Chronic inflammation, considered for a long time a feature linked to human aging, may not be universal. According to a study, the inflammation of aging or ‘inflammaging’ is the product of industrialized lifestyles and, therefore, does not appear in all world populations.
The research, conducted by the Mailman of Public Health of the University of Columbia (New York, United States) concludes that The ‘inflammaging’ is not at all a universal human traitbut it depends on the lifestyle and social and cultural factors.
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Methodology: Comparison between industrialized and indigenous populations
To do the study, the team analyzed data from four populations: two industrialized groups – the Italian Inchianti study and the longitudinal study on the aging of Singapore (SLAS) – and two non -industrialized indigenous populations – the Tsimane of the Bolivian Amazon and the Orang Asli de Malaysia.
The authors used a panel of 19 cytokines – pequeñas immune signaling proteins – to evaluate inflammation patterns and observed that, although the inflammation signal was similar in industrialized populations (Italian and Singapurenses), it was not replicated in indigenous groups, where inflammation levels were not determined by age, but by persistent infections and certain persistent infections and certain exhibitions Environmental
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Inflammation for infections vs. aging
In the case of industrialized populations, inflammation markers were strongly related to chronic diseases.
In industrialized environments, we see a clear relationship between the ‘inflaming’ and diseases such as chronic kidney disease, ”explains the main author, Alan Cohen, a researcher at the Columbia Mailman School and a member of the teaching staff of Butler Columbia Aging Center.
“But in populations with high infection rates, inflammation seems to reflect more infectious diseases than The aging itself”, Summarizes the researcher.
In fact, the study showed that about 66% of the Tsimane had at least one intestinal parasitic infection and more than 70% of the Orang Asli had a prevalent infection.
However, although indigenous populations, in particular the Tsimane, had high constituent levels of inflammation, they did not increase with age and, more importantly, they did not give rise to chronic diseases that hit industrialized societies.
Thus, most chronic diseases – diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer older industrialized adultsthese have pathological consequences.
“These findings really question the idea that inflammation is bad in itself,” said Cohen.
“Rather, it seems that inflammation – and perhaps also other aging mechanisms – can depend largely on the context. On the one hand, that is a challenge, because there will be no universal answers to scientific questions. On the other hand, it is promising, because it means that we can intervene and change things.”
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Study conclusions
In view of these results, the study questions the hypothesis of the universal biomarkers of aging and suggests, however, that immune aging processes are specific to each population and are very influenced by the environment and lifestyle.
“These results point to a Evolutionary mismatch Among our immunological systems and the environments we currently live, ”Cohen explained.
“It is possible that inflammatory aging is not a direct product of aging, but rather an answer to industrialized conditions.”
The authors ask that the way in which aging and inflammation in populations be measured be re -evaluated and emphasizes the need for standardized tools and sensitive to context.
Factors such as the environment, lifestyle – for example, intense physical activity or a very low diet in fat – and infections can influence the aging of the immune system. Understanding how these elements interact could help develop more effective global health strategies, ”concludes Cohen.
(With EFE information)
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