Regular exercise is well established to correlate with improved health and reduced mortality in human epidemiological data, while animal studies demonstrate that exercise in fact causes improved health and reduced mortality. One of the noted benefits of exercise is an improvement in many aspects of immune function. In older people, that includes a reduction in the chronic inflammatory signaling that is characteristic of the aged immune system, as well as increased immune competency in defense against pathogens.
Immunosenescence, characterized by a progressive decline in immune function with age, leads to significant impairments in T-cell and B-cell responses, the reduced efficacy of dendritic cells, and diminished natural killer cell activity, ultimately decreasing the capacity to fight infections and clear tumors. This decline increases susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammation, and cancer, underscoring the urgent need for effective interventions.
Exercise emerges as a transformative strategy to combat immunosenescence by inducing metabolic remodeling that enhances insulin sensitivity, regulates immune cell phenotypes, and reduces chronic inflammation through the mTOR and AMPK signaling pathways. Furthermore, exercise promotes an optimal balance in immune responses by modulating lactate levels and supporting the transition from pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory states, effectively sustaining immune function in aging individuals. Exercise-induced lipid and amino acid metabolic changes play crucial roles in improving immune function by reducing visceral fat accumulation and optimizing amino acid metabolism, leading to restored immune cell functionality and healthier immune profiles in older adults.
The comprehensive organ-immune crosstalk facilitated by exercise, particularly through the release of myokines and modulation of the gut microbiota, enhances immune cell activity and contributes to systemic immune regulation, countering age-related immune decline. Notably, exercise effectively remodels both innate and adaptive immune cells by promoting the functionality of neutrophils, macrophages, and T cells while augmenting naive T-cell output from the thymus. These adaptations improve immune surveillance and response, reinforcing the assertion that exercise is vital for delaying the aging-related decline in immune health.
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