8/12/2019 "Immune System Versus Aging, by Nicolas Martin. August
1985
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LIFESP NSy NICOLAS MARTIN
TH
I h Jfll tfll lle S y ~ ~ Aave u nc arac er vs deal of research
is being conducted intost so m be r medical uses for these chemical
defenders,I ICa y e though their value as drugs is unknown ath h I
present.t OUg tS aS Write e Oneconvincingtheorysuggeststhatag-h h
ing is the sum effect of the Iong-tenn break-t S mont . In ging
downoftheimmunesystem.Whetherasa cause or effect of aging, immunity
certain-gaz Ing OUt OVer the ly declines over the years. The
ability to produce new cells, which is essential forSan Francisco
Bay immunity, declines m e a s u r ~ b 1 y , _reducingto others? I
will leave you to imagine the the potency of attack against
invaders.0 n th 5 b I ssfu y logical progression of questions.
:nius in old_age one is more susceptible toAIDS has introduced many
people to infectious disease, as well as cancer andSunny day I Can
not the immune system in much the same way heart diseasethat war
introduced Americans to Viet- The i m r n u ~ e system also loses
much ofescape the aware nam. It was there all along but we ordi-
its selectivity wi_th age With cruelist irO lYnarily Jived quite
happily without know- the system begins to increase productionness
that Potent I ally ing it. When we did meet it wasn t on the of
antibodies which. attack the body itself.best of terms. Known as
the autoimmune response, theth t t d Now there is no going back.
The irn body begins to reject its own parts as ife grea es mo ern
mune system is th first line of defense they were foreign, exactly
as occurs withh I h I against illness. A primary reason we no
individuals who have received organ trans-ea t p ague S longer are
limited to a lifespan of 5 years plants. Autoimmunity plays a key
role in t d th and do not die largely from infectious dis- many
diseases, including arthritis andI ncreaSI ng I S ea ease is the
strengthening of immunity diabetes.through good nutrition and
sanitation. It is clearly po ible to limit the immune
tO . For the first time in many decades, we decline which comes
with age, and severalnow find ourselves confronted with new
influential scientists believe that this willinfections, such as
AIDS and Toxic Shock lead to tremendous Increases In llfespan.T IS
COLUMN IS ABOUT the immune system, and how it might bepossible to
prevent aging and degenerative disease by bolstering that system.
At the same time, it is impossib le toescape discussion of the
warfare againstimmunity waged by a virus thought to beLAV or
HTLV-lll, infamously known asthe AIDS virus.AIDS eventually
destroys the ability ofthe body to fend off disease. Researchersnow
believe that the incubation period forthis uniformly fatal disease
may be up to14 years, then the effects of AIDS appearand death
follows hastily. This city with atotal population of about 750,000
can expect to have 750 of its residents diagnosedwith AIDS in the
next twelve months. Before you cancel your vacation by the
Bay,understand that the official number ofAIDS cases reported
nationwide has passed 10,000. Almost half of that group hasalready
died. Up to 300 new AJDS casesare reported in the U .S. every
week.Shockingly, close to 500,000 Americansnow carry immune
antibodies which reflect exposure to AIDS, and the number isquickly
ascending. Is each of these persons likely to develop a full-blown
case ofAIDS? Can they communicate the disease
18 BESTWAYS ugust 985
Syndrome, diseases which challenge the Normally, the thymus
begins to shrinkimmune defense. in size and function rather early
in life.Immunity, obtained by various means, This obviously limits
the gland s ability tois the complex method of protecting living
produce the T-cells which are so essential.cells against
destruction by bacteria, By supplementing regularly with zinc, it
isviruses, parasites, and other pathogens. apparently possible to
avoid at least partInherited immunity is possessed by most of this
thymic decline. Furthermore, itpeople long before birth. An
alternative seems that zinc supplementation can efmethod of
obtaining immunity is through fectively bolster the thymus even
when becontact with other people or, of less im- gun later in life.
In one published study, aportance, through drugs. group of healthy
volunteers over age sevMost immunity is afforded by cells enty
received zinc supplements (160 mg.called lymphocytes which
continuously daily for one month). As compared to thesearch and
destroy invading pathogens control groups which did not receive
extraand body cells which have Jost their orig- zinc, those who did
showed increased levinal value . T lymphocytes (T-cells), els of
T-cells indicating better immuneproduced primarily in the thymus
gland, function. Zinc has also been shown to imactually feed on
cells which have been iden- prove the ability of cells to fend
offtified as foreign, including cancer cells, disease.and viral and
bacterial pathogens. B-cells, Unfortunately, zinc is commonly
defiproduced in bone marrow and in the cient in American diets,
particularlyspleen, disarm microbes and viruses by among the
elderly who need it most, so itproducing antibodies known as
immuno- is an important first place to begin a lifeglobulins.
