Answered questions
Immune system
81 answered questions · 553 studies
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What have two landmark studies discovered about the role of your brain immune cells in ageing?
Microglia play an active role in brain ageing through fat accumulation and energy shortage, but most of the evidence still…
Moderate evidence
Does quercetin help with hay fever and allergies?
Quercetin has a clear anti-allergic effect in laboratory research, and a small randomised study in humans shows improvement in…
Preliminary evidence
Does covid-19 have a lasting effect on the immune system?
Covid-19 has measurable, long-lasting effects on the immune system, even in people who do not have Long Covid symptoms. How…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does long-term antibiotic use weaken your immune system?
Antibiotics disrupt the gut microbiota in ways that indirectly weaken your immune system; use them only when truly necessary…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What are the symptoms of a weakened immune system?
The clearest signs of a weakened immune system are recurrent or unusually severe infections, but skin problems, autoimmune…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Which factors weaken your immune system?
Several factors demonstrably weaken your immune system: deficiencies in vitamin A, zinc and iron are the best supported, but…
Yes · Moderate evidence
How does your microbiome affect your health and longevity?
Your microbiome is associated with how healthily you age, but whether you can deliberately steer it to live longer has not yet…
Preliminary evidence
Can you slow down the ageing of your immune system?
You can partly limit the consequences of an ageing immune system, especially with more cleverly designed vaccines such as…
Moderate evidence
What does a disrupted gut barrier do to the rest of your body?
A leaky gut barrier is associated with chronic inflammation and a range of diseases, from diabetes and joint complaints to…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What is the role of chronic inflammation in the development of cancer?
Chronic inflammation is a proven driver of cancer: it promotes every step of tumour formation and makes tumours more resistant…
Yes · Strong evidence
How harmful are microplastics in your body to your health?
Microplastics are demonstrably present in your body and have been linked in laboratory and animal research to inflammation and…
Moderate evidence
Is raw milk healthier than pasteurised milk?
Raw milk offers no proven health benefits that outweigh the risk of infection. If you are concerned about vitamin intake,…
No · Moderate evidence
Do functional mushrooms like reishi and cordyceps actually work?
Medicinal mushrooms such as reishi show promising effects in the laboratory, but convincing evidence in humans is still…
Preliminary evidence
Is colostrum (beestings) a worthwhile supplement?
For now, colostrum has the strongest indications as an aid against respiratory tract infections in athletes; for most other…
Preliminary evidence
Does liposomal vitamin C work better than regular vitamin C?
Liposomal vitamin C reaches higher concentrations in your blood than the regular form, but whether that actually does anything…
Moderate evidence
Does chronic inflammation accelerate the ageing of your cells?
Chronic inflammation demonstrably accelerates cellular ageing through a negative spiral that is difficult to break. The best…
Is moderate exercise good or bad for your immune system?
Moderate exercise (sessions up to 45 minutes) is good for your immune system and is associated with fewer infections. Only…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Why do older people become seriously ill from an infection more quickly?
Older people become seriously ill from infections more quickly because their immune system responds structurally more slowly…
Can you strengthen your immune system by eating more fibre?
Eating more fibre has a clear biological mechanism, but in healthy people it does not automatically lead to a measurably…
Moderate evidence
Does too little sleep weaken your immune system?
Yes, too little sleep demonstrably weakens your immune system and increases the risk of infections and chronic inflammatory…
Does spending more time outdoors help your immune system as you get older?
Spending more time outdoors may support your immune system as you get older, mainly through improved vitamin D production, but…
Preliminary evidence
Does the flu shot work less well as you get older?
The flu shot demonstrably works less well in older adults than in younger people, but high-dose and other improved vaccines…
Yes · Strong evidence
Does your immune system really weaken as you get older?
Your immune system does indeed weaken as you get older, but how quickly that happens varies considerably from person to…
Does your body age faster after a prolonged period of stress?
Prolonged stress demonstrably accelerates biological ageing through multiple measurable mechanisms. Reducing stress,…
Can you improve your gut microbiome by picking up bacteria while playing outside?
Playing outside exposes your child to more bacteria, and one small study observed a change in gut microbiome, but whether that…
Preliminary evidence
What is the relationship between the thyroid and the immune system?
