Why do some people appear to age differently, even when they share similar lifestyles? Researchers increasingly believe the answer is not found in a single cause, but in the interaction between many biological systems. One of the most studied is inflammation.
What is inflammaging?
Ageing is not driven by one process alone. Increasingly, research points toward inflammation as one of the systems shaping how we age — internally and externally. This persistent, low-level inflammation is sometimes referred to asinflammageing.
Unlike the short-term inflammation needed for healing and immune defence, inflammageing develops gradually over time and is increasingly associated with cellular stress, reduced resilience, and age-related decline. Researchers continue to investigate how nutrition may influence these pathways. Among the compounds receiving growing scientific attention are polyphenols.
What are polyphenols?
Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds found in plants. Common sources include:
Plants produce polyphenols as protective compounds. Researchers are now studying how these same compounds may influence oxidative stress, inflammation, and cellular signalling in humans. Some of the most studied polyphenols include:
Why inflammation matters
Inflammation itself is not harmful, it is essential for healing and immune defence. The issue is persistence. When inflammation becomes chronic and low-grade, it may begin influencing biological processes associated with ageing over time. Researchers are exploring links between chronic inflammation and:
Ageing is complex. But inflammation increasingly appears to be one of the systems influencing how the body gradually loses resilience.
How polyphenols may help
Polyphenols are not pharmaceutical interventions. Their role appears to be more regulatory than suppressive. Rather than simply acting as antioxidants, researchers increasingly believe many polyphenols may influence the signalling systems that help cells respond to stress. These pathways are involved in inflammation, immune regulation, cellular repair, and the body's ability to adapt to changing conditions.
Researchers continue to investigate how certain polyphenols may influence: inflammatory signalling, oxidative stress responses, mitochondrial function, immune regulation and cellular defence pathways.
One idea to hold onto
The goal is not to eliminate inflammation entirely. Your body needs inflammation to function.
The focus is balance.
Polyphenols and oxidative stress
Oxidative stress occurs when reactive molecules accumulate faster than the body can regulate them. Over time, this may contribute to cellular damage and biological ageing.Polyphenols are widely recognised for their antioxidant properties.
But newer research suggests they may also act as signalling compounds, influencing how cells respond to stress and adapt over time rather than simply neutralising reactive molecules.
Why extra virgin olive oil stands out
Among polyphenol-rich foods, high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil has become one of the most studied dietary sources of polyphenols. Researchers are particularly interested in compounds including: oleocanthal, hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein.
Traditional Mediterranean diets — naturally rich in olive-derived polyphenols — have long been associated with healthy ageing patterns. Importantly, not all olive oil contains the same levels of polyphenols. Polyphenol concentration can vary depending on:
Harvest timing
Varietal differences
Processing method
Storage conditions
Skin ageing and resilience
Inflammation is also closely connected to skin health. Environmental stressors including:
UV exposure
pollution
poor sleep
chronic stress
may influence inflammatory processes within the skin.
Researchers are increasingly exploring whether polyphenol-rich compounds — both ingested and topical — may help support skin resilience, barrier function, and the skin's natural response to environmental stress over time.
What science still doesn't know
Polyphenol research is still evolving. Researchers are continuing to study:
how different polyphenols interact
how they are absorbed and metabolised
how they influence long-term ageing pathways
why plant-rich diets appear consistently beneficial
The more this field develops, the clearer one thing becomes: Presence alone is not enough. What matters is delivery, absorption, and biological activity.
A broader view of ageing
Ageing is not a single process. It is the interaction of inflammation, oxidative stress, repair, metabolism, and resilience over time. Polyphenols are unlikely to be a singular solution. But they may help researchers better understand how nutrition supports the biological systems that influence healthy ageing.
Healthy ageing may depend less on finding one powerful ingredient, and more on understanding how many small biological systems work together.
Find out more
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