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A diet containing high amounts of natural inflammatory inhibitors - such as B vitamins, ginger, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids - delays aging and reduces your chance of developing cancer. But the positive effect of this kind of diet may be even greater than we realised, according to a molecular epidemiological study that Polish researchers at the Mossakowski Medical Research Centre published in Immunity & Ageing.
Study
The researchers used data on almost five thousand East Europeans aged 65 and over. They knew the levels of CRP in the blood of about three thousand of the subjects, and the concentration of interleukine-6 in a similar-sized group.
CRP and interleukine-6 are inflammatory proteins. They help rid the body of disease pathogens and damaged tissues, but in too high quantities they increase the chance of chronic diseases and speed up the aging process. A sedentary lifestyle and bad diet increase the body's production of inflammatory proteins.
The researchers divided the participants into two groups. One group was entitled the 'successfully aging subgroup'. These were people who had no cancer, cardiovascular disease or diabetes, and who were in good mental condition and had no problems with normal everyday activities. The other group was called the 'subgroup of individuals who suffered from aging-related diseases'.
Results
The super agers had slightly lower levels of CRP and interleukine-6 in their blood than the other participants. The older the participants were, the more the concentration of CRP and interleukine-6 rose, and that happened in both groups.
The Poles divided the study participants into three equal-sized groups [called tertiles] according to the amount of CRP in their blood. They divided the participants into four equal-sized groups [quartiles] according to the concentration of interleukine-6 in their blood. They then recorded how many participants died over a subsequent period of five years.
Conclusion
"In the present study, IL-6 and CRP levels in the elderly systematically increased in an age-dependent manner in the entire study group, the successfully aging subgroup, and in individuals who suffered from aging-related diseases", the Poles summarise. "Higher IL-6 and CRP levels were associated with [...] a higher risk of mortality also in successfully aging individuals."
Study
The researchers used data on almost five thousand East Europeans aged 65 and over. They knew the levels of CRP in the blood of about three thousand of the subjects, and the concentration of interleukine-6 in a similar-sized group.
CRP and interleukine-6 are inflammatory proteins. They help rid the body of disease pathogens and damaged tissues, but in too high quantities they increase the chance of chronic diseases and speed up the aging process. A sedentary lifestyle and bad diet increase the body's production of inflammatory proteins.
The researchers divided the participants into two groups. One group was entitled the 'successfully aging subgroup'. These were people who had no cancer, cardiovascular disease or diabetes, and who were in good mental condition and had no problems with normal everyday activities. The other group was called the 'subgroup of individuals who suffered from aging-related diseases'.
Results
The super agers had slightly lower levels of CRP and interleukine-6 in their blood than the other participants. The older the participants were, the more the concentration of CRP and interleukine-6 rose, and that happened in both groups.
The Poles divided the study participants into three equal-sized groups [called tertiles] according to the amount of CRP in their blood. They divided the participants into four equal-sized groups [quartiles] according to the concentration of interleukine-6 in their blood. They then recorded how many participants died over a subsequent period of five years.
Conclusion
"In the present study, IL-6 and CRP levels in the elderly systematically increased in an age-dependent manner in the entire study group, the successfully aging subgroup, and in individuals who suffered from aging-related diseases", the Poles summarise. "Higher IL-6 and CRP levels were associated with [...] a higher risk of mortality also in successfully aging individuals."
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