Antonio J. Ruiz Alcaraz
Immunologist.
The quality of the work is good, the journal is relevant and also presents a significant amount of data for the type of publication it is, but it should be noted that it is a letter-format publication, not a scientific article. In other words, it is a brief and concise publication, focused on the speed of communication and the impact of the data, rather than on an exhaustive analysis with a standardized structure of a full scientific article.
The information presented in the paper fits with existing data on the subject but, at the same time, provides a novel perspective by questioning the universality of inflammaging, a phenomenon commonly associated with aging in industrialized populations and which involves the appearance of chronic low-grade inflammation associated with age. In this study, and through the analysis of inflammatory markers in non-industrialized populations such as the Tsimane and the Orang Asli, it is shown that the increase in inflammation with age is not a feature present in all contexts and societies, suggesting, therefore, that this process could be more related to environmental, cultural and lifestyle factors than to biological aging per se.
In any case, this demonstrated difference between different populations is not at all unexpected, since there are many data showing that inflammaging is indeed dependent on various social and environmental factors such as poor nutrition (ultra-processed food), sedentary lifestyles, pollution, etc., which are more present in industrialized societies.
As for the implications of these data, the information provided confirms that inflammaging is more a consequence of the modern, industrialized lifestyle than an intrinsic characteristic of human biology and that, therefore, it can be prevented or modulated by improving lifestyle habits towards a healthier life, i.e., with less exposure to pollution, a more appropriate diet (such as the Mediterranean diet) and greater physical activity.
Although the study does not seem to have important limitations, the fact that it is published in the form of a scientific letter implies certain limitations inherent to the format. Some of these limitations are the brevity of the format, which limits the development and depth of the analysis, as well as a shorter and less in-depth discussion of possible biases, limitations or clinical implications. In addition, this type of publication is sometimes subjected to a somewhat less demanding peer review than full scientific articles (although this may not be the case) in order to achieve a rapid publication with high media impact.
In any case, as indicated above, the findings fit with the scientific evidence regarding the conditioning factors of inflammaging and how this may depend on the social context and environment as well as on the biology of individuals.