemic inflammation, and liver function without altering markers of oxidative stress. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1290-7.
• B Watzi. Anti-inflammatory effects of plant-based foods and of their constituents. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2008 Dec;78(6):293-8.
• U Fagiolo, A Cossarizza, E Scala, E Fanales-Belasio, C Orolani, E Cozzi, D Monti, C Franceschi, R Paganelli. Increased cytokine production in mononuclear cells of healthy elderly people. Eur J Immunol. 1993 Sep;23(9):2375-8.
• E Motencino-Rodriguez, B Berent-Maoz, K Dorshkind. Causes, consequences, and reversal of immune system aging. J Clin Invest. 2013 Mar;123(3):958-65.
• P Lopez-Legarrea, R de la Iglesia, I Abete, S Navas-Carretero, J A Martinez, M A Zulet. The protein type within a hypocaloric diet affects obesity-related inflammation: the RESMENA project. Nutrition. 2014 Apr;30(4):424-9.
• B Samuelsson. An elucidation of the arachidonic acid cascade. Discovery of prostaglandins, thromboxane and leukotrienes. Drugs. 1987;33 Suppl 1:2-9.

Images thanks to Sara Fasullo via Flickr.