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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aging process on the immunity in human subjects. In this investigation, nineteen families of three generations (daughters on college age, their mothers, and grandmothers) participated to avoid genetic variation among individuals. Dietary food records, anthropometric measurements and biochemical assessments of serum nutrients were used to evaluate the nutritional status of subjects. The immune parameters of subjects were assessed by the total and differential WBC count. Total B and T lymphocytes, and T cell subsets were quantified by flowcytometer. Serum immunoglobulin G, A, M concentrations were also measured as an index of humoral immunity. The result of this study can be summarized as follows: 1. Along with the aging process, body fat was found to be increased whereas lean body mass and total body water were diminished. Since there were no significant difference in serum vitamin E levels in all age groups, serum retinal concentrations tended to decrease as one gets old. 2. Although total number of T lymphocytes seemed to be unchanged, B lymphocytes and NK cell numbers were increased by aging. The Percentage of CD8 + lymphocytes was lower in the elderly subjects compared with the younger, resulting in higher ratio of CD4 +/CD8 + lymphocytes in the elderly. Serum Ig G and Ig A levels remained unchanged, but IgM levels were significantly decreased as the age processes continue. Taking all together, it could be suggested that the alteration of immune cell population by aging is selective and possibly nonage factors such as nutrition may be attributable to the change of immunity in the elderly. The nutritional status and aging process may selectively affect both the cell-mediated (CD8 +, CD4 +：CD8 + ratio, NK cell) and humoral (B lymphocyte, Immunoglobulin M, G) immune parameters in human subjects.
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Fig. 1.
Serum vitamin A and E levels in different age groups. The data present the mean values ± S.D. ∗: significantly different from group A by the ANOVA, p < 0.05.
Fig. 3.
Serum immunoglobulin levels in different age groups. The data present the mean values ± S.D. ∗: significantly different from group A by the ANOVA, p < 0.05. +: significantly different from group C by the ANOVA, p < 0.05.
Table 1.
Anthropometric measurements
| A (N = 17) | B (N = 19) | C (N = 18) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 023.0 ± 1.70 | 48.3 ± 4.80 | 75.3 ± 6.70 |
| Height (cm) | 161.5 ± 3.40 | 157.1 ± 4.400 | 148.4 ± 5.100 |
| Weight (kg) | 052.7 ± 5.7 | 56.5 ± 5.10 | 50.0 ± 8.00 |
| BMI (kg/m 2) | 0020.2 ± 2.0b1) | 22.8 ± 2.6 a | 22.5 ± 2.8a |
| Triceps skinfold (mm) | 020.8 ± 5.4 b | 22.8 ± 2.6 a | 22.5 ± 2.8 a |
| Triceps skinfold (mm) | 020.8 ± 5.4b | 25.4 ± 6.0a | 18.9 ± 6.4b |
| Arm circumference (cm) | 025.5 ± 2.2b | 28.7 ± 3.1a | 26.0 ± 2.5b |
| AMC (cm) | 018.9 ± 1.2b | 20.7 ± 2.5a | 020.0 ± 1.7ab |
| Body fat (%) | 024.1 ± 3.0b | 26.2 ± 3.8b | 30.9 ± 5.7a |
| LBM (kg) | 039.8 ± 4.0a | 41.6 ± 3.3a | 34.2 ± 4.5b |
| TBW(L) | 029.1 ± 3.0a | 30.4 ± 2.5a | 25.0 ± 3.3b |
Table 2.
Mean daily nutrients intake 1) from dietary food records
| Nutrients | A (N = 17) | B (N = 19) | C (N = 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy (kcal/day) | 1600.0 ± 465.5 | 1666.0 ± 484.2 | 0.1415 ± 360.2 |
| Energy (kcal/kg b.w.) | 30.3 ± 7.2 | 29.4 ± 7.8 | 29.3 ± 8.0 |
| Protein (g/day) | 055.8 ± 24.0 | 067.2 ± 26.9 | 057.4 ± 20.1 |
| (14%) 2) | (16.1%) | (16.2%) | |
| Fat (g/day) | 038.1 ± 15.6 | 031.5 ± 11.8 | 028.2 ± 14.7 |
| (21.4%) | (17.0%) | (17.9%) | |
| Carbohydrate (g/day) | 259.9 ± 72.3 | 268.2 ± 86.7 | 234.6 ± 55.5 |
| (64.9%) | (64.4%) | (66.3%) | |
| Iron (mg/day) | 10.6 ± 4.7 | 12.2 ± 5.1 | 09.4 ± 4.0 |
| (75.7%)3) | (87.1%) | (104.4%) | |
| Vitamin A (I.U) | 0002511 ± 1605 b4) | 4212.0 ± 1965 a | 003134 ± 2566 ab |
Table 3.
T cell subsets, B lymphocytes and NK-cells in cellmediated immunity
| A (N = 17) | B (N = 19) | C (N = 18) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| T lymphocytes (%) | 67.9 ± 6.5 | 67.9 ± 6.1 | 62.7 ± 12.0 |
| CD4 + (%) | 37.0 ± 8.1 | 42.1 ± 6.1 | 40.8 ± 10.5 |
| CD8 + (%) | 0031.7 ± 6.1 a1) | 26.7 ± 6.9 ab | 023.8 ± 10.8 b |
| CD4 +/CD8 + ratio | 01.25 ± 0.5b | 01.7 ± 0.5ab | 02.32 ± 1.74a |
| B lymphocytes (%) | 009.5 ± 3.1b | 10.8 ± 3.6ab | 12.3 ± 4.5a |
| NK-cell (%) | 014.9 ± 5.3 b | 15.5 ± 3.7 ab | 19.7 ± 8.9 a |
Table 4.
