Reversing Aging of Your Immune System [Video]

Video: Reversing Aging of Your Immune System

Dr. Vikki Petersen discusses immunosenescence, the decline in immune system function with age, and its impact on health, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. She explains that the thymus gland, crucial for immune cell production, shrinks significantly by middle age. However, she highlights the good news: moderate exercise can maintain thymus size and immune cell production at levels comparable to a 20-year-old. Studies show that exercise increases T-cells, decreases inflammation, and delays immunosenescence. Dr. Petersen encourages adopting healthy habits and offers consultations to address health issues and optimize immune function.

Transcript of the video

Hello, Dr. Vikki Petersen here. I want to talk to you today about what happens to your immune system as you get older. Now, this won’t be a very long video, but I want you to make sure you listen to the whole thing because it starts out with bad news but ends with really good news. So don’t just hear the bad news and run away. That’s our agreement. Good.

There’s something that occurs as we get older; it’s called immunosenescence, which basically means that your immune system stops working as well as it should. This can translate into a less effective response from getting a vaccine, for example. It also puts you at risk for any new virus that comes your way. As I’m taping this, we’re still in the COVID pandemic, although kind of winding down a bit. As you probably know, the population most at risk are people who are older, and it has to do with this immunosenescence. Just remember, there’s good news at the end.

Our thymus gland, located in your chest, produces a lot of your immune cells. An interesting thing that happens—again, here’s the bad news—is that once you hit puberty, the size of your thymus gland starts to decrease. By the time you’re middle-aged, there’s only 15% of it left; the rest is fat. With only 15% remaining, you’re producing fewer white blood cells that fight infection and fewer memory T-cells.

Memory T-cells are crucial because they remember past infections. The bad guy is called an antigen, and your body makes antibodies against that antigen to defend you. When you have a robust number of memory cells, if that virus or bacteria comes your way again, the body recognizes it and mounts a strong response quickly, often preventing illness. This adaptive immune system is brilliant, but as we age and our thymus gland shrinks, we produce fewer memory T-cells, weakening our immune response.

Okay, so that’s the bad news. Now, let’s talk about the good news. We know, and I’ve been talking about it a lot lately, some basic ways to boost your immune system: a good diet, avoiding smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing stress (something I’m personally working on), and getting good sleep. These are all valid ways to boost your immune system.

The last way is exercise, which I want to focus on. There are exciting studies that speak to exercise in amazing ways. One study I want to mention from 2018 in the research journal Aging Cell looked at cyclists aged 55 to 79. They found that with moderate exercise—about 45 minutes a day, not running a marathon—the size of their thymus gland was normal, and the amount of immune cells they produced was on par with a 20-year-old. This is pretty miraculous data. Many of these cyclists had adopted cycling later in life, demonstrating the regenerative abilities of the human body.

Another study from July 2012 in Aging Research Review found that moderate exercise increased T-cells, decreased inflammation, and delayed immunosenescence. This is pretty exciting. Even if you’re in your 40s or above, or if you’re in your 20s and want to share this with your parents and grandparents, exercise can enhance immune response.

I hope you find this beneficial. It costs nothing to do and has amazing results. If there’s anything about your health that’s not the way you want it to be, especially during this pandemic, it’s a good time to address it. Diseases of lifestyle like type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and fatty liver can be remedied in the majority of cases. It’s exciting, and these studies show it’s never too late.

Your body doesn’t hold a grudge; its ability to repair is beautiful. If you want a consultation, we’re delighted to help. The telephone number here is 408-733-0400. We’ll talk to you soon.

Additional resources