Inflammation is an essential function of the body, but chronic inflammation can have adverse health consequences, especially when it comes to the aging process. In this episode, Jim LaValle, RPh, CCN, joins us to explore the concept of metabolic inflammation, or “metaflammation,” and how it can silently affect our metabolism, leading to accelerated aging, or “inflammaging.” He shares insights around identifying and managing chronic inflammation, emphasizing the importance of lifestyle choices and comprehensive lab testing.
This episode of Life Time Talks is part of our series on Performance and Longevity with MIORA.
Jim LaValle, RPh, CCN, is a clinical pharmacist, the cochair of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, the chair of the International Peptide Society, and the Chief Science Officer for Life Time.
In this episode, LaValle shares a number of insights around the connection between inflammation and aging and the reasons to take steps so inflammation doesn’t become chronic, including the following:
- Metabolic inflammation, otherwise known as “metaflammation,” leads to inflammatory aging, or “inflammaging.”
- Metabolism is the sum of all the total metabolic reactions that are going on in your body.
- When you have metaflammation, your metabolism is driving inflammatory compounds that are being silently released in your body, creating damage — including inside your tissues, your arteries, and your brain.
- Being undernourished, having elevated blood sugar, experiencing chronic stress, suffering from lack of sleep, and overtraining can all contribute to keeping you stuck in a chronic inflammation response.
- Metaflammation can cause insulin resistance, make you more efficient at storing fat and less efficient at burning it. It can also cause mitochondrial inefficiency, meaning your cells are not able to produce the energy they need to perform all aspects of your metabolism.
- Your body makes anti-inflammatory cytokines, which keep you resilient, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, which protect you during acute duress. Your body makes more of the latter when we’re metabolically inflamed, which can cause your gut to become more permeable; this it can impact your cognition, among other effects.
- Metabolic inflammation leads to vascular damage, meaning plaque can build up in your arteries.
- It’s important to start thinking about managing metabolic inflammation in your 20s and 30s, if you can, urges LaValle.
- Inflammation can be silent. Because the signs often aren’t outward, the best way to understand if you’re dealing with chronic inflammation is through comprehensive bloodwork.