Neutrophil Phagocytic Function and Humoral Immune Response with Reference to Ascorbate Supplementation in Aging Humans

Summary: Vitamin C supplementations makes some immune system numbers in old people resemble the ones in young people

Interestingness: 3

Paper by Muthuvel Jayachandran, Packiasamy Juliet Arockia Rani, Palaniyappan Arivazhagan and Chinnakkannu Panneerselvam in the Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine, Volume 3, Issue 1, Spring 2000.

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The methodology description is a little bit confusing, but I think they grabbed 125 20-to-30 year olds and 132 >60 year olds, measured some immune system function numbers: neutrophil phagocytic index (guessing, how easily they eat things), neutrophil avidity index (guessing again, some kind of bonding strength measurement), nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction (some kind of neutrophil phagocytic potency measurement it says), leucocyte ascorbic acid (how much ascorbic acid in the white blood cells, supposedly a good thing), immunoglobin G, M and A, complement C3 (some protein complex that punches holes in bacteria) and soluble immune complex (SIC) index (nfi).

Old people's numbers were 0.001-significantly lower for the avidity index, the NBT reduction, the leucocyte ascorbic acid, the IgG, IgM, the C3 and SIC index. Taking vitamin C for 30, 60, or 90 days didn't change the youngun's numbers, but the oldies got all those numbers within the non-0.001-significant level off the young, mostly within one standard deviation, and crossed the 0.001 level from their previous measurement.

Sounds good. Reasons not to get excited: we know vitamin C does nothing good for lifespan in humans.

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Abstract follows:

Age-associated deficiency of vitamin C contributes to the impaired humoral immune response, which in turn plays a role in the increased risk of illness in old age. Healthy volunteers were given vitamin C supplementation. Neutrophil phagocytic function, complement C3 concentration, and immunoglobulin status were measured at 30, 60, and 90 days. Neutrophil phagocytic function and levels of serum IgG and IgM and leukocytic ascorbate were considerably lower in the aged humans, but these decreases were attenuated by vitamin C supplementation. The level of IgA was not affected by aging. Improved neutrophil phagocytic function and humoral immune response were associated with increased vitamin C status in the aged population and might well contribute to the decreased risk of disease in the aged.