Older people with more blood butyrate have fewer senescent T cells.
Researchers have discovered that butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid with well-documented gut benefits, fights senescence in T cells.
Senescence of the immune system (immunosenescence) is a problem that drives many others. In particular, T cells are known to secrete inflammatory SASP compounds [1] and drive the constant, age-related inflammation known as inflammaging [2]; in essence, the aged immune system overactivates itself. However, instead of being more effective against pathogens, this overactivated system has a degraded ability to effectively respond to threats [3], which is part of why older people have suffered from significantly greater COVID-related mortality [4].
An increase in T cell senescence has been found to drive pathologies in other systems in mice, including the muscles, vasculature, and cognition [5]. In people, this immunosenescence has been linked to arthritis [6] and acute heart failure [7]; unsurprisingly, there is a possible Alzheimer’s link as well [8].
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