extension program based on enhanced imlnterferons are another key
element in munity. Several gerontologists have recthe immune
system. They selectively pre- ommended daily zinc supplements of
25-50vent the RNA of viruses from transmit- mg. Personally, I
choose the higher potenting information essential for their repro-
cy since zinc has such critical value andduction, without hindering
the bodys relatively low toxicity. I t is not uncommon
8/12/2019 "Immune System Versus Aging, by Nicolas Martin. August
1985
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for zinc tablets to cause a bit of stomachupset so they are best
taken shortly after ameal.Iron is another mineral which
positivelyaffects the production of T-cells, perhapsthrough its
involvement with the enzymeribonucleotide reductase and several
bacteria-killing enzymes. Candida and herpessimplex infections are
both more commonin individuals who are iron-deficient.While there
has lately been some antiiron propagandizing by one or two
manufacturers there is no demonstratedhazard for most people in
supplementingmoderate amounts of the mineral, on theorder of 15 25
mg. daily. I take my iron
s a powerfu Iantioxidant,selenium protectseel Is throughout
thebody from damageby free radicals.s ferrous gluconate and after a
meal. I tis especially important for a new motherto have sufficient
iron levels and to consider breastfeeding since iron-related
immunity is conferred through humanmilk.Vitamin A, and its
precursor beta
carotene, have been shown to increaseimmunity in animals.
Improved antibody levels and cellular immunity havebeen produced by
supplementation withthese nutrients. Even the AmericanCancer
Society now recommends a diethigh in beta carotene-which is
converted in the body to Vitamin A-as acancer preventive due to its
ability todeactivate singlet oxygen, which canseverely damage
cells. Individuals whoare deficient in preformed Vitamin A,derived
from animal sources, or betacarotene from plants, heal less
efficientlyand are more susceptible to infection.Diabetics cannot
convert carotene toVitamin A and are vety likely to be deficient in
the vitamin.Preformed Vitamin A can be toxic andshould only be
taken in small doses,usually not exceeding 10,000 IU. Betacarotene,
though, has very low toxicityand is converted to Vitamin A only
asneeded. It also has functions which aredistinctly different than
that associatedwith its role as a provitamin . Thus, betacarotene
is almost alwav the supplementof choice for s o g i ~ seeking
additionalVitamin A protection (except for diabetics), and my daily
supplement contains25 mg. of the ingredient in the dry form.
Selenium is yet another essential;
mineral which is associated with cancerprevention and a
strengthened immunesystem. It activates production of coenzyme Q,
which in turn stimulates theimmune system. In one study, mice
treated with coenzyme Q showed significantimmune
enhancement.Researchers at Colorado State University have
stimulated antibodies in miceup to 30-fold by feeding them
selenium.Other studies have used selenium to improve immunity in
sheep, dogs, andguinea pigs. The nutrient also enhancesthe effects
of certain vaccines, such as formalaria.Selenium deficiency causes
a reductionof lymphocytes and phagocytes, a typeof immune cell
which consumes foreignpathogens. As a powerful antioxidant,selenium
protects cells throughout thebody from damage by free radicals.
Thismay bestow three related physiologicbenefits. First, it might
diminish the constant level of immune response necessaryto deal
with free radical damage. Second,it might reduce the autoimmune
damageassociated with aging. Third, immunecells can themselves be
protected fromfree radical damage.At one time scientists thought
thatselenium had no beneficial role in humannutrition and was
itself a potential carcinogen. Now it is very clear that selenium
has several important roles in the
body and is actually a powerful anticarcinogen and
immunostimulant (stimulates the immune system).
Seleniumsupplementation can be very useful andsafe when done
wisely. Soil levels of themineral (and therefore food levels)
varywidely in the U.S., so it is a good idea toinvestigate the soil
content in your area.Richard Passwater's book Selenium asood and
Medicine supplies basic information on geographical distribution
of
the mineral and your public libraryshould be able to help you
obtain furtherdetails.There is great controversy over whichform of
selenium makes the superiordietary supplement. I will enlarge on
thisissue in the near future, but for now I willreveal that my
daily selenium dose is 150micrograms (mcg.).Of course, none of the
above guarantees that you personally will have increased lifespan
or totally avoid disease,just as it can t be guaranteed that you
willnot get lung cancer if you don t smoke.However, there is ample
evidence thatyou can bend the odds greatly in your
favor with these simple measures.Next time I will continue the
discussion of beneficial ingredients, focusingon Vitamin C and
arginine, and considersome prudent measures for minimizinginsults
to the immune system caused bydiet and lifestyle. D
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