New Delhi: Highlighting the fast-growing connection between gut health and the surge in modern lifestyle disorders, the Celiac Society of India and Illness to Wellness Foundation jointly organised an interactive seminar titled “The Longevity Blueprint – Gut Health and Inflammageing.” Experts emphasised that disturbances in gut integrity may be key drivers behind rising anxiety levels, premature ageing, metabolic disorders such as diabetes, and the increasing incidence of fatty liver disease among younger adults.
The session unpacked several emerging medical insights including 80% of immunity lies in the gut, how chronic stress disrupts nutrient absorption, gluten sensitivities are rising, liver is affected first when the gut is compromised and everyday movement impacts ageing more than exercise alone. The seminar set the tone for a deeper public understanding of inflammageing—chronic, low-grade inflammation that silently damages the body and accelerates ageing.
Dr. Arjun Dang, CEO & Partner at Dr. Dang’s Lab, opened the session by highlighting the rising concern around inflammageing and the need to recognise early inflammatory signals before disease manifests.
To build on this, Dr. Ishi Khosla, Clinical Nutritionist and Founder of the Celiac Society of India, emphasised the fundamental role of nutrient absorption in maintaining overall health. She said, “Gut repair is not just about eating the right foods—it is about ensuring that nutrients are truly absorbed. You are not what you eat; you are what you absorb. This is why people who follow seemingly healthy diets often remain fatigued, anxious or nutrient-deficient. Even the belief that non-vegetarians have better B12 levels no longer holds true; many of them show severe deficiencies today. With rapid lifestyle and environmental changes, gluten sensitivity is rising sharply. Our immunity, mood, hormones and metabolism—all of it—ultimately connects back to the gut.”
Adding a geriatric medicine perspective, Dr. Prasun Chatterjee, Chief of Geriatric Medicine at Artemis Hospital, spoke about the direct connection between gut integrity, immunity and ageing. He noted, “Nearly eighty percent of our immune system resides in the gut. During COVID, the world spoke about boosting immunity, but very few understood that true immune strength depends on gut integrity. Gut inflammation weakens muscle strength, disturbs metabolism and accelerates biological ageing. The gut–muscle axis is well established now—an inflamed gut leads to fatigue, frailty and reduced resilience. Protecting the gut is the foundation of long-term health.”
Taking the discussion toward metabolic health, Dr. Priti Nanda Sibal, Functional Medicine Expert and President of IAFM, explained how chronic stress and poor nutrient absorption are driving early metabolic decline. She said, “Diabetes is not a disease—it is a nutritional and metabolic imbalance driven by chronic stress. When the body is constantly stressed, it cannot absorb nutrients efficiently, and poor absorption leads to low energy and insulin resistance. Snoring, for instance, is one of the earliest and most overlooked signs of metabolic dysfunction. Even meal timing plays a crucial role in longevity. When your eating pattern is out of sync with your body’s natural rhythm, inflammation increases. To reverse early metabolic decline, nutrition and stress must be addressed together.”
Speaking about liver health, Dr. Arvinder Singh Soin, Chairman of the Institute of Liver Transplantation at Medanta, stressed how the liver is directly affected by gut inflammation. He remarked, “The liver is the CEO of the body—it manages detoxification, metabolism, nutrient processing and immune regulation. An unhealthy gut becomes an immediate burden on the liver, which is why fatty liver disease is now appearing in younger age groups. A well-functioning gut reduces toxin load, improves metabolic health and strengthens the liver’s regenerative capacity. To protect the liver, we must begin by healing the gut.”
Connecting gut inflammation with cardiovascular ageing, Dr. Ashutosh Shukla, Senior Director of Internal Medicine at Max Hospital, spoke about the value of early detection. He said, “Cardiovascular ageing can now be detected much earlier through biomarkers that measure inflammation, metabolic stress and endothelial health. These indicators reveal risk long before symptoms appear. Longevity is built through prevention, not reaction. A healthy gut reduces systemic inflammation, which directly benefits heart health and slows cardiovascular ageing.”
Bringing in a public health viewpoint, Dr. Seema Puri, Retired Professor at the University of Delhi, reflected on how lifestyle influences the ageing process. She shared, “There are two kinds of ageing—pathological ageing driven by inflammation, poor diet and lifestyle choices, and physiological ageing, which is slower and healthier. The Greek prayer ‘I want to die young but live long’ captures this idea perfectly. Longevity is shaped more by consistent daily movement and mindful eating than by strenuous exercise alone. Even simple habits—walking more, reducing stress, improving gut health—can drastically influence how we age.”
The session also witnessed enthusiastic audience participation, with questions ranging from gut repair and anxiety to fatty liver, nutrient deficiencies and food timing. The seminar closed with a collective call to prioritise gut health as a crucial step toward managing lifestyle diseases and promoting healthy ageing.
