La vitamine E renforce-t-elle la fonction immunitaire ?

It’s not sufficient to prolong life if those additional years will be squandered on illness; we should also find a way to maintain health. One way to preserve health – and to add life to our years – is to keep a strong, vigorous immune system. In this respect, bolstering the antioxidant system may really make a difference in our ability to ward off diseases that not only shorten life, but also interrupt our la qualité de vie during those subsequent years.

Immunité

The principal task of the immune system is to protect our bodies from disease. Although we call it a system, the immune system isn’t associated with one specific organ. In fact, it’s a set of cells that seek out and destroy bactéries, viruses, viruses and cancer cellules, et tout autre envahisseur étranger qu'il juge nuisible. En vieillissant, le système immunitaire perd un peu de son punch et, par conséquent, nous devenons plus vulnérables à des maladies dont nous nous serions facilement débarrassés dans notre enfance.

This is why elderly people are strongly advised to get flu shots annually, and many younger people aren’t. Whereas a younger person could conquer the flu virus in a week or two, an older person might not be as blessed. He is more inclined to remain ill for a longer time and to have a greater chance of developing complications like pneumonia. Another sort of immune cell, B-cells, produce proteins called antibodies that attach on a foreign substance when it’s introduced into the body.

Essayons de comprendre

Throughout our lives, our bodies create thousands of different antibodies, each tailored to search out and destroy a specific enemy. Antibodies can hold a grudge for a long, long time. After defeating a foe, they stay in our bodies to vanquish viruses or bacteria should they dare to attack again. For instance, most people will only get chicken pox once, since if the chicken pox virus attempts to strike another time, an army of antibodies will recognize it and attack it before it can take hold.

Avec l'âge, la fonction immunitaire diminue de façon mesurable, en particulier vers la septième et la huitième année. Même si nous produisons autant de lymphocytes T et B qu'auparavant, ils ne fonctionnent pas aussi bien. En réalité, à l'âge de sept ans, pas plus de la moitié de nos lymphocytes T sont capables de réagir à un antigène ou à un corps étranger. Nos cellules B commencent également à perdre leur capacité de réaction. mémoire et ne sont plus aussi compétitifs pour se lancer à l'assaut de nos ennemis. Chez les animaux âgés et les cellules humaines, la vitamine E peut renforcer la fonction immunitaire, mais jusqu'à récemment, aucune étude convaincante n'avait démontré que la prise de vitamine E entraînait une réaction immunitaire positive chez les personnes âgées.

Note finale

Je suis ravi d'annoncer que les chercheurs de Jean Mayer, USDA Human Nutrition Center at Tufts University, under the direction of Simin Nibkin Meydani, have shown that vitamin E not only works in test tubes and on lab animals but may stimulate immune function in elderly people also. In their analysis, eighty-eight individuals ages sixty-five and were given either 60, 200, or 800 I.U. E daily for four weeks. A substantial increase in T- and B-cell action in people who took vitamin E, a clear sign that they were able to keep disease at bay compared to those who took a placebo. Those folks who took vitamin E showed a more vigorous immune response to delayed hypersensitivity skin reaction, l'hépatite Bet le vaccin contre le tétanos.