Introduction
In medical conversation, the term inflammation is often misunderstood, and the concept dates back to Roman times.
Inflammation is e viewed by many people as something malfunctional or harmful, and it is frequently forgotten that inflammation is crucial for survival and health.
The word Inflammation is an old word that comes from the Latin “inflamare”, meaning to set alight or burn.
It is important to know how the body responds to any possible threats. Inflammation is intended to protect the body, act fast and settle down when the threat is gone.
In the last few decades, advances in molecular biology have expanded this understanding. It is now better understood for both processes of involving immune and non-immune cells, triggered by factors such as toxins, infections, cellular damage, and radiation. The main goal is to balance and maintain normal function within the body (Oronsky, Caroen and Reid, 2022).
Chronic Inflammation that matters today
Short-term inflammation is important for survival in response to injury and infection. Although studies show that social, lifestyle, and environmental factors may lead to chronic systemic inflammation.
This persistent inflammatory state contributes to the multiple circumstances that are responsible for a large part of global illness and death. These involve:
- Heart disease,
- Cancer,
- Chronic kidney disease,
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,
- Neurodegenerative diseases.
This article explores biological mechanisms operating at multiple levels that support systematic chronic inflammation and examines components that increase risk, including infections, unhealthy dietary patterns, and psychological stress. It also explores early prevention, detection, and management of SCI (Furman et al., 2019).
Immunosenescence and ageing of bone marrow determined by hematopoietic stem cells. Bone marrow is the main location of blood cell formation, and it represents a highly dynamic place in skeletal cells, stromal elements and hematopoietic populations.
Older bone marrow is the accumulation of important changes. These aged stromal cells show molecular hallmarks of senescence, such as:
- Genomic instability,
- Excessive reactive oxygen species production,
- Raised expression of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).
The inflammatory environment created by SASP disrupts healthy cells, altering gene expression in surrounding healthy mesenchymal cells. Ageing of the bone marrow is associated with several issues, such as:
- haematological abnormalities,
- increased rates of anaemia, which may weaken the adaptive immune system
- the larger the risk of myelodysplastic syndromes
- myeloproliferative diseases.
The number of hematopoietic stem cells can rise with age, but other aspects, such as clonogenic potential and self-renewal, functional quality, and clonogenic potential, decline distinctly with SCI (Furman et al., 2019).
T-cell immune competence and Thymic aging
The thymus is crucial for the generation of immune T-cells, which are important for immune defence and immune tolerance. T-cell production and thymic hormone production are highest in early in life and gradually decline thereafter (Li et al., 2023).
Studies show that ageing in the thymus is associated to:
- Oxidant stress,
- DNA damage,
- Increased phosphorylation of p53.
Chronic Inflammation as a Driver of Disease
Chronic inflammation often occurs without obvious symptoms and plays a major role in long-term diseases. It can affect both lifespan and quality of life.
Many external and internal factors contributing to the maintenance of this inflammatory state, including:
- Tobacco use,
- Ageing,
- Dietary habits, physical inactivity,
- Excess body weight,
- Psychological stress,
- Hormonal changes,
- Disrupted wake and sleep cycles.
Furthermore, fat tissue is characterised by an inflammatory environment with immune cell infiltration and releases inflammatory substances of adipose tissue and strengthened cytokine release. These procedures contribute to metabolic disorders and insulin resistance.
Among adaptive and innate immune mechanisms, adipose signalling molecules play a crucial role in the inflammatory state (Chavda, Feehan and Apostolopoulos, 2024).
Mediterranean-style eating, inflammation, and vascular health inflammation
The Mediterranean dietary model was described by Ancel Keys in the mid twentieth century, and it is characterised by:
- Extra virgin olive oil,
- Fruit and vegetables,
- Legumes,
- Whole grains,
- Low-fat dairy products,
- Fish
- Small amount of red meat
Anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin and Antioxidant
Curcumin is a bioactive compound derived from turmeric. It has been widely researched for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Research shows that curcumin may promote a wide variety of beneficial biological activities, especially in regulating oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, (Lu and Yen, 2015). Various studies have shown that tea catechins, mainly present in green tea and other dietary sources, contain multiple bioactive combinations. Along with these, epigallocatechin gallate is well-known as one of the most effective and potent catechins.
