Physical Fitness Dynamics Shape Immune Remodeling in Healthy Aging: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study - PubMed
4 days ago
- #immune aging
- #physical fitness
- #healthy aging
- Aging involves functional decline and immune remodeling, with lifestyle factors like physical fitness influencing immune aging.
- A 3-year longitudinal study with 49 healthy elderly assessed cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, body composition, immune cell phenotypes, and serum cytokines.
- Findings showed a shift toward an aged T cell profile, with reductions in naïve and regulatory T cells (Tregs) and increases in differentiated and senescence-associated subsets.
- Treg subsets followed divergent trajectories: resting Tregs (rTregs) declined, while memory-like Tregs (mTregs) increased.
- Serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines remained stable, but participants experienced declines in cardiorespiratory fitness and strength despite stable self-reported physical activity.
- Immune remodeling was linked to declines in physical fitness, with changes in T cell subsets and increased CD4-CD8- lymphocyte frequencies.
- Habitual physical activity was independently related to effector T cell dynamics.
- The study highlights physical fitness as a modifiable determinant of immune trajectories in healthy aging, occurring without overt systemic inflammation.