A Common Assumption About Aging May Be Wrong, Study Suggests
Inflammation is a natural immune response that protects the body from injury or infection. Scientists have long believed that long-term, low-grade inflammation — also known as 'inflammaging' — is a universal hallmark of getting older. But this new data raises the question of whether inflammation is directly linked to aging at all, or if's linked to a person's lifestyle or environment instead.
The study, which was published today, found that people in two nonindustrialized areas experienced a different kind of inflammation throughout their lives than more urban people — likely tied to infections from bacteria, viruses and parasites rather than the precursors of chronic disease. Their inflammation also didn't appear to increase with age.
Scientists compared inflammation signals in existing data sets from four distinct populations in Italy, Singapore, Bolivia and Malaysia; because they didn't collect the blood samples directly, they couldn't make exact apples-to-apples comparisons. But if validated in larger studies, the findings could suggest that diet, lifestyle and environment influence inflammation more than aging itself, said Alan Cohen, an author of the paper and an associate professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University.
'Inflammaging may not be a direct product of aging, but rather a response to industrialized conditions,' he said, adding that this was a warning to experts like him that they might be overestimating its pervasiveness globally.
'How we understand inflammation and aging health is based almost entirely on research in high-income countries like the U.S.,' said Thomas McDade, a biological anthropologist at Northwestern University. But a broader look shows that there's much more global variation in aging than scientists previously thought, he added.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Canadian wildfire smoke will continue to foul Michigan's air into Saturday at least
Canadian wildfire smoke continues to foul Michigan's summer air. A statewide Air Quality Advisory for all Michigan counties, initially set to expire July 31, has been extended into Saturday, August 2. Canada, plagued with major wildfire seasons in recent summers, currently has 608 active fires across the country, including more than 430 fires burning out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Many of the largest wildfires are occurring in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwest Ontario. Winds out of the northeast are bringing Canadian wildfire smoke over the entirety of Michigan − and high pressure and a stable layer of air is keeping the smoke near the surface and limiting dispersal. Many Michigan cities on Thursday, July 31, measured in the "Unhealthy" range on the Air Quality Index, a level meaning everyone exposed to the air may begin to experience health effects, and members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. Among those cities with air quality ranking Unhealthy were Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Benton Harbor and Traverse City. More: Canada's wildfires, smoke became a problem for the U.S. More: Canada looks to centuries-old indigenous use of fire to combat out-of-control wildfires The nonprofit American Lung Association provides the following health tips for dealing with bad Air Quality Index days: Reduce both the time you spend outdoors, and the intensity of your outdoor activities. Consider wearing a well-fitted N95 or KN95 mask if you must go outdoors. Keep windows and doors closed. Run air conditioning on a recirculate setting. Use a portable HEPA air cleaner. If it's difficult to maintain clean air in your entire house, consider making a clean air room. For any alarming new or recurring health symptoms, consult a health professional. Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Canadian wildfire smoke to foul Michigan's air into Saturday
Hamilton Spectator
21 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Indigenous communities at far greater risk of death in domestic fires, survey finds
People living in Indigenous communities are five times more likely to die in a fire and 13 times more likely to die in a structure fire — and how nearly a quarter of the blazes started is a mystery, according to a survey of over 4,000 incidents across Canada. A study by the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada looked at 4,089 residential fires in Indigenous communities from 2005 to 2021. Those incidents resulted in 191 deaths and 179 injuries. Of the 4,089 fires examined, 967 had an unknown cause — that's 23.6 per cent. The source of ignition is unknown for 1,447 incidents. For comparison, the percentage of fires with unknown origins in non-Indigenous communities is 11 per cent and unknown source of ignition is 21 per cent. 'For too long, the true scope of fire risk in Indigenous communities has been obscured by a lack of specific, reliable data,' said National Indigenous Fire Safety Council chief operating officer Blaine Wiggins. 'This exploratory study, conducted in-kind by the NRC, provides invaluable initial insights, confirming that generic fire safety data cannot adequately inform targeted interventions for our communities. 'These findings are crucial as we build out the National Incident Reporting System (NIRS) to empower communities with the tailored information they need for effective fire risk reduction planning.' Smoke detectors were found to be inactive five times more frequently in Indigenous communities than in non-Indigenous communities. Particularly, 1,196 homes did not have a smoke alarm at all, and of the 664 homes that did, only 465 of them actually worked. The report notes that it was unknown whether 2,229 of the homes surveyed had smoke detectors or not — that's 55 per cent of the 4,089 residences. Smoking was found to be three times more likely to ignite a fire in Indigenous communities. Fires caused by cooking were nine times more frequent and fires cause by heating systems were 10 times more common. The vast majority of incidents — 3,195 — were in one-to-two family dwellings, with 384 incidents in mobile homes as the second largest number. Of those who were killed in fires or as a result of fires, roughly 60 per cent were adults, 26 per cent were children and 11 per cent were seniors. 