Hot spots of inflammation fuel aging
Scientists from Rockefeller University created an atlas showing the location of 7 million cells in 21 kinds of tissue in lab mice at three different ages -- all with the aim of identifying what routes aging takes throughout the body. What they observed was around 300,000 age-related changes in the genome (readable portions of your DNA) that were linked to the immune system, stem cells, and shared, cytokine-driven inflammation.
This research confirms that to stop premature aging and disability, you want to control chronic inflammation that's associated with misdirected immune cells and the fading vitality of stem cells.
Inflammation is complex. It's your friend when it summons immune cells to conquer infections, but when you don't treat your body right, those immune cells can mistakenly focus their attack on your tissues, leading to osteoarthritis, heart woes, cancer, and dementia. Fortunately, taming chronic inflammation is both tasty and enjoyable.
Avoid highly processed foods, and opt for high-fiber, nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables and healthful, fatty fish, like salmon. Also, exercise regularly. Laugh, hang out with friends and find a purpose. (Emotional tension is inflammatory.)
And there's a new innovation that can get rid of inflammatory cytokines so you slow aging and reverse cognitive decline -- therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). We started a company to make this more widely available after we saw that randomized controlled trials using TPE reversed early Alzheimer's cognitive dysfunction, aging and long-COVID-19 -- see the data Lifespan-Edge.com/research. Intrigued? I outline step-by-step how you can adopt all these choices in my book "The Great Age Reboot."
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at questions@4YOUngevity.com.
(c)2026 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2026 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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