Immunological outcomes of exercise in older adults

Abstract

Aging is associated with a dysregulation of the immune system known as immunosenescence. Immunosenescence involves cellular and molecular alterations that impact both innate and adaptive immunity, leading to increased incidences of infectious disease morbidity and mortality as well as heightened rates of other immune disorders such as autoimmunity, cancer, and inflammatory conditions. While current data suggests physical activity may be an effective and logistically easy strategy for counteracting immunosenescence, it is currently underutilized in clinical settings. Long-term, moderate physical activity interventions in geriatric populations appear to be associated with several benefits including reduction in infectious disease risk, increased rates of vaccine efficacy, and improvements in both physical and psychosocial aspects of daily living. Exercise may also represent a viable therapy in patients for whom pharmacological treatment is unavailable, ineffective, or inappropriate. The effects of exercise impact multiple aspects of immune response including T cell phenotype and proliferation, antibody response to vaccination, and cytokine production. However, an underlying mechanism by which exercise affects numerous cell types and responses remains to be identified. Given this evidence, an increase in the use of physical activity programs by the healthcare community may result in improved health of geriatric populations.

Elderly men with moderate and intense training lifestyle present sustained higher antibody responses to influenza vaccine

“…Because of this compromise, influenza remains a significant cause of mortality among the elderly. Recently, regular physical activity has been proposed as a low-cost and potentially effective strategy to retard or prevent immunosenescence (Senchina and Kohut 2007).…”

Protective effect of regular physical activity on major depressive episodes in patients with early stages of chronic kidney disease

“…The exact mechanisms responsible for the depressive complication are unknown. It has been suggested that participation in moderate exercise may improve immune function and exert anti-inflammatory effects [28][29][30]. CKD is associated with profound changes in innate and adaptive immunity, which predispose CKD patients to infectious complications and chronic inflammation.…”

Efecto del ejercicio físico de hidrogimnasia sobre la concentración sérica de inmunoglobulina A en mujeres adultas mayores

“…Al respecto, una posible explicación radicaría en los mecanismos fisiológicos de adaptación derivados del ejercicio, por los cuales, la mé-dula ósea genera hematopoyesis ante el impacto del peso y de esa manera genera y libera leucocitos influyendo en la mejora de las concentraciones séricas de IgA 8 .…”

“…Otro proceso fisiológico que agrava el daño en la producción de linfocitos es el estrés oxidativo que se incrementa con el envejecimiento generando daño en las proteínas de las membranas celulares incluyendo los receptores de las citoquinas, así como daños en el ADN celular de la mitocondria de los leucocitos, disminuyendo así su capacidad de producir energía, causando progresivamente un aumento en la susceptibilidad a enfermedades infecciosas y riesgo de la salud en el adulto mayor [5][6][7] . Estos procesos biológicos son irreversibles; no obstante, buenos hábitos de salud como una adecuada alimentación, minimizar el estrés psicosocial y el realizar actividad física sistemática pueden ayudar a disminuir el impacto de la inmunosenescencia 8 . Se ha comprobado que los beneficios del ejercicio en el adulto mayor incrementan la expectativa de vida, se obtiene mejorías en su estado fisiológico y calidad de vida en relación a aquellos adultos mayores sedentarios 9,10 .…”