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Balancing immunity & longevity


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MedicalXpress has an article on the trade-off between immunity and longevity.  A balancing act between immunity and longevity

chronic inflammation in the elderly, which means that the immune system is constantly active and sends out inflammatory substances.

found evidence suggesting that increased inflammation causes the aging process to speed up, and that there is a fine balance between maintaining immune system function and longevity.

the scientists discovered a change in an evolutionarily conserved gene called PUF60, which made the worms long lived but at the same time dampened the immune response. Worms with this change lived about 20% longer than normal worms, but when they were infected with certain bacteria, they succumbed more quickly to the infection. 

a less active immune system pays off as longer life span—as long as the animal does not die from an infection.

 

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