No New Year's resolutions yet? Then you can consider doing something about your 'inflammation'.
The term, a combination of inflammation and age, is generating growing interest among scientists as more and more research suggests that chronic inflammation is one of the leading causes of aging and many of the diseases that come with it.
While we all have inflammation somewhere, and increasingly so as we age, keeping levels as low as possible will provide multiple benefits. Lowering it can slow down your biological clock, allowing you to live longer, healthier lives, with a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and dementia.
I'm so fascinated by inflammation that I recently interviewed Janet Lord, director of the Institute of Inflammation and Aging at the University of Birmingham. During the interview, which will be broadcast on Radio 4 this Friday, she gave me her tips for reducing inflammation, which I share below, along with other tips that I practice myself.
As long as you're not weak, sick, or elderly, it may be worth turning the thermostat down a few degrees
SET AN ALARM TO MOVE
One of the best ways to reduce inflammation is to sit less (perhaps set an alarm to remind you to get up and walk around at least once an hour) and become more active.
A 2017 University of California study found that a single session of moderately brisk walking was enough to make a difference.
The researchers took blood samples from 47 volunteers before and after 20 minutes of brisk walking on a treadmill.
This was enough to significantly reduce levels of a pro-inflammatory chemical called TNF (tumor necrosis factor), which plays an important role in your immune defenses but can also cause chronic inflammation.
FOLLOW A 'MIND' DIET
The Mediterranean diet, which is rich in oily fish, nuts, olive oil, fruits, vegetables and legumes, is known for its anti-inflammatory properties.
Why? Many of the benefits seem to come from the impact it has on our gut bacteria.
In a study published in 2020 in the journal Gut, researchers asked more than 600 people (over 65) to stick to their regular diet or try a Mediterranean diet.
Regular brushing and flossing reduces the chance of developing gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums caused by a buildup of plaque between your teeth
A year later, the people who changed their diets not only showed signs of improved brain function, such as better memory, but had far more “good” bacteria in their gut, the kind that produce anti-inflammatory chemicals called short-term bacteria. chain fatty acids, which have been linked to a reduced risk of cancer and heart disease.
Another, more recent study, published last year in the journal Neurology, found that people who follow the so-called MIND diet (which is similar to the Mediterranean diet, but with a greater emphasis on eating berries and green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale)) had brains that were considered twelve years younger than those who did not.
We don't know exactly why, but it may be that components of the MIND diet (such as omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and polyphenols) reduce inflammation in the brain. So add another portion of vegetables to your meals and some berries to your yogurt.
LOWER THERMOSTAT
For the past few months (with the reluctant cooperation of my wife Clare) I have been keeping the thermostats in our house at a fairly chilly 15 degrees Celsius.
Not only does this save money, but there is also some evidence that keeping room temperatures low causes your body to produce more brown fat. Unlike normal fat, brown fat burns a lot of calories (to keep you warm) and produces a chemical called maresin-2 that helps reduce chronic inflammation.
There is some evidence that keeping room temperatures low causes your body to produce more brown fat. Unlike normal fat, brown fat burns a lot of calories
As long as you're not weak, sick, or elderly, it may be worth turning the thermostat down a few degrees.
SIDES TWICE A DAY
Regular brushing and flossing reduces the chance of developing gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums caused by a build-up of plaque between your teeth – which not only increases the chance of losing your teeth, but is also linked to chronic inflammation elsewhere.
This is because bacteria in the plaque can travel through the bloodstream to other parts of the body, even to the brain.
A 2021 University of Birmingham study found that having advanced gum disease increased the risk of developing mental health problems by 37 percent, heart disease by 18 percent and type 2 diabetes by 26 percent.
Researchers are working on several options to combat gingivitis, and therefore chronic inflammation, including the use of oral microbial transplants.
The idea, currently being pursued by researchers in Australia, involves loading a mouthguard with healthy insects that you place in your mouth, which then battles the acid-producing insects currently colonizing your teeth.
That's still a ways off, but if you're not flossing in the meantime, start now.
And first floss, then brush – flossing loosens the plaque, which is then wiped away by brushing.
LIMIT MEALS
Reducing calories leads to a longer, healthier life – studies show – and one of the ways this happens is by reducing chronic inflammation.
That was the conclusion of an American study published in 2016 in the journal Aging. For this study, 220 courageous volunteers were randomly assigned to either continue as normal or reduce their daily calorie intake by 25 percent for two years.
That's quite an undertaking, and not everyone asked to cut their calories – some, but not all, were overweight – managed to stick to such a draconian diet. Those who did saw a large reduction in inflammatory markers, such as TNF (mentioned earlier).
The good news is that the researchers don't think you have to go that far to see benefits; Reducing your daily calorie intake by 10-15 percent, which for the average person could mean cutting out 200-300 calories (i.e. a small bar of chocolate), is sufficient.
Or you may prefer to follow an intermittent fasting diet, such as the 5:2 diet (where you reduce your calories two days a week) or time-restricted eating, where you eat within a specific time frame.
A recent study shows that intermittent fasting reduces the amount of pro-inflammatory cells, monocytes, in the blood.
BREATHE STRESS AWAY
Short bursts of stress are manageable, but chronic stress leads to high levels of inflammation.
Some of the best ways to reduce chronic stress include being more active and eating healthy, but in addition, I recommend breathing slowly and deeply, which will slow your heart rate and make you feel calmer.
There are many different ways you can do this, but my favorite breathing exercise is 4:2:4. I breathe in through my nose to the count of four, hold my breath to the count of two, and then breathe out through my mouth to the count of four.
A few minutes are enough to reduce my stress levels and put me to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night.
Daydreaming? It's good for your brain
Ever since I was a child, I have been a real daydreamer. I can sit on the couch and get ready to empty the bins, which I promised to do, while my mind wanders and I start thinking about something completely different.
As you can imagine, this irritates my wife. Fortunately, I can now point to research that shows that daydreaming, rather than a waste of time, can be good for my mental health.
This is based on a recent study published in the journal Nature by researchers from Harvard Medical School in the US. They showed a group of mice black and white images while monitoring brain activity. The mice were then left alone for a while. As that happened, parts of their brains would occasionally light up in distinctive patterns, as if they were mentally revisiting those black-and-white images.
At the same time, there was increased activity in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for storing memories. If the same is true for humans, it suggests that when we're seemingly doing nothing and daydreaming, our brains are actually still hard at work making new neural connections and existing memories stronger.
And that, in turn, suggests that making room for more daydreaming in our day is important for our brain health. So put your feet up, phone to the side and start staring into space. Who knows what great ideas your brain will come up with?
One of the strange things I noticed when I recently went to the sales to buy new shoes is that my feet seem to have grown half a size.
Apparently this is common.
As you get older, your feet may become wider because as you age, the ligaments and tendons that support your arches lose some elasticity, which can cause your foot to spread. This is partly a result of wear and tear (by the time you reach my age, you'll probably have walked about 190 million steps) and partly because any weight gain in middle age increases the downward pressure on your feet.
If you have foot pain, or if your shoes are more worn on one side than the other, this could be a sign that you need arch support – and it may be time to invest in insoles.