IMMUNITY MYTHS
Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist and a professor of biomedical sciences and public engagement at the university of Manchester, separates immunity facts from fiction
DID YOU KNOW?
The thymus shrinks at a rate of three per cent per year until middle age
Does stress lower your immune response? Chronic stress does, so the longer you’re stressed, it absolutely does. I think a short, sharp stress isn’t damaging for your immune system. Some people suggest it might give you a little transient boost. But chronic stress, if you stress for a long period of time, does impede the actions of immune cells.
Does immunity weaken with age? Yes, unfortunately it does. As we get older, the majority of us will see a decline in our immune function. We may have fewer of the specialised white blood cells called lymphocytes that are there to deal with infection. However, it’s not always as severe in some older people; some older people do age well. And one thing that might be linked to that is having a good, diverse microbiome. It helps maintain the barrier in your gut, and that stops you getting kind of a leaky gut and getting this low-level inflammation that can happen when you’re older, and that can further make your immune system a bit off.