The body’s primary defense resource extends the years of active life

Researchers at UT Health San Antonio analyzed immune and clinical data from 17,500 people, ranging from infants to long-lived individuals. The main “marker of youth” turned out to be the TCF7 gene, which retains the stem potential of T-cells and thus supports the regeneration of the entire immune system.

It turned out that high immune resistance simultaneously suppresses three key “engines” of aging – chronic inflammation, immune exhaustion and massive cell death. At age 40, people with impaired resilience die 9.7 times more often than their optimally resilient peers; the risk difference corresponds to 15.5 years of biological age.

The peak benefit is seen between 40 and 70 years of age: here, good immune resilience reduces the likelihood of death by almost 70%. After the age of 70, the mortality curves of the different groups converge, which the researchers interpret as the “biological ceiling” of life extension.

Maintaining resilience helps the immune system “stay ageless,” enhances the effects of vaccination and dramatically reduces the risk of heart attack, Alzheimer’s disease and severe infections. “We have shown that it is important not only to treat diseases, but also to maintain active health mechanisms,” notes project leader Dr. Sunil Ahuja.

The authors urge to focus prevention specifically on middle age: moderate exercise, a balanced diet, adequate sleep and stress control help keep TCF7 levels high and therefore immune resilience. In the future, the scientists plan to develop targeted therapies that act directly on this pathway.