As we age, our immune system doesn’t just slow down—it actually changes in ways that affect our health in real, measurable ways. This is why we need to pay attention to our immune system and inflammation.
Why your immune system is the key to a long life
Dr. Craig Goldinga leading specialist, an elderly doctor, and a teacher, recently spoke to a professional audience. We have published in full presentation on our site soon. You can find a link to the full presentation in the links below. I thought it would be helpful to focus on the two key ideas he presented and provide a condensed version of a very detailed and interesting presentation.
Two key ideas that will change the way you look at your health
Immunosenescence – the immune system gradually weakens and reduces the ability to fight new threats.
Inflammatory – low, chronic condition inflammation which quietly blooms in the background, causes a wide range of diseases.
These two processes feed each other in a vicious cycle.
Why does this happen?
Several things cause immune aging:
- In thymus gland (where immune cells “learn”) shrink with age and produce far fewer new immune cells by age 60.
- Stem cells in the bone marrow towards the production of more inflammatory cells and less of the adaptive immune cells we need.
- Long-term infections (like the common herpes virus CMV) wears down the immune system over time.
- Aging cells — old, damaged cells that refuse to die — release inflammatory chemicals into the body.
- Metabolic changes in aging cells, it causes more inflammation from the inside.
What are the real-world implications?
- More infectionsand more severe cases – more than 80% of COVID-19 deaths were in people over 60 years of age.
- Vaccines work less well in older adults, so higher-dose flu vaccines are available for people over 65.
- Autoimmune diseases like late-onset rheumatoid arthritis is becoming more common.
- The risk of cancer increases because the immune system is less able to detect and destroy abnormal cells.
- Infections can occur otherwise in older people – confusion instead of fever, for example – making the diagnosis more difficult.
How can we measure immune age?
Doctors can use several markers to determine how “old” someone’s immune system really is:
- IL-6, CRP and TNF-α – inflammatory proteins that increase with age.
- Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) — a simple blood count that reflects immune pressure.
- CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio – the inverse ratio shows the immune profile of the elderly.
- iAge — AI-powered “inflammatory aging clock” uses a panel of immune markers to estimate biological immune age.
What can we do about it?
Medicines (some are still being tested):
- Rapamycin / Everolimus – mTOR inhibitors, which have been shown to improve vaccine responses in adults by about 20%.
- Metformin – a common diabetes drug also reduces immune fatigue and inflammation.
- Senolitics – drugs that remove senescent cells, possibly restore the inflammatory surface.
- Immune modulators such as IL-7 therapy – these can help the immune system with fresh cells.
- Other agents such as supplements – soul supplement (if there is a deficiency) improves immune function and reduces the risk of infection; Vitamin E has been shown to improve NK cell function in the elderly in previous trials. Thymic peptides (such as thymosin α1) are used in some countries to boost T-cell immunity in the elderly.
Lifestyle (affordable and highly effective)
- Practice It’s probably the most powerful anti-aging tool – even start in your 70s.
- Mediterranean style diet reduces inflammation and supports immune health.
- Probiotics and fiber helps maintain a healthy gut microbiome, which directly affects the immune system.
- sleep (7-8 hours) is when the immune system does most of its repair work.
- Reduce stress lowers inflammatory markers through yoga, meditation, or social interaction.
- Quit smoking and limiting alcohol consumption also significantly improves immune function.
What’s next?
Research is progressing rapidly. Future opportunities include (but are not limited to):
- Better vaccines specially designed to overcome the aging immune system.
- Restoration of the thymus treatment to restore the production of new immune cells.
- Plasma exchange to remove anti-inflammatory compounds from the blood.
- Mixed protocols – similar to how HIV is controlled – it targets immune senescence in several ways at once.
How old do you want to be?
Immune aging is real, measurable, and somewhat manageable. This is not an inevitable mountain. With the right lifestyle habits, the right vaccines, monitoring of key biomarkers, and emerging therapies, we can keep our immune systems more youthful, and that can make a profound difference as we age.
Background: Immune aging and key biomarkers of aging
Do you want to understand this in more detail? Click here for the full article: Immune aging and key biomarkers of longevity
