One study found that people who maintain immune resilience, or the ability to resist or recover from infections and other sources of inflammatory stress, are more likely to live longer. “Immune resilience is the ability to maintain good immune function, called immunocompetence, and reduce inflammation when experiencing inflammatory stressors,” the scientists explained in the study published in the journal ‘Nature Communications’.
The study introduced the new concept of immune resilience, which views the balance between immune capacity and inflammation as a key contributor to health outcomes regardless of age.
“Although age plays an important role in the body’s response to infectious and other inflammatory stress, few people maintain and/or restore optimal immune resilience regardless of age,” said University of Texas – San Antonio Professor Sunil K. . Ahuja said.
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To understand, the team conducted laboratory tests to assess the level of immune resilience in nearly 50,000 individuals of varying ages and types of challenges to their immune systems.
This evaluation demonstrated that individuals with optimal levels of immune resilience were more likely to: live longer, resist HIV and influenza infection, resist AIDS, resist skin cancer recurrence after kidney transplant, Avoiding COVID-19 infection and sepsis.
The researchers measured immune resilience by measuring the balance between CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells, which are types of white blood cells.
T-cells fight infection, but an imbalance in their levels occurs in many infectious and autoimmune diseases. The balance between CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells, divided into four different categories, called immune health grades, was measured across different infection groups and age groups.
They also measured the expression levels of genes associated with immunocompetence and found a greater chance of survival compared to those associated with inflammation and a higher risk of death.
Gene expression markers showing high immunoreactivity and low inflammation were identified with immune health grade tracking optimal immune resilience.
“This is an advantage and a step forward because by looking beyond inflammation, we may uncover new prevention and treatment strategies for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Covid-19, HIV and cancer,” said co-author Grace C. Can.” Professor, University College of Pharmacy.