Nutrition and immunocompetence of the elderly: Effect of short-term nutritional supplementation on cell-mediated immunity and lymphocyte subsets

Abstract Fifty-one subjects above the age of 60 years were examined. Assesement of immunocompetence showed a progressive age-related decline in cell-mediated immunity and marked reduction in serum thymic factor activity. Twenty-one (41%) individuals showed clinical, anthropometric, biochemical or hematologic evidence of nutritional deficiency. In these patients, there was evidence of reduced number of rosette-forming T lymphocytes, both T4+ and T8+ subsets, especially the latter. The role of nutritional factors in contributing to impaired immunity was evaluated by providing oral supplementation of approximately 500 Kcal per day for 8 weeks in a formula containing proteins, fats and carbohydrates as well as minerals, vitamins and trace elements, and reassessment of immunocompetence. Nutritional therapy resulted in a marked improvement in clinical and biochemical indices of nutrition, T lymphocyte subpopulations and cell-mediated immunity. The results indicate that malnutrition is a frequent problem in the elderly and contributes to reversible impairment of immunocompetence