Aging isn’t just what you see in the mirror — it’s also about what’s happening beneath the surface. Low-grade inflammation (low levels of slow, long-term damage to healthy body tissues) throughout the body can often build unnoticed as you age, leading to what experts have called “inflammaging.” It’s an issue linked to multiple aging-related diseases, such as heart disease, cognitive decline, and cancer.
“Inflammaging is generally defined as the combination of ‘inflammation + aging,’ or a chronic pro-inflammatory state that emerges as we get older, resulting from self-perpetuating cycles of tissue damage, host response, and immune dysregulation,” says Thomas McDade, PhD, a professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University in Chicago who has researched inflammaging.
Unlike acute inflammation, which is your body’s short-term, helpful response to an injury or infection, inflammaging persists and accumulates over time, gradually wearing down tissues and bodily systems and potentially contributing to disease.
While you can’t stop the clock, research suggests that lifestyle habits like diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, and social connection may keep age-related inflammation in check.
1. Aim for an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Studies show that regularly following this type of eating pattern (like the Mediterranean diet or MIND diet) can significantly lower levels of inflammatory markers, which are substances in the bloodstream that indicate whether the body’s immune system is actively responding to injury, infection, or chronic disease. Examples of these foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil, and fatty fish. Over time, foods like these can contribute to a reduced risk of developing inflammaging-related conditions, such as heart disease and cognitive decline.
While diet matters for immune health, keep in mind that the best anti-inflammatory diet doesn’t have to be strict or universal, says Maximilien Franck, PhD, a former postdoctoral researcher in Quebec who has studied inflammaging. “Broadly, diets centered on minimally processed foods, fiber-rich plant foods, and healthy fats are likely to be beneficial for most people.”
To put this into practice, focus on small, consistent choices — like exchanging butter for extra-virgin olive oil or eating fatty fish twice per week — rather than a complete diet overhaul.
2. Avoid Pro-Inflammatory Foods
Diets high in fatty, sugary, fried, and processed foods fuel chronic, low-grade inflammation — keeping the body in an inflammatory state linked to faster biological aging by increasing oxidative stress, disrupting gut health, encouraging excess belly fat, and activating inflammatory pathways. Research shows that people who eat more foods from these categories have higher levels of inflammatory markers linked to inflammaging and are more likely to experience age-related disease, such as rapid cognitive decline.
To avoid pro-inflammatory foods, limit your intake of sugar, sodium, refined carbohydrates, and processed meats by making most meals at home with unprocessed (or minimally processed) foods.
If this seems daunting, Cohen recommends aiming for progress rather than perfection. “Keep it simple,” he says. “I would focus on eating what we already know is good for you.”
3. Routinely Work Up a Sweat
People who exercise regularly tend to live longer — and healthier — lives. Compared with a more sedentary lifestyle, long-term moderate to intense movement has been shown to reduce chronic inflammation — counteracting inflammaging by improving immune system regulation and supporting metabolic health.
“Exercise training may be one of the most important interventions for inflammaging, as both cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle mass are some of the strongest predictors of longevity and healthspan,” says Brian Andonian, MD, a rheumatologist and an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, who has studied the effects of inflammaging on age-related disease.
To start an effective anti-inflammaging aerobic exercise program, aim for 30- to 60-minute sessions of moderate to high-intensity workouts like cycling or jogging at least a few times per week.
4. Prioritize High-Quality Sleep
Sleep isn’t just about feeling rested — it plays a critical role in supporting healthy aging.“Getting adequate sleep will help reduce inflammation and improve well-being overall,” Dr. McDade says.
Research shows a link between poor quality or insufficient sleep and higher levels of inflammatory markers and chronic disease risk.
To improve your sleep, prioritize the small habits that help you get seven to nine hours of consistent, high-quality slumber every night — like limiting screen time before bed and creating a cool, dark sleep environment.
5. Minimize Stress Through Mindfulness
While occasional stress is normal, constant stress over time can contribute to inflammaging by elevating stress hormones and keeping immune pathways activated. A landmark study showed that levels of the stress hormone cortisol increase with age, particularly in older adulthood — leading to brain changes that increase the risk for cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Psychological stress triggers inflammation by activating a pro-inflammatory gene expression pattern, says Alan Cohen, PhD, an associate professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University’s Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center in New York City who has researched inflammaging. ”If that stress exposure is repeated or prolonged, it contributes to a chronic, low-grade inflammatory state similar to what’s seen in inflammaging,” Dr. Cohen says.
