CRP and Inflammaging: The Silent Driver of Accelerated Ageing

The fire inside

In 2000, Italian immunologist Claudio Franceschi coined the term inflammaging — chronic, low-grade inflammation that increases with age and accelerates biological decline. Two decades later, it is recognised as one of the central mechanisms of human ageing.

Unlike the acute inflammation you feel after a sprained ankle (redness, heat, swelling), inflammaging is invisible. You cannot feel it. But it is measurable — with a single blood test called C-reactive protein.

What CRP tells you

C-reactive protein is produced by your liver in response to inflammation. The high-sensitivity version (hs-CRP) detects the subtle chronic inflammation that standard tests miss.

The American Heart Association classifies cardiovascular risk by CRP:

• Below 1.0 mg/L — low risk
• 1.0 to 3.0 mg/L — moderate risk
• Above 3.0 mg/L — high risk
• Above 10 mg/L — likely acute infection, not chronic inflammation

CRP and biological age

CRP is one of the nine biomarkers used to calculate PhenoAge — your biological age. It enters the formula as log-transformed CRP, meaning even small elevations have a meaningful impact on your biological age calculation.

In the CANTOS trial (2017), Paul Ridker demonstrated that reducing inflammation with a targeted antibody — without changing cholesterol — reduced heart attacks by 15%. This was proof that inflammation itself, not just cholesterol, drives cardiovascular disease.

What drives chronic inflammation?

The most common causes in otherwise healthy adults:

• Visceral fat — fat tissue is an active inflammatory organ, secreting cytokines
• Poor sleep — less than 6 hours is associated with 25-50% higher CRP
• Processed diet — refined carbohydrates and industrial seed oils promote inflammation
• Chronic stress — cortisol dysregulation feeds inflammatory pathways
• Sedentary behaviour — exercise is anti-inflammatory through IL-6 myokine release
• Smoking — the single most inflammatory lifestyle factor

How to reduce your CRP

The good news: CRP responds rapidly to lifestyle changes. Within weeks of intervention, you can see measurable improvements:

1. Mediterranean diet — shown to reduce CRP by 20-30%
2. Regular exercise — 150 minutes per week of moderate activity
3. Omega-3 fatty acids — 2g per day of EPA and DHA
4. Sleep optimisation — 7 to 8 hours consistently
5. Stress management — meditation, nature exposure, social connection
6. Weight management — losing 5% body weight can halve CRP

The most powerful anti-inflammatory intervention is not a pill — it is a pattern of living.