'The statistics revealed in this report are not just numbers; they represent preventable tragedies and reflect the systemic challenges faced by our communities,' said Indigenous Fire Marshals Service spokesperson Arnold Lazare. 'Having accurate, community-specific data is fundamental to understanding these risks and developing strategies that genuinely resonate and protect our people.' The report recommends fire officials stop relying on non-Indigenous fire information trends to estimate risks in Indigenous communities, as the evidence shows the differences are substantial. A spokesperson for the NWT's Office of the Fire Marshal, under the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA), said officials are aware of the report and were taking the findings seriously. 'The focus of MACA's Office of the Fire Marshal, in collaboration with local authorities, is in educating residents in all NWT communities to recognize the fire risks in their homes and the at-risk behaviours that increase the potential of a fire occurring,' said MACA corporate affairs officer Alice Twa. 'Highlighting those risks that may exist and providing information on how best to minimize those risks while raising awareness and building capacity for residents to take action in support of their personal safety in their homes. 'Key educational initiatives focused on residential fire safety include the annual Fire Prevention Week campaign and Test your Smoke Alarm Day every Sept. 28,' Twa added. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Plan for Indigenous well-being hub in east Hamilton moving ahead
The vision for an Indigenous well-being hub that merges housing, health and family services at a former school site in east Hamilton is another step closer to reality. City councillors have backed land-use changes to allow the development of the Biindigen Well-Being Centre in the McQuesten neighbourhood. Project partners De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre , Niwasa Kendaaswin Teg and Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services aim to start construction next year. The hub is to be built on roughly nine acres of land at the former St. Helen school on Britannia Avenue, next to the McQuesten Urban Farm off Melvin Avenue. The hub is to be built on a nine-acre campus at the former St. Helen school on Britannia Avenue next to the McQuesten Urban Farm off Melvin Avenue. The school building will be demolished to make way for a two-storey health centre, two-storey child-care and family services centre and six-storey residential building with 60 affordable and market-rate apartments. The hub , whose name Biindigen means 'welcome' in Ojibwe, is meant to help address the housing crisis, which disproportionately affects Indigenous people. A 2024 'point-in-time' count of Hamilton's homelessness population found 24 per cent of those surveyed identified as Indigenous. Nonetheless, Indigenous residents represent only two per cent of the city's population overall, according to 2021 census results. The goal of the Biindigen housing is deep affordability, but rental rates will depend on landing government subsidies, noted Gail Obediah, development manager with Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services. The market-rent units are also needed for the project's viability. 'We like to create very good opportunity for the urban Indigenous to have a beautiful place to live that's culturally appropriate for them and safe,' Obediah said. That housing will create a 'bridge' for future residents to the campus' Indigenous-led family and health services, Janet Gasparelli, CEO of De dwa da dehs nye>s, told The Spectator. 'I think there are issues of our community members feeling safe in the health-care system, and so that can really impact people seeking health care when they need it.' The campus design, which will feature the urban farm, a children's play area, a sacred fire space and sweat lodge, is based on Indigenous principles, says Katelyn Gillis, a senior planner with Landwise, an urban planning, design and project management firm. De dwa da dehs nye>s, whose Hamilton office is at Main Street East at Holton Avenue, has also pointed to a need for more space with people waiting months for primary and mental-health care. The health centre has formed a partnership with McMaster University's department of family medicine to support services at the hub. The campus design, which will feature the urban farm, a children's play area, a sacred fire space and sweat lodge, is based on Indigenous principles, Katelyn Gillis, a senior planner with Landwise, an urban planning, design and project management firm, told Tuesday's planning committee. 'As far as we know, this is the first project of its kind in Canada and this is very much precedent setting,' Gillis said about the Indigenous-led wellness hub. The Biindigen project has been planned since 2014. In 2019, the city purchased the surplus school property from the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board and held it for the project. In 2023, they hosted a ceremony to mark transfer of title. In a report before the committee, staff noted the parcels are still owned by the city but 'intended to be severed in the future and transferred' to the project partners. The federal government has allocated $13 million toward the project and the province $10 million. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