Correlation between anthropometric measurements and immune parameters
| 4-1) A group | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skinfold thickness | Body fat (%) 1) | Lean body mass | Total body water | Body mass index | |
| Lymphocyte | -0.0177 | -0.0977 | -0.0890 | -0.0873 | -0.1673 |
| Basophil | -0.2713 | -0.1681 | -0.3743 | -0.3748 | -0.2989 |
| T lymphocyte | -0.1149 | -0.0121 | -0.3413 | -0.3364 | -0.1314 |
| CD8 + | -0.0675 | -0.0345 | -0.0388 | -0.0369 | -0.0617 |
| CD4: CD8 ratio | -0.0971 | -0.1912 | -0.0236 | -0.0216 | -0.0598 |
| Ig M | -0.2968 | -0.0508 | -0.6025∗ | -0.6018∗ | -0.5402∗ |
| 4-2) B group | |||||
| Skinfold thickness | Body fat (%) 1) | Lean body mass | Total body water | Body mass index | |
| Lymphocyte | -0.4046 | -0.5418∗ | -0.0931 | -0.0170 | -0.3606 |
| Basophil | -0.4645∗ | -0.3288 | -0.3778 | -0.3562 | -0.4831∗ |
| T lymphocyte | -0.0985 | -0.0343 | -0.4271 | -0.4560∗ | -0.1424 |
| CD8 + | -0.4453 | -0.0176 | -0.5300∗ | -0.4701∗ | -0.2247 |
| CD4: CD8 ratio | -0.4303 | -0.0241 | -0.4613∗ | -0.4061 | -0.2247 |
| Ig M | -0.4723∗ | -0.0933 | -0.1545 | -0.0704 | -0.0717 |
| 4-3) C group | |||||
| Skinfold thickness | Body fat (%) 1) | Lean body mass | Total body water | Body mass index | |
| Lymphocyte | -0.4255 | -0.2562 | -0.0535 | -0.0548 | -0.1664 |
| Basophil | -0.3147 | -0.2077 | -0.2049 | -0.2049 | -0.0163 |
| T lymphocyte | -0.2835 | -0.2400 | -0.0616 | -0.0622 | -0.1540 |
| CD8 + | -0.0151 | -0.1380 | -0.3467 | -0.3469 | -0.1665 |
| CD4: CD8 ratio | -0.0880 | -0.0564 | -0.2679 | -0.2682 | -0.0821 |
| Ig M | -0.3531 | -0.3483 | -0.0647 | -0.0685 | -0.1710 |
Table 5.
Correlation between mean daily nutrients intake and immune parameters
| 5-1) A group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dietary Intake | ||||
| Calorie | Carbohydrate | Fat | Fe | |
| Total WBC count | -0.2090 | -0.3336 | -0.0596 | -0.1189 |
| Eosinophil | -0.1281 | -0.1508 | -0.0874 | -0.1201 |
| Basophil | -0.1737 | -0.2032 | -0.0874 | -0.2105 |
| T lymphocyte | -0.5993∗ | -0.7301∗∗ | -0.2377 | -0.3228 |
| Ig G | -0.4986∗ | -0.3561 | -0.5418∗ | -0.2063 |
| Ig M | -0.1408 | -0.2346 | -0.1105 | -0.0325 |
| 5-2) B group | ||||
| Dietary Intake | ||||
| Calorie | Carbohydrate | Fat | Fe | |
| Total WBC count | -0.2421 | -0.0473 | -0.0805 | -0.0776 |
| Eosinophil | -0.3592 | -0.3236 | -0.4113 | -0.4977∗ |
| Basophil | -0.2990 | -0.4272 | -0.1685 | -0.5913∗∗ |
| T lymphocyte | -0.0612 | -0.0203 | -0.1964 | -0.0830 |
| Ig G | -0.1870 | -0.1169 | -0.0763 | -0.3501 |
| Ig M | -0.5385∗ | -0.5913∗∗ | -0.1231 | -0.6060∗∗ |
| 5-3) C group | ||||
| Dietary Intake | ||||
| Calorie | Carbohydrate | Fat | Fe | |
| Total WBC count | -0.3632 | -0.5604∗ | -0.1547 | -0.0228 |
| Eosinophil | -0.0918 | -0.0775 | -0.1446 | -0.0515 |
| Basophil | -0.1179 | -0.3281 | -0.1044 | -0.2625 |
| T lymphocyte | -0.2574 | -0.2336 | -0.1759 | -0.5191∗ |
| Ig G | -0.0374 | -0.0883 | -0.0114 | -0.1075 |
| Ig M | -0.0561 | -0.1012 | -0.0955 | -0.1794 |
Table 6.
Correlation between serum vitamin A or vitamin E levels and immune parameters of subjects
| A group (N = 17) | B group (N = 19) | C group (N = 18) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serum vitamin A | Serum vitamin E | Serum vitamin A | Serum vitamin E | Serum vitamin A | Serum vitamin E | |
| Lymphocyte | -0.0347 | -0.2929 | -0.0703 | -0.4893∗ | -0.3481 | 0.2361 |
| T lymphocyte | -0.1442 | -0.2481 | -0.0842 | -0.6084∗∗ | -0.1311 | 0.2628 |
| B lymphocyte | -0.1323 | -0.4612 | -0.1840 | -0.1193 | -0.2734 | 0.1650 |
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