Cortisol Declines in the Old, Causing Macrophages to Become More Inflammatory

Researchers here show that declining cortisol levels cause macrophage cells of the innate immune system to become more inflammatory with age. This contributes to the state of chronic inflammation in older individuals that accelerates the onset and progression of age-related disease. The aging immune system becomes overactive (inflammaging) and less capable (immunosenescence), and its chronic inflammation acts to disrupt tissue maintenance and cell behavior in numerous harmful ways. Loss of cortisol is only a proximate cause of chronic inflammation, however, and the present research says little of how this relates to deeper causes of aging. Nonetheless, it is one of many lines of research that indicate the importance of inflammation to the aging process. A persistent state of inflammation can cause serious damage to our bodies. One consequence is that chronic inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis or arthritis, are far more prevalent in older patients. What was uncertain up until now was what actually caused these inflammatory responses to flare up. Researchers have now provided some important insight: the inflammatory process is linked to the fact that the amount of cortisol generated in the body decreases as we get older. Cortisol and its inactive form cortisone, commonly referred to as stress hormones, are released by the adrenal gland. The hormone cortisol acts as a biochemical signalling molecule and is involved in numerous metabolic processes in ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs