What it is
Inflammaging describes the slow rise in chronic, low-grade inflammation that accompanies ageing, detectable as elevated markers such as IL-6 and CRP even without acute illness.
Why it matters for longevity
This smouldering inflammation is implicated in cardiovascular disease, frailty and neurodegeneration, and is closely tied to cellular senescence — senescent cells secrete inflammatory signals. It is widely seen as a unifying thread running through the hallmarks of aging.
What the evidence shows
The concept is well-supported by epidemiology and mechanism, but it is a *contributor* and biomarker, not a single switch — and no anti-inflammatory drug is proven to extend healthy human lifespan by targeting it.
How we use it
Many interventions (exercise, senolytics, metabolic care) plausibly act partly by lowering chronic inflammation; we treat reduced inflammatory markers as supportive, not as proof of life extension.