Science

Scientists are close to discovering why some people are healthier than others

Some people stay healthier throughout life than others, but the underlying reasons for this are not well understood. Scientists from the Texas Institute of San Antonio, the National Research Council Institute for Genetic and Biomedical Studies in Montserrat, and the University of Sassari hypothesized that this advantage is partly explained by optimal immune stability (IR), defined as the ability to maintain and/or rapidly restore immune functions.

In their study, the results of which were published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers examined the health status of more than 48,000 people, as well as animals, including primates.

Scientists have found out that the immunological balance in the body is maintained thanks to two types of immune cells: iCD4 and CD8 lymphocytes.

According to the researchers, one possibility for the large differences in longevity and health status may be that differences in immune characteristics contribute to these differences. Given that infections are one of the most influential environmental factors shaping the human genome, optimal host responses to these microbial agents of natural selection may have played a role in increasing lifespan. Therefore, immune mechanisms may have evolved on the basis of acquired resistance to the inherited burden of inflammatory stress associated with infectious diseases.

In addition, it is possible that immunological traits associated with resistance to both infections and early death may have evolved more specifically in women, the scientists noted. It may serve as a basis for studying that women exhibit advantages in terms of immunocompetence and longevity.