There is a clear and well-defined relationship: autoimmune diseases of the thyroid arise because the immune system attacks the…
Why do cells lose their ability to repair themselves over time?
Cells lose their repair capacity through a combination of declining energy stores, impaired DNA repair and the accumulation of…
Why do some women experience thyroid problems after giving birth?
After delivery, the immune system sometimes overshoots and damages the thyroid, leading to temporary hormonal disturbances in…
Can your gut microbiome influence inflammation in your body?
Your gut microbiome can influence inflammatory processes throughout your body via the gut wall. Eating more fibre and…
What is the relationship between high blood pressure and inflammation?
High blood pressure and inflammation reinforce each other mutually, and higher inflammatory values in the blood mean a…
Why do some people develop better protection after vaccination than others?
How well you respond to a vaccine depends on your genetic predisposition, age, the condition of your immune system, and any…
Does sunbathing boost your immune system beyond the vitamin D effect?
Sunlight has real effects beyond vitamin D through nitric oxide and hormonal pathways, but randomised evidence for improved…
Moderate evidence
Can smoking permanently damage your immune system?
Smoking structurally damages your immune system and the damage can be lasting, especially with long-term smoking. Quitting…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What are T-cells and why do they decline with age?
Over the years your immune system loses some of its strength as the thymus shrinks and fresh T-cells become scarce. There is…
Does omega-3 from fish oil help against chronic inflammation?
Omega-3 from fish oil lowers inflammatory markers in the blood and demonstrably helps in rheumatoid arthritis, but the effect…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What does chronic sleep deprivation do to your inflammation in the long run?
Chronic sleep deprivation demonstrably raises inflammatory markers in your blood and is linked to diseases such as…
Can air pollution weaken your immune system?
Air pollution disrupts your immune system in several ways at once: a greater chance of allergic reactions, less resistance to…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What is apoptosis and why is it beneficial for cells to clean themselves up?
Apoptosis is an indispensable clean-up mechanism that keeps your body healthy, but balance is everything: too little increases…
Is the appendix actually useful for your gut microbiome?
The appendix most likely does have a function: as a reservoir for healthy gut bacteria and as an immune organ. If you have…
Why do some people experience symptoms for months after an infection?
After an infection, multiple biological processes can continue to smoulder simultaneously, but which mechanism plays the…
Can too little sleep make you more susceptible to infections?
Too little sleep demonstrably makes your immune system more vulnerable, including to infections and vaccinations. Make sure…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does sauna bathing help against infections?
There are preliminary indications that regular sauna bathing may have a beneficial effect on your immune system, but the…
Preliminary evidence
Can an overactive immune system also be dangerous?
An overactive immune system can damage your own tissue and is demonstrably dangerous in several conditions. If you recognise…
What does loneliness do to your immune system?
Loneliness disrupts your immune system in multiple ways simultaneously: more inflammation, reduced antiviral defence, and…
What does long-term loneliness do to your brain?
Prolonged loneliness is associated with a higher risk of dementia and persistent low mood, and damages the stress system.…
Does fermented food like kimchi boost your immune system?
Kimchi and other fermented products can improve your gut microbiome and lower inflammatory markers, but whether that actually…
Preliminary evidence
What is the role of inflammation in cellular ageing?
Inflammation and cellular senescence reinforce each other in two vicious cycles, leading to tissue damage and age-related…
Can you test your immune system with a blood test?
A blood test can partially map the immune system, but the results are only meaningful when a doctor interprets them in the…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What exactly does the HPV vaccine do for your protection against cervical cancer?
The HPV vaccine provides strong protection against cervical cancer, but works best when received before first sexual contact;…
Does melatonin support your immune system in later life?
Melatonin has clear effects on the immune system in animal and laboratory research, but whether supplements genuinely improve…
Preliminary evidence
Why are older adults more susceptible to influenza?
Older adults are more susceptible to influenza because their immune system functions less well with age, meaning they are both…
What does excess weight do to your inflammation levels?
Excess weight structurally raises your inflammation levels through multiple biological pathways. Exercise, and strength…
Can too much sugar weaken your immune system?
Chronically high blood sugar levels, as seen in diabetes or severe obesity, demonstrably weaken immune defences. For healthy…
Moderate evidence
Does your immune system age at a different rate than your heart?
