Social stressors and immune response

Mediation can decrease stress levels. I was curious if there is a relationship between stress and immune response. The immune system protects your body from infection. On a cellular level, the immune system is composed of B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes.

In July 2022, Judith Carroll et al published an article in the journal PNAS called Social stressors associated with age-related T lymphocyte percentages in older US adults: Evidence from the US Health and Retirement Study.

In this study, five stress variables (stressful life events, chronic stress, everyday discrimination, lifetime discrimination, and life trauma) on 5,744 US adults over age 50 was shown to accelerate immune aging by decreasing naïve and increasing terminally differentiated T cells.

Behavioral modifications, such as meditation and increasing resilience, may help to decrease immune aging.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2202780119