Carotenoids are widely known for their promoting quality and their role in supporting human well-being. Although astaxanthin, on the other hand, is a structurally distinct carotenoid that has been well studied for its diverse biological activities (Lu and Yen, 2015).
Diet, Its Role in Inflammation and Chronic Disease Risk
Dietary intake represents one of the most important modified influences.
The evidence shows:
- Mediterranean dietary pattern is associated with a reduction in inflammatory markers,
- A diet rich in added sugar
- Trans fats are linked directly to increased inflammatory response.
- Saturated fats have been associated with elevated and correlated inflammatory biomarkers.
Dairy foods play an important role in healthy eating patterns, such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet. According to the DGA, individuals age nine and older are recommended to consume three cups or equivalents of low-fat or fat-free dairy products daily.
Consuming dairy products is rich in nutrients, such as:
- Vitamin D,
- Calcium,
- Vitamin B12,
- Protein,
- Zinc,
- Potassium,
- Magnesium
- Selenium.
Dairy has been identified as one of the main dietary sources. It has been associated with positive health results, which will result in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, supporting bone health and metabolic syndrome.
Additionally, dairy products are recognised as containing pro-inflammatory components, such as saturated fat and lactose content.
As a result, the importance of consuming dairy for achieving nutritional adequacy, while reducing the risk of chronic disease,is noted (Nieman, Anderson and Cifelli, 2021).
Conclusion
Chronic inflammation is a major health problem that can affect many people around the world. Short-term inflammation helps protect us from injury and infection, but long-term inflammation can silently damage the body. This increases the risk of serious diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Many everyday factors can lead to this condition, including poor diet, lack of exercise, stress, smoking, and not getting enough sleep.
The good news is that chronic inflammation can often be managed through simple lifestyle changes. Eating a balanced diet, especially one similar to the Mediterranean diet, can help reduce inflammation.
This includes, for example, eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats such as olive oil and fish, while limiting processed foods, sugar and unhealthy fats. Natural compounds such as curcumin and antioxidants commonly found in foods such as green tea can also support the body in reducing inflammation.
In addition, staying physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, and having good sleep habits are all important steps in controlling inflammation. As the body ages, the immune system may become less effective, which makes these healthy habits even more important.
In conclusion, chronic inflammation is influenced by many factors overall, but it can also be controlled with the right choices. By making small, consistent lifestyle changes, individuals have an opportunity to improve their overall health, reduce their risk of disease, and support a better quality of life.
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References
Chavda, V.P., Feehan, J. and Apostolopoulos, V. (2024) ‘Inflammation: The Cause of All Diseases’, Cells, 13(22), p. 1906. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13221906.
Furman, D. et al. (2019) ‘Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span’, Nature Medicine, 25(12), pp. 1822–1832. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0675-0.
Li, X. et al. (2023) ‘Inflammation and aging: signaling pathways and intervention therapies’, Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 8(1), p. 239. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-023-01502-8.
Lu, C.-C. and Yen, G.-C. (2015) ‘Antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activity of functional foods’, Current Opinion in Food Science, 2, pp. 1–8. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2014.11.002.
Nieman, K.M., Anderson, B.D. and Cifelli, C.J. (2021) ‘The Effects of Dairy Product and Dairy Protein Intake on Inflammation: A Systematic Review of the Literature’, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 40(6), pp. 571–582. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2020.1800532.
Oronsky, B., Caroen, S. and Reid, T. (2022) ‘What Exactly Is Inflammation (and What Is It Not?)’, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(23), p. 14905. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232314905.
Schwingshackl, L. and Hoffmann, G. (2014) ‘Mediterranean dietary pattern, inflammation and endothelial function: A systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention trials’, Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 24(9), pp. 929–939. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2014.03.003.
