The association of anti-inflammatory diet ingredients and lifestyle exercise with inflammaging

Abstract

One of the latest theories on ageing focuses on immune response, and considers the activation of subclinical and chronic inflammation. The study was designed to explain whether anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle exercise affect an inflammatory profile in the Polish elderly population. Sixty individuals (80.2 ± 7.9 years) were allocated to a low-grade inflammation (LGI n = 33) or high-grade inflammation (HGI n = 27) group, based on C-reactive protein concentration (<3 or ≥3 mg/L) as a conventional marker of systemic inflammation. Diet analysis focused on vitamins D, C, E, A, β-carotene, n-3 and n-6 PUFA using single 24-h dietary recall. LGI demonstrated a lower n-6/n-3 PUFA but higher vitamin D intake than HGI. Physical performance based on 6-min walk test (6MWT) classified the elderly as physically inactive, whereby LGI demonstrated a significantly higher gait speed (1.09 ± 0.26 m/s) than HGI (0.72 ± 0.28 m/s). Circulating interleukins IL-1β, IL-6, IL-13, TNFα and cfDNA demonstrated high concentrations in the elderly with low 6MWT, confirming an impairment of physical performance by persistent systemic inflammation. These findings reveal that increased intake of anti-inflammatory diet ingredients and physical activity sustained throughout life attenuate progression of inflammaging in the elderly and indicate potential therapeutic strategies to counteract pathophysiological effects of ageing.