Claudio Franceschi

At a glance

• Claudio Franceschi is an Italian immunologist and professor emeritus at the University of Bologna. He is one of Europe’s best-known researchers on immune ageing.
• In 2000 he coined the term ‘inflammaging’: a chronic, low-grade inflammation that increases with age and is linked to many age-related diseases.
• He studied Italian centenarians and their immune systems for many years, to understand why some people live exceptionally long and relatively healthy lives.
• He coordinated the European NU-AGE project, in which older adults followed an adapted Mediterranean diet for a year. This went along with favourable changes in inflammatory markers and the gut microbiome.
• His work helped establish the idea that the gut microbiome, fat tissue and senescent cells contribute to inflammation in later life.
• For longevity, inflammaging has become a core concept and he is a key figure in geroscience.
• Takeaway: a fibre-rich, plant-based diet, exercise, a healthy weight and enough sleep are all linked to less chronic inflammation.