UNDERSTAND MY HEALTH
Immune & Inflammatory Health After 60
What Part of My Health Am I Improving?
Immune & Inflammatory Health is your defence, repair and regulation system. Explore immune function, chronic low-grade inflammation, recovery and the lifestyle factors associated with healthier inflammatory regulation as we age.
Why This Matters After 60
Healthy ageing is not about one number, one exercise or one food. This hub brings together the explanations, practical actions and evidence connected with Immune & Inflammatory Health.
Understand → Improve → Measure
Use the resources below to understand the topic, connect it with the relevant parts of the OVER 60s QoL Guys system and identify useful next steps. Measurement should support better decisions — not simply collect numbers.
Explore Immune & Inflammatory Health
THE BIG PICTURE
Understanding Immune & Inflammatory Health After 60
The immune system protects against infection, helps coordinate repair and continually distinguishes threats from the body's own tissues. Inflammation is part of that defence-and-repair system; it is not inherently harmful. Problems arise when immune responses are insufficient, misdirected or remain dysregulated.
Ageing is associated with changes in immune function and, in many people, chronic low-grade sterile inflammation often described in research as 'inflammaging'. This is an important field of ageing biology, but it does not mean that all inflammation is bad or that a consumer product can simply 'switch inflammation off'.
Acute vs Chronic Inflammation
Short-term inflammation is an essential response to injury and infection. Chronic low-grade inflammation is different and is associated with ageing and several age-related conditions. Cause, consequence and context need to be distinguished carefully.
Immune Ageing Is Complex
Immune ageing involves changes across multiple cell types, signalling systems and tissues. Infection risk, vaccine responses, chronic disease, medications, nutrition and other factors can interact, so 'immune health' cannot be reduced to one food, supplement or blood marker.
What Can You Work On?
Regular physical activity, adequate nutrition, sleep, avoiding smoking and appropriate vaccination and medical care are practical parts of maintaining health as we age. The goal is healthy immune regulation and resilience — not indiscriminately 'boosting' the immune system.
What Should You Measure?
There is no single consumer score that captures immune and inflammatory health. Clinical inflammatory markers have specific uses and limitations and should be interpreted in context. Recurrent infections, persistent unexplained symptoms or abnormal laboratory results warrant professional assessment.
Language matters: The OVER 60s QoL Guys will use terms such as 'support healthy immune function' and 'associated with healthier inflammatory regulation' rather than unsupported claims to 'boost immunity' or 'eliminate inflammation'.
Turn Knowledge Into Action
The Whole Body Health Assessment helps you look across health, capability and daily behaviour so you can identify strengths, gaps and priorities.
Start the Whole Body Health AssessmentEducational information only. The assessment and website do not diagnose disease or replace individual medical care.