More than a 'gut feeling' on cause of age-associated inflammation

(McMaster University) Bowdish and her colleagues raised mice in germ-free conditions and compared them to their conventionally raised counterparts. In contrast to conventionally raised mice, the germ-free mice did not show age-related increases in inflammation and a higher proportion of them lived to a ripe old age. Age is associated with an increase in levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), in the bloodstream and tissues. It was found that germ-free mice did not have increased TNF with age.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://ift.tt/2o6ctlG