Slow down the ageing process?

Researchers at Estonia’s University of Tartu Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine along with researchers from Tartu University Hospital and the Estonian Genome Centre looked at differences in the immune systems of young people and old people.

Focusing on monocytes (making up about 5-10% of all white blood cells, monocytes help to fight viruses and pathogens) the researchers found that the monocytes of the elderly did not produce as much energy as those of younger individuals, they also found that the elderly had much higher inflammation markers compared to younger individuals. As previous studies have highlighted the link between inflammatory processes occurring in the body between monocytes and atherosclerosis the researchers hope that this new research will eventually lead to more understanding of the processes behind age related changes even slowing down this process helping to postpone or avoid conditions like age related vascular calcification.