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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #243107
Title: Calorie restriction (CR) enhances T cell mediated immune response in overweight men and women

Author
item AHMED, TANVIR - International Centre For Diarrhoeal Disease Research
item DAS, SAI KRUPA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item GOLDEN, JULIE - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item SALTZMAN, EDWARD - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item ROBERTS, SUSAN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item MEYDANI, SIMIN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University

Submitted to: Journal of Gerontology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/2/2009
Publication Date: 9/15/2009
Citation: Ahmed, T., Das, S., Golden, J.K., Saltzman, E., Roberts, S.B., Meydani, S.N. 2009. Calorie restriction (CR) enhances T cell mediated immune response in overweight men and women. Journal of Gerontology. 64:1107-1113.

Interpretive Summary: Long-term calorie restriction (CR) has been shown to prolong life in rodents and other shorter lived species, but whether CR is effective in prolonging human life is unknown. Conducting studies to determine CR effect on the human lifespan is not feasible, so there is a need to use biological measures of health span to determine the effectiveness of CR in humans. One characteristic of aging is impaired immune response. This decline in immune function contributes to an increase in infectious, inflammatory and cancer-causing diseases observed in the elderly. It also prolongs their post-illness recovery periods. Different cells of the immune system contribute to impaired immunity during old age, but T cells, which are a type of white blood cell that fights infection, are a major concern since several T cell functions decline with age. One measure, which has consistently exhibited age-associated decrease across all species, is the ability of T cells to reproduce. Therefore, the immune response, particularly that of T cells, are appropriate biological markers for validating CR effects in humans. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of 6 months of CR on human T cell function. Forty-six subjects aged 20-42 were randomly assigned to 30 percent or 10 percent CR groups. The results, for first time, show that 6 mo of either 10 or 30 per cent CR in humans improves T-cell function. These results suggest that the CR-induced improvements in T cell function reported in animals are reproducible in humans with as low as 10 percent CR. Further studies are needed to determine the effect of longer term calorie restriction on immune response of humans as well as a more comprehensive assessment of the underlying cause.

Technical Abstract: Calorie restriction (CR) enhances immunity and prolongs life-spans in animals. However, information on applying these results to humans is limited. A hallmark of aging is declining T-cell function. We examined the effects of CR on human T-cell function. Forty-six subjects aged 20-42 were randomly assigned to 30 percent or 10 percent CR groups. Delayed-type hypersensitivity skin test (DTH), lymphocyte proliferation (LP), and PGE2 productions were determined at baseline and after 6 mo of CR. DTH, and LP in response to T-cell mitogens, increased in both CR groups (P