What You Need to Know About Your Aging Immune System
Covid doesn’t make me lose sleep at night.
Covid doesn’t make me lose sleep at night.
I’m 71 years old now and more concerned than ever about my health and being able to live the “good” life. I look to my immune system for the answer.
What is immunosenescence?
It is a term used by doctors to describe our immune system, which slowly declines as we age. Think of a picture taken of yourself ten years ago and compare it with a selfie taken today. If you look closely, you will see changes in your face, skin, and hair color. It takes time for the changes. Same process with your immune system.
The immune system is complex, but most of us understand the basics: our bodies detect an intruder — a virus, bacterium, parasite, or foreign object — and produce white blood cells to combat the problem.
Immunity and Aging
Dr. Atul Butte at the University of California at San Francisco worked with a research team on a review of 242 students that revealed some insights especially regarding T cells, which are white blood cells that attack viruses.
We possess two broad categories of T cells: “memory” cells that have encountered a certain pathogen and “remember” how to fight it and “naive” cells, which have yet to fight anything. “Naive T cells seem to be lower as we age,” says Dr. Butte.
This means that when that virus — something our immune systems haven’t seen before — shows up, most of us don’t have memory T cells to mobilize, so the naive cells have to take on the fight. Since older people have fewer naive cells to fight with, as a group they are more vulnerable.
But Dr. Butte observed in his study review that some healthy older people had little or no decline in T cells and had as many as younger people. Women seemed to have higher amounts of T cells as they age.
We know genetics play a big part in our immune system, but it’s debatable how big a part when compared with environment and lifestyle.
Life-style factors — poor sleep, ongoing stress, and weight gain — cause inflammation which then causes the immune system to operate abnormally. Chronic inflammation is silent and produces no symptoms and can compromise your immune system without you even knowing it. I add “Tumeric” to my daily diet to help fight inflammation.
Taking Charge
Fortunately, many factors that positively affect your immune system are within your control such as
Movement — regular workouts boost immune function and lower inflammation
Self-knowledge — we need to gain a better understanding of where our health is right now. Staying on top of chronic conditions will allow you to spot declines quickly so you and your doctor can decide on a better course of therapy.
Nutrition — eating right and avoiding obesity, whose inflammatory effect is deadly, is common sense. Research reveals specific effects of diet on immune function in older adults.
Strive for balance. Eat not just vegetables but also good proteins and fiber; fiber feeds the good bacteria in your gut and can help lower inflammation. We have a lot of immune cells in the gut that help regulate health.
Calm
Research has shown that unregulated stress can speed up immunosenescence, since a chronic immune response to whatever’s stressing you can cause inflammation. Self-care in this area is critical, from anti-stress activities to asking for help in unresolved stressful situations (work, money, caregiving).
Take Away
As we age, our immune system weakens. Even though genetics play an important part, it's debatable how the environment and our lifestyle affect total immunosenescence.
Fortunately, you can take charge and build up your immune system by regular movement, eating the right foods, and avoiding obesity. Strive for balance and feed the good bacteria in your gut. I eat a tablespoon of sauerkraut or kimchi each day to help build my immune system.
We need to do away with chronic stress in our life because stress can cause inflammation; that destroys our T cells. I advocate for a simple life. The less you have to worry about, the less stress, thus a stronger immune system, thus better health, and the freedom to enjoy your life. Would you agree with me?
Thanks for reading.