Yogurt Improves Immune System in the Elderly

Research shows that consuming yogurt, a fermented dairy product rich in probiotics, may improve immune function in elderly adults. Since decreased salivary immunoglobulin production is linked with aging, researchers suggest that fermented food may be a powerful dietary supplement for elderly patients who are more at risk for a variety of infections

As you age, your body produces fewer salivary immunoglobulins, a type of protein believed to modulate cytokine production and inactivate toxins, effectively fighting infection in the body.^[i],[ii] A recent study of 37 elderly adults found that consuming yogurt daily led to an increased concentration of salivary immunoglobulins, improving their mucosal immune function and decreasing their risk of illness.^[iii]

Researchers believe that yogurt may have this impact thanks to its high concentration of Lactobacillus, a type of bacteria linked with reducing the risk and duration of colds.^[iv] This isn't the first study to find a link between lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in yogurt and improved intestinal and mucosal immunity. One review found that LAB in yogurt activated dendritic and T helper cells in the intestine, stimulating immunity.^[v]

Researchers also found that stimulation of these cells at the mucosal level is preferential for protecting the body against pathogens.^[vi] The evidence of LAB's efficacy doesn't stop there: the LAB concentrations in yogurt are so powerful that scientists have suggested yogurt be used to speed the recovery of the intestinal barrier and mucosal immune function in malnourished children, finding that yogurt consumption may work better than standard re-nutrition diets used in these circumstances.^[vii]

Researchers also suggest that infant and early childhood yogurt consumption, and the consumption of other fermented products, be used as a preventative measure against immune-mediated diseases later in life.^[viii]

Yogurt Improves Immune Response by Modulating Sleep, Gut Permeability and Inflammation

Age isn't the only factor that affects the health of the immune system, however. Research shows that factors like stress, gastrointestinal permeability, poor diet, lack of sleep and low-grade chronic inflammation can impact the health of your body's immune response.^{[ix],[x],[xi],[xii]}

Thus, researchers are eager to find natural and affordable dietary solutions capable of improving and strengthening immunological function, and studies have demonstrated that yogurt may be a possible solution.

• Chronic stress and anxiety can alter levels of cytokines, dysregulating immune response and possibly increasing susceptibility to certain cancers, but a study of students suffering from stress associated with academic exams found that yogurt cultures containing LAB improved immune response by increasing lymphocytes and CD56 cells.^[xiii],[xiv]

In another study, ingesting yogurt containing a specific strain of LAB isolated from pickled vegetables decreased stress markers while improving immunity.^[xv]

• In a study involving otherwise healthy volunteers, innate immunological response was down after just two weeks of a diet free from fermented foods.^[xvi] Yogurt containing various strains of LAB counteracted this fall, improving the capacity to fight infection.^[xvii]
• Sleep deprivation is strongly linked with chronic inflammation and decreased immune response, and leads to increased risk of inflammatory diseases.^[xviii] Yogurt contains high amounts of magnesium, a muscle relaxant that helps promote sleep, and works to improve immunological damage caused by sleep loss by improving anti-inflammatory responses.^{[xix],[xx],[xxi]}
• Consumption of yogurt is associated with decreased gut permeability. Chronic inflammation impacts the permeability of the digestive lining, increasing the risk of a variety of illnesses.^[xxii] Yogurt improves intestinal barrier function by increasing tight junctions of Caco-2 cells, which decreases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, two forms of inflammatory bowel disease associated with impaired gut barrier and chronic inflammation.^{[xxiii],[xxiv]}

Additional Benefits of Yogurt for Elderly Patients

Yogurt may present a readily available therapeutic treatment for elderly adults who suffer from a wide array of health complications including musculoskeletal impairment, cardiovascular disease and cognitive degeneration.^[xxv]

Because of its high-density nutritional content including calcium, zinc, magnesium, B vitamins and protein, researchers believe yogurt could be a cost-effective solution to improving the nutritional and health status of aging adults.^[xxvi] Yogurt's beneficial role in healthy aging includes:

• Improved bone health. Dairy products like yogurt improve bone structure in elderly patients, and yogurt consumption is associated with protection from hip fracture.^[xxvii]
• Reduced risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Consumption of yogurt is associated with lower body mass index (BMI) and lowered weight gain, which lowers the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.^{[xxviii],[xxix]}
• Improved cognition and mental health. Studies indicate that yogurt, even if only consumed once a week, may improve cognitive function and contribute to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.^[xxx] Furthermore, yogurt consumption in aging men and women was associated with lowered perceived stress scores and improved mental health, including increased self-esteem, improved memory function and lowered anxiety.^[xxxi]

Yogurt may be the cost-effective dietary solution to improving age-related decreased immune function in elderly adults that researchers have been searching for. For the greatest health benefits, choose unsweetened yogurt made with organic milk from pastured cows. For more information on fermented foods or research on improving the aging process, please visit the yoghurt research database at GreenMedInfo.com