The immune-nutrition interplay in aging - Facts and controversies

Abstract

Nutrition influences immunity in multiple ways, with different nutrients affecting many immune parameters. Aging also affects immunity, making the outcome of the interplay between nutrition, age and immunity complex. Moreover, a particular nutrient may alter the whole immune constellation as deficiency of one nutrient may affect the proper metabolism of another nutrient and elicit a chain reaction of secondary malnutrition. In this article, we review these interactions and the possible mechanisms mediating such relationships.