Practical steps to reduce inflammaging: Take control of your healthspan today
By David Watumull, Co-founder and Chairman, Lokahi Longevity
Longevity isn’t a single decision—it’s a lifelong series of informed choices. By applying practical steps such as anti-inflammatory eating, moderate exercise, stress management, targeted supplementation, and precise medical guidance, you can meaningfully reduce chronic inflammation and positively influence your healthspan.
In this series, we’ve explored inflammaging—the chronic, subtle inflammation that quietly shapes how we age. We’ve discussed how it contributes to common age-related diseases, detailed how advanced diagnostics identify your personal inflammaging profile, and reviewed cutting-edge interventions like astaxanthin that science shows can reduce inflammation effectively.
Today, I’ll share practical, science-based steps you can begin taking immediately. At Lokahi Longevity, our comprehensive approach combines lifestyle strategies, targeted supplementation, and personalized medical guidance to help each person effectively manage inflammaging. Here’s how you can start that journey today.
Anti-inflammatory nutrition: Your daily ally
Diet is your first and most powerful tool to manage inflammation. While no single "magic diet" suits everyone, extensive research highlights certain foundational principles proven to reduce inflammaging:
Eat more antioxidant-rich foods: Berries, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and colorful vegetables contain antioxidants that neutralize damaging free radicals that contribute to inflammaging.
Healthy fats matter: Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fatty fish like salmon, walnuts, and flaxseed) significantly lower inflammation. Conversely, reducing omega-6-rich oils (often found in processed foods) helps maintain a healthy inflammatory balance.
Reduce sugar and processed carbs: Refined carbohydrates and excess sugar increase inflammation markers and disrupt metabolism. Prioritizing whole, unprocessed foods can yield immediate anti-inflammatory benefits.
At Lokahi, we help each patient customize a diet strategy tailored to their individual health needs, preferences, and lifestyle.
Regular, moderate exercise: Move to thrive!
Exercise consistently emerges in research as an effective anti-inflammatory strategy. Moderate-intensity physical activities like brisk walking, cycling, swimming, or yoga reduce systemic inflammation. Importantly, intense or prolonged exercise without adequate recovery can sometimes trigger inflammation, emphasizing balance and moderation as keys to sustained benefit.
At our retreats, we guide our patients toward personalized exercise plans that support, rather than strain, their bodies—helping them maintain consistency and reap long-term rewards.
Mindfulness and stress management: Calming chronic inflammation
Chronic stress strongly contributes to inflammaging, raising inflammatory markers and increasing disease risk. Practices like meditation, mindfulness, tai chi, and yoga are scientifically proven to lower inflammation and improve overall health. Even simple breathing exercises can rapidly calm inflammation-triggering stress responses.
Lokahi Longevity’s retreats offer guided experiences in these practices, helping patients develop lifelong stress-management habits that directly benefit their healthspan.
Targeted supplementation: Precision counts
Supplements, carefully chosen and backed by research, can significantly lower chronic inflammation. Astaxanthin stands out due to its powerful, research-backed benefits and exceptional safety. Additional supplements often considered in personalized protocols include:
Curcumin: The active component in turmeric, curcumin exhibits strong anti-inflammatory properties supported by extensive research.
Omega-3 fatty acids: EPA and DHA supplements effectively reduce inflammation when dietary intake isn’t sufficient.
Vitamin D: Optimal Vitamin D levels support immune function and significantly influence inflammatory regulation.
Supplementation should always be personalized based on detailed diagnostics. At Lokahi, we help each patient navigate these choices safely and effectively.
Selective pharmacological interventions
Certain pharmaceuticals, such as metformin or rapamycin, also demonstrate significant potential for reducing inflammaging. However, these require careful medical oversight due to dosage sensitivity and potential side effects. Lokahi’s personalized approach ensures these medications, if appropriate, are integrated thoughtfully into a comprehensive inflammaging management strategy.
Regular monitoring: Measure your progress
Regular diagnostic assessments, including blood biomarkers and advanced imaging, ensure you remain informed and empowered about your inflammaging status. At Lokahi Longevity, ongoing monitoring enables continuous adjustment and optimization of your personalized longevity plan.
Your inflammaging journey: Putting it all together
Longevity isn’t a single decision—it’s a lifelong series of informed choices. By applying practical steps such as anti-inflammatory eating, moderate exercise, stress management, targeted supplementation, and precise medical guidance, you can meaningfully reduce chronic inflammation and positively influence your healthspan.
At Lokahi Longevity, our holistic approach uniquely combines these elements, guiding you step-by-step toward becoming biologically younger.
The science of aging and inflammaging has never been clearer—and the tools for managing it have never been more accessible. I invite you to join us on this exciting journey toward healthier, vibrant longevity.
Together, let’s embrace the possibilities of living longer—and more importantly, living better.
