When the immune system is also aging

We are all familiar with the irresistible signs of aging such as creaking knees, salty hair or wrinkles that overlap around the eyes, etc. However, according to scientists, no Only our skin and joints are damaged over time, but our immune system is also aging, gradually becoming less effective in repelling pathogens.

The aging process even causes our immune system to lose its 'memory' and 'forget' what it once encountered certain pathogens before.

Poor immunity will put you at risk for a range of diseases, from digestive disorders that cause vomiting caused by norovirus to cancer.

Even so, like some people with salt hair are consumed by others, some people's immune systems are also faster than others. For example, a person in their 50s can own the immune system of an 80-year-old.

The human immune system also ages with time. (Photo: Health News)

However, scientific studies have helped find ways to reverse the biological clock. Here are the latest views on the human immune system as well as how we can stop its aging process, according to the Daily Mail statistics:

Vaccine effect decreases if you are over 40 years old

The immune system protects us from viruses, bacteria and parasites. It consists of many different types of cells, realizing certain specific tasks, similar to soldiers of different units in the army. However, an aging immune system will have fewer recruits to fight unknown invaders as well as many soldiers who are devastated by the battle, only able to withstand some. The type of enemy you have met before.

A group of immune cells called "naive T cells" are responsible for patrolling the body and ringing an alarm when they detect an infection, but when we get older, the number of these cells remains The activity will decrease because the thymus - a small gland behind the sternum, which nourishes them - has begun to shrink from puberty.

Similar to the way people struggle to remember other names as they age, the immune system struggles to recall whether it had ever encountered a bacterium or virus before due to its aging. memory T cells'.

Other immune cells also become less effective, such as neutrophil depletion - cells that appear quickly in areas of injury and swallow intruders. Tests conducted by Professor Janet Lord of the University of Birmingham (UK) show that neutrophil in the elderly only has about ½ of the bactericidal effect compared to the same adult immune cells in adults. younger.

Another serious consequence of the immune system aging is that it reduces the effect of the vaccine. According to a study by Australian scientists, the effectiveness of flu vaccination is only 30-40% in people over 65 years of age.

Therefore, a new viable solution is to get the vaccine on the skin instead of the lower tissue to create a better response in the immune system.

Continuous runny nose - a bad sign of immune aging

As is known, the immune systems of different people age at different speeds. Genetic factors as well as the number of infections we've ever had can determine this.

If you are a person who has a cold, your immune system may be 'older' than the client. In particular, if someone infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV), a member of the herpes virus family, can be spread by kissing or having sex, your immune system may age faster because of constant digestion. Energy charge beat it. This is because, once infected with CMV, the virus will follow you until you reach the grave.

Diagram simulating an immune response in the human body. (Photo: Health News)

Other studies have also shown that women must take care of children or chronically ill parents, those with post-traumatic stress disorders, and those with abuse, chronic stress with telomeres (caps protection) of shorter immune cells, causing their immune system to age.

How to prevent aging immune system

Although there is currently no 'medicinal spirit' , scientists have found a number of solutions, such as exercising in moderation to help strengthen the body's ability to fight infections. A study of adults from 20 to 70 years of age has found that sport reduces 29% of infections in the upper respiratory tract.

Maintaining a good energy level will help boost the immune response, so people who are underweight or pursuing a strict diet can face a greater risk of infection.

Immunologist Richard Aspinall of Cranfield University stressed: 'In order to function properly, the immune system needs a lot of energy. In order to have a good immune response, it is important that you get plenty of energy from the diet, a variety of vitamins and microelements such as zinc and selenium.

Eating more foods like beef, sardines, probiotic yogurt, olive oil, pine nuts, mangoes and pomegranates with high levels of nutrients also help support the immune response, according to the charity organization Age UK.

If you don't want to see your immune system fail early, the advice of experts is not to sleep too much or too little. Blood tests show that two types of immune cells work better in people who sleep an average of 7-8 hours a day, compared to people who sleep 6 or less hours or more than 8.5 hours a day.

You should not drink too much alcohol because studies have shown that this habit can interfere with the ability of immune cells to regenerate as well as limit their ability to kill cancer cells. immune.