Environmental Impact on Immune System

Abstract

Environmental influences, either social or physical, can affect any aspect of human health, from disease onset (accumulating in their effects throughout life span) to disease progression and survival. There is evidence suggesting that behavior, nutrients, and pollutants are environmental factors altering the immune-metabolism response and affecting the relationship between the commensal microbiota and its human host, contributing to the increasing incidence of allergic and autoimmune diseases. This chapter focuses on presenting the key research findings describing the regulation of immune response and the crosstalk between the environment and the immune and the metabolic systems. We highlight human epidemiological data and animal studies that suggest that endocrine-disrupting chemicals’ (EDCs’) exposure can affect immune cells by acting on development, cellular, and humoral response. Finally, we examine the impact of nutritional status and microbiota on innate and adaptive immune response.