How can chronic infections lead to accelerated aging and cancer?

Chronic infections occur when bacteria and other germs trigger a behind-the- scenes inflammatory response in your body that ages your entire system. This kind of inflammatory response predisposes you to more cell replications, which increases the risk of mutations that can lead to cancer.

In fact, much of the aging process is a side effect of defense mechanisms that our body has designed—and infection might be the best example of all.