Yes, your immune system and heart age at measurably different rates, and an ageing immune system is more strongly associated…
Does beta-glucan help strengthen your immune system?
Beta-glucan has a biologically plausible effect on the immune system, demonstrated in part in humans as well, but for healthy…
Preliminary evidence
What is a cytokine storm?
A cytokine storm is a life-threatening syndrome in which the immune system reinforces itself in a spiral of inflammation that…
Does green tea help against infections?
For influenza there is reasonable evidence that green tea catechins are helpful; for most other infections the data are still…
Moderate evidence
What does smoking do to your biological age?
Smoking measurably accelerates the biological ageing of lung cells, the immune system and the reproductive system. Quitting…
Why do you get sick more often when you are on a diet?
A low-calorie diet can weaken your immune system through deficiencies in minerals such as magnesium, disrupted gut bacteria…
Does cold showering boost your immune system?
Cold showering produces measurable stimulation of the immune system, but whether it actually makes you less likely to fall ill…
Preliminary evidence
What does alcohol do to your immune system?
Heavy or prolonged alcohol use clearly weakens your immune system and increases the risk of serious infections and liver…
Can anyone take rapamycin?
Rapamycin is a powerful drug with serious side effects, including reduced immune function and blood sugar disturbances, and is…
No · Moderate evidence
Does fasting reset your immune system?
Fasting lowers inflammatory markers and improves metabolic risk factors, but a true 'reset' of the immune system has not yet…
Moderate evidence
Does vitamin C actually help against a cold?
Taking vitamin C daily does not protect most people against colds, but does make a cold slightly shorter and milder. If you…
No · Strong evidence
Does eating enough protein help my immune system as I get older?
Eating enough protein helps your immune system in later life. Aim for at least 1.0-1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does stress really lower my immune defences?
Prolonged stress measurably lowers your immune defences and even weakens the effectiveness of vaccines. Short-term stress, by…
Does regular exercise help against that creeping chronic inflammation?
Regular, moderate exercise demonstrably lowers inflammatory markers such as CRP and IL-6; training too intensely can reverse…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does leaky gut actually exist?
Leaky gut is a recognised biological phenomenon that is associated with various diseases, but whether it also causes those…
Can long-term inflammation in your body cause cancer?
Prolonged low-grade inflammation is a recognised risk factor for several types of cancer. The evidence is strongest for bowel…
Does vitamin D help your immune system, or is that overrated?
Vitamin D genuinely supports your immune system, but the benefit of taking extra applies mainly when you have a deficiency. If…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does your immune system really weaken as you get older, and can you do anything about it?
Your immune system demonstrably weakens with age, but eating healthily and exercising can reduce the smouldering inflammation…
Yes · Strong evidence
Can a disrupted gut microbiome weaken your immune system?
A disrupted gut microbiome demonstrably dysregulates your immune system and increases the risk of chronic inflammation. Eating…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does exercise help your immune system as you age?
Regular, moderate exercise helps your immune system by reducing smouldering inflammation. Suddenly training very hard without…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What does sleep deprivation do to your immune system?
Sleep deprivation demonstrably weakens the immune system: it increases the risk of infection, reduces the response to…
Does low-dose naltrexone (LDN) work against inflammation?
LDN shows positive signals as an anti-inflammatory agent in small studies and cell research, but the evidence in humans is…
Preliminary evidence
Is taking extra vitamin C worthwhile?
Extra vitamin C offers little benefit for most people. Intensive athletes and people following a carnivore diet do have a good…
Moderate evidence
Which vaccinations belong to healthy ageing?
For healthy ageing, the flu vaccine (high dose), the pneumococcal vaccine, the shingles vaccine, and the RSV vaccine are well…
Moderate evidence
Is zinc beneficial for my immune system?
Zinc is beneficial for your immune system if you have a deficiency or belong to a risk group such as older adults or severely…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does turmeric help against inflammation?
Curcumin lowers certain inflammatory markers in the blood, but the effect is modest. Moreover, your body absorbs the compound…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What is inflammaging?
Inflammaging is a smouldering, chronic inflammation that increases with age and is associated with frailty, muscle loss and…
How do I strengthen my weakening immune system?
You can partly support your immune system by correcting measured deficiencies in vitamins and minerals and by making use of…
Moderate evidence