Stress May Speed Up the Aging of the Immune System: How to Slow That Down | Healthidiya
Stress May Speed Up the Aging of the Immune System: How to Slow That Down
Why does our immune system deteriorate as we get older?
A new study backs up what immunologists have long suspected: stress may be a major stressor for our immune systems as we age.
"Immune ageing may help explain why older people benefit less from vaccines and have more serious complications associated with infections like COVID-19," said Erik Klopack, Ph.D., the study's lead author and a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Southern California's Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.
He said, "Our research demonstrates that social stress may hasten immunological ageing."
Immunologists who study immunity and ageing, also known as immunosenescence, have long recognised that as people age, their immunological protection decreases.
Klopack, on the other hand, believes that the reason why certain people's immune systems deteriorate at a faster rate has yet to be discovered. That is why he began this investigation.
The physiology of protection
Our bodies construct armies for us throughout our lifetimes, including warriors known as T cells.
T cells are born "naive," according to Klopack, and as they mature, they remain dormant in our bodies, waiting for a signal to act. They hook on to a virus or other illness that is attempting to harm us when they are triggered.
T cells can become "memory T cells," which are ready to combat infections again when they arise. They can also mature into "terminally differentiated" T cells, which can have an adverse effect on other cells.
According to Klopack, while all people tend to have fewer naive cells and more differentiated cells as they age, stress appears to accelerate this trend.
In a time when stress appears to be coming from all directions – pandemic threats, rising gas prices, political turmoil, and harsh weather – Klopack believes that delving deeper into this could help society find answers to how to maintain an ageing population healthy.
"While further research is needed, there is evidence that persons with older immune systems are less able to fight acute infections, such as the flu or COVID-19, and are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality," he said.
What is stress?
Although stress is a broad phrase, specialists divide it into two categories: psychological and physical.
Everything from weight, exercise level, and dietary habits to illnesses and physical traumas is covered in the physical.
Life obstacles, prejudice, emotional challenges, and mental health fights can all contribute to the psychological.
In any case, infectious diseases expert and Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group head Dr. Gregory A. Poland says the solution isn't to eliminate all stressors.
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It's more about balance, he told Healthline.
He explained, "Think of stress as an upside-down U curve."
The ideal equilibrium is at the top of the U. One side puts you under too much stress, while the other puts you under too little.
"It's the Goldilocks effect," he explained. "Just the right amount of tension is required; neither too much nor too little."
And even that, Poland added, should be considered in the long run rather than in the short term.
Finals week in school, for example, he remarked, is difficult but only lasts a week.
"That's unlikely to have a long-term effect (on your health and immune system)," Poland added.
However, he added, too much stress over a lengthy period of time appears to have an impact on your immunological response.
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