Researchers find that excess nutrients in cells trigger inflammation and organ dysfunction, accelerating aging. Their study suggests that interventions in inflammation might improve lifespan.

When animals with the modified protein reach maturity, their cellular functions begin to deteriorate, leading to aging symptoms such as thinner skin and damage to organs like the pancreas, liver, and kidneys. Immune system cells come to repair them but are overwhelmed by the amount of damage. They accumulate and, instead of repairing, trigger inflammation that further increases problems in those organs.

This cycle of damage and ineffective repair shortens the animals’ lifespans by 20%, equivalent to about 16 years in humans.

The researchers aimed to disrupt this cycle by inhibiting the immune response that causes inflammation. As a result, organ damage improved enough to gain what in humans would be a few years of life.