Managing stress through regular mindfulness practices, which help retrain your body to stay calmer in tense situations, could combat inflammaging by lowering cortisol levels and reducing inflammation. Ways to incorporate this into your life include:
Meditating for at least 10 minutes daily to help improve your body’s stress response.
Yoga has been shown to reduce inflammatory markers, cortisol levels, physiological markers of stress, and perceived stress, with regular sessions producing more significant changes.
Journaling for 15 minutes a day three times a week, which combats stress and promotes emotional stability.
6. Limit Alcohol Consumption
Research suggests that alcohol interferes with key chemical messengers that help regulate immune system responses — encouraging body-wide inflammation instead of dampening it. Because of this, reducing alcohol (and other substance use) is likely to have a large impact on biological aging and inflammaging, Dr. Andonian notes.
To reduce the inflammatory burden on your body, experts recommend staying within the “moderate” alcohol limit of one drink per day or less for women and two drinks per day or less for men — or better yet, drinking even less frequently than that. Rather than going cold turkey, try cutting back gradually by incorporating more alcohol-free days per week or replacing drinks with mocktail alternatives.
7. Maintain a Healthy Weight and Lose Belly Fat
Carrying excess body weight — especially around the stomach — can drive inflammaging, as studies have linked belly fat with higher levels of inflammatory markers known to increase age-related disease risk.
Evidence suggests that accumulating belly fat, which surrounds the internal organs, may encourage the release of inflammatory compounds and activate immune cells, keeping the body in a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation.
With weight management in mind, Andonian says reducing your calorie intake may reduce inflammaging. Focus on prioritizing more physical movement throughout the day and managing what you eat through the Mediterranean diet or intermittent fasting, which triggers your body to burn stored fat. Additionally, getting plenty of sleep, limiting stress levels, and reducing alcohol intake can reduce belly fat.
8. Add Key Nutrients Wherever Possible
Along with incorporating an anti-inflammatory diet overall, there are certain key compounds worth calling attention to that may counter inflammaging further, Andonian says.
For example, probiotics might lessen inflammaging by balancing the gut bacterial environment (microbiome), supporting immune system function, and reducing levels of inflammatory markers in the body. And protein — particularly when combined with exercise— can preserve muscle mass and function and reduce age-related inflammation in the body.
“This is an area of growing interest among both patients and scientists. Unfortunately, there are a lot of recommendations from the wellness space and on social media that are being amplified before the evidence is there,” Andonian says. He recommends getting these nutrients from your diet whenever possible — which could be emphasized in the following ways.
For a probiotic boost, consider a probiotic supplement or fermented dairy foods like kefir or Greek yogurt.
For protein intake, try a protein supplement or reach for plant-based or lean protein sources such as fish, eggs, beans, nuts, and soy.
9. Prioritize Connection and Purpose
Positive psychosocial factors — like purpose, connection, and social support — may help protect against inflammaging by buffering the body’s stress response and reducing chronic inflammation.
Evidence suggests that people with a rich social life experience slower biological aging and lower levels of inflammatory markers compared with those who may be less connected. ”Social relationships, living conditions, and other psychosocial factors are all part of the wider life context that shapes immune aging,” Dr. Franck adds.
Having purpose and fostering connections can be expressed in many different ways — including regularly volunteering, caring for loved ones, pursuing creative hobbies, participating in faith communities, cultivating relationships, or simply feeling connected to something meaningful or greater outside of yourself.
“One of the best things you can do for your health is to know why you wake up in the morning; to feel like you’ve got a reason to be alive, and to be surrounded by people you care about,” says Cohen. “If you have that, the rest often falls into place.”
10. Talk to a Healthcare Provider
Routine health screenings are important for catching chronic conditions earlier. But it’s especially important to talk to a healthcare provider if you’re experiencing symptoms related to ongoing inflammation, such as persistent fatigue, body pain, frequent infections, and unintentional weight gain or weight loss. They can evaluate potential inflammaging contributors and unrecognized medical diagnoses, and recommend next steps, which may include lifestyle changes, medications, and screenings.
“There is unlikely to be any single tip that ‘solves’ inflammaging,” Franck says. “What seems to matter most is the overall lifetime exposures: diet, physical activity, infections, stress, sleep, pollutants, and other environmental conditions all interacting over time.”
While you can’t completely stop the aging process, you may be able to limit the role that long-term inflammation plays in your life.
“Studies show us that chronic inflammation is not necessarily an inevitable part of aging, and that it is possible to break the links among inflammation, aging, and disease that we commonly see in the United States,” McDade says.
