title: Nutrition and the immune system from birth to old age.
abstract: For millennia, food has been at the center of social events, in times of joy and in times of sorrow. Protein-energy malnutrition is associated with a significant impairment of cell-mediated immunity, phagocyte function, complement system, secretory immunoglobulin A antibody concentrations, and cytokine production. Deficiency of single nutrients also results in altered immune response: this is observed even when the deficiency state is relatively mild. Of the micronutrients, zinc, selenium, iron, copper, vitamins A, C, E and B(6), and folic acid have important influences on immune responses. Overnutrition and obesity also reduce immunity. Low-birth-weight infants have a prolonged impairment of cell-mediated immunity that can be partly restored by providing extra amounts of dietary zinc. In the elderly, impaired immunity can be enhanced by modest amounts of a combination of micronutrients. These findings have considerable practical and public health significance.
authors.affiliation: Memorial University of Newfoundland, WHO Centre for Nutritional Immunology, Janeway Child Health Centre, St John's, Canada. rkchandra_2000@yahoo.com
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Chandra
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003677:Deficiency Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000502:physiology*; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000172:deficiency; D008875:Middle Aged; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D018977:Micronutrients; D014815:Vitamins