The inflammation that I am mostly focused on is rather the age-associated inflammation, which is sustained over time. It causes collateral damage in tissues and organs, increasing the likelihood of developing the most nasty, very feared diseases of aging. So high levels of systemic chronic inflammation increases the risk of heart attack,. metabolic disorders such as type two diabetes and metabolic syndrome; musculoskeletal conditions like osteoporosis. cancer cells need inflammation to actually replicate and metastasize.
Ian Sample talks to Dr David Furman, an expert on inflammation and ageing at Stanford University. He explains how chronic inflammation is affecting our health and how lifestyle choices can help us fight it. This episode has been updated from an earlier version which stated that dairy is a cause of inflammation. Current scientific evidence suggests dairy has a negligible to marginally positive impact on inflammation in humans.. Help support our independent journalism at
theguardian.com/sciencepod