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Narrative review highlights the correlation between obesity and inflammatory biomarkers in the elderly, suggesting implications for health risks.
Obesity in elderly individuals is associated with increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers, indicating a state of chronic low-grade inflammation, which has been recently termed as inflammaging and adipaging. Several studies have demonstrated this relationship: Overweight and obese middle-aged and elderly individuals show elevated levels of inflammatory markers like CXCL-16, IL-6, and adipokines compared to normal-weight counterparts. These markers positively correlate with anthropometric parameters indicating increased cardiovascular risk. C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen levels increase progressively with higher obesity classes in the general population, including the elderly . For instance, CRP levels nearly double with each increase in weight class compared to normal weight individuals. Additionally, the presence of obesity-related comorbidities like hypertension or diabetes further elevates these inflammatory markers. In conclusion, obesity in the elderly is characterized by elevated levels of various inflammatory biomarkers, reflecting a state of chronic low-grade inflammation. This inflammatory state may contribute to the development of obesity-related comorbidities. The clarification of the complementary or independent role of these biomarkers in aging and obesity could lead to targeted therapeutic interventions in this vulnerable population group.
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Vamvakou et al. (2025) studied this question.
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