Scientists at the University of Virginia have made an exciting discovery that could help people stay healthier as they age.
They found a major cause of chronic inflammation—something that speeds up aging and plays a role in diseases like heart problems and brain disorders.
This type of long-term inflammation is called “inflammaging,” a mix of the words “inflammation” and “aging.” The team, led by Dr. Bimal N. Desai, discovered that a problem with how certain immune cells use calcium may be to blame.
The immune cells they studied are called macrophages. These cells help protect the body by getting rid of dead cells and fighting off infections. But as people get older, these cells don’t work as well. The scientists found that the mitochondria—the parts of cells that make energy—inside these macrophages can’t handle calcium properly in older people.
Calcium is important for helping cells do their jobs. In younger people, the mitochondria in macrophages use calcium effectively to keep inflammation under control. But in older people, this process breaks down. As a result, the body stays in a constant state of low-level inflammation, which can damage tissues and organs over time.
What’s surprising is that the problem isn’t a lack of calcium. There’s enough of it. The real issue is that aging macrophages just can’t use it properly. This change in how the cells handle calcium leads to more inflammation and possibly more age-related diseases.
The researchers believe that if we can find a way to help these aging cells take in and use calcium better, we could reduce harmful inflammation. This could lead to new treatments for many diseases that happen as we grow older, including those that affect the heart and brain.
This discovery doesn’t just offer a new way to treat illness. It may also help improve the immune system in older people, making them better able to fight off disease. That’s very important because the immune system weakens with age.
The study brings together many scientific fields, such as biology, immunology, and physics, to better understand the link between aging and inflammation. It was published in the journal Nature Aging and led by graduate student Phil Seegren.
Dr. Desai says that the next step is to figure out how to control this process in different types of macrophages. If researchers can learn how to “rewire” these cells, they could use that knowledge to create powerful new treatments.
This new finding gives hope for a future where people not only live longer but also feel better as they age. By focusing on the root cause of inflammaging, scientists may be able to help people enjoy healthier and more active lives later in life.
If you care about stroke, please read research about Stronger high blood pressure treatment may help prevent stroke in older people and findings of Stroke death risk increases again after falling for 40 years.
For more about stroke, please read research about Research finds a better high blood pressure treatment for stroke patients and findings of Scientists find a better drug than statins for stroke patients.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
