Inflammation markers and later aging outcomes in Filipino women
In 953 women in the Philippines, baseline CRP and a DNA-methylation-based CRP surrogate predicted later declines in physical and cognitive function and more diabetes and hypertension seven years on. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
Evidence on inflammation and aging was lacking from lower- and middle-income settings, where infectious diseases are more prevalent and overweight and obesity rates are relatively low. [1]
Baseline CRP and DNAm-CRP predicted later declines in physical and functional capacity, more diabetes and hypertension, and poorer cognitive performance after adjustment. [1]
The authors describe chronic inflammation as associated with multiple dimensions of aging in a lower-middle income setting. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Abstract of a prospective cohort study
- Population / context
- 953 women in the Philippines, 43-75 years old at follow-up.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- October 7, 2026
Why inflammation was studied in the Philippines
The abstract notes that age-related increases in chronic systemic inflammation strongly predict illness and death in high-income countries, but evidence from lower- and middle-income settings is lacking. There, infectious diseases are more common and rates of overweight and obesity are relatively low. The study therefore examined two complementary measures of chronic inflammation in women in the Philippines: plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and a DNA methylation-based surrogate called DNAm-CRP.
Supporting source [1]
Baseline markers and outcomes seven years later
CRP and DNAm-CRP were measured at baseline and used to predict physical capacity, cognitive function and cardiometabolic disease seven years later. The 953 women were 43 to 75 years old at follow-up. Levels of both markers were not strongly associated with age. After adjustment for baseline status and other covariates, both measures predicted later declines in physical and functional capacity, more new cases of diabetes and hypertension, and poorer cognitive performance. DNAm-CRP performed comparably to CRP and was robust to variation in white blood cell composition and acute infectious symptoms at sampling.
Supporting source [1]
What the abstract does and does not show
The authors conclude that chronic inflammation is associated with multiple dimensions of aging in a lower-middle income setting and highlight inflammatory biomarkers as scalable tools for global aging research. This is an association, not proof that inflammation causes these outcomes. The abstract reports the design, sample size, follow-up and outcomes, but not the full text, so details such as recruitment, exact models and effect sizes were not reviewed.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. Associations are not causal, and details of recruitment, models and effect sizes are not reported here.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
McDade TW, Carrera S, Ryan CP, Watson E, Adair LS, Lee NR, Carba DB, MacIsaac JL, Dever K, Kobor MS, Kuzawa CW. · europepmc.org · October 7, 2026