Inflammaging— How quiet inflammation accelerates aging

Summary:
Inflammation is not the enemy. You need sharp, short bursts to fight infections and repair injuries. The problem is the slow, quiet kind that never fully switches off. As we age, many of us develop a persistent low-grade inflammatory state known as “inflammaging.” It doesn’t feel dramatic, but over time it accelerates wear on blood vessels, joints, metabolism, brain, and tissues. You cannot delete it, but you can understand what drives it and how to reduce the load in a realistic way.

Who this helps: Anyone who cares about long-term healthspan, recovery, and cellular aging — not just “feeling inflamed.”

Last updated: November 2025 • Reading time: 5–6 minutes

 

What inflammaging actually is

Inflammaging is age-associated, chronic, low-grade inflammation: a persistent “simmer” of inflammatory signals even when there is no acute infection or injury. It’s driven by changes in the immune system, accumulated cellular damage, and senescent cells that secrete inflammatory factors (the SASP). Over time, this background noise is linked with higher risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, neurodegeneration, and frailty. Nature+3Nature+3PMC+3

You rarely wake up one day “with inflammaging.” It’s a slow drift.

 

How aging shifts your internal environment

 

What drives inflammaging

Multiple small, chronic inputs add up:

• Sleep loss and circadian disruption

• Visceral fat and unstable blood sugar

• Sedentary time; low muscle mass

• Diets high in ultra-processed foods, low in fiber and phytonutrients

• Pollution, smoke, chronic infections

• Build-up of senescent cells and less efficient autophagy
  

 

Senescent cells and the feedback loop

Senescent cells are older or stressed cells that stop dividing but don’t die. They release SASP factors: cytokines, proteases, signals that can push nearby cells toward dysfunction and keep inflammation switched on.

With age:

• More senescent cells accumulate

• Immune surveillance weakens

• Autophagy/clearance slows
  
  

Result: a self-reinforcing loop of damage and low-grade inflammation — the biological engine of inflammaging rather than a vague concept. MDPI+3PMC+3ScienceDirect+3

 

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Curcumin as a supportive lever 

Curcumin, the major polyphenol in turmeric, is one of the better-studied natural compounds for modulating inflammatory tone and oxidative stress:

• Acts on multiple signaling pathways involved in inflammation and redox balance.

• Meta-analyses of randomized trials show modest but meaningful reductions in markers like CRP/hsCRP and improvements in some oxidative stress and metabolic parameters, particularly in people with elevated baseline risk. MDPI+3PubMed+3PubMed+3

Curcumin is not a drug or a cure. It’s a long-game support ingredient that can help tilt the environment toward calmer when paired with proper sleep, nutrition, and movement.

 

Why the night window matters for inflammaging

Night is when your body is programmed to:

• Dial down inflammatory activity

• Repair DNA, proteins, and membranes

• Run autophagy and mitophagy

• Rebuild and rebalance systems that were stressed during the day

Late heavy meals, alcohol, bright light, and stress compress this window and keep inflammatory signals elevated into the night. Creating a predictable, low-friction night environment is one of the highest leverage moves against inflammaging .

What actually helps 

If you want to influence inflammaging, focus on shifting the baseline.

The key levers:

• Sleep: consistent schedule, 7–9 hours where possible.

• Muscle & movement: lift, walk, don’t sit 16 hours a day.

• Metabolic health: protein-forward meals, fiber, fewer ultra-processed hits, less chronic sugar spikes.

• Load management: reduce smoking; moderate alcohol; manage stress in ways that are not more destructive than the stressor.

• Evidence-aligned support: nutrients like curcumin and other polyphenols/antioxidants as adjuncts, not substitutes.

 

How RENEW and RESET use multiple layers to support inflammaging

Cellaro’s formulations are intentionally built around these same underlying mechanisms:

• RENEW is designed as an evening support for autophagy, mitochondrial function, antioxidant capacity, and healthy inflammatory balance during the night repair window — using ingredients (including curcumin) selected for their roles in these pathways.
  
  

• RESET is designed as an intermittent senolytic-style pulse, aligning with emerging research on targeting senescent cells and SASP-driven noise in short, occasional windows rather than daily megadosing.
  
  

They are positioned as tools inside the system you now understand — not replacements for sleep, food, or movement; not treatments for disease; and not “fixes” for inflammaging on their own.