= Full article availableYou know that knocking off even as few as 5 or 10 extra pounds has the potential to significantly reduce blood cholesterol. Now researchers at Tufts have found that the same weight loss that lowers cholesterol levels also appears to help keep the immune system running at its best.
The Tufts scientists studied a small group of people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. The men and women tended toward being slightly overweight and also had elevated cholesterol—an average of 261 (milligrams per tenth of a liter of blood), when “desirable” is less than 200.
But after they went on a low-fat diet, reducing their food intake by roughly 100 to 200 calories a day, they lost an average of 8 pounds in 12 weeks—and brought down their total cholesterol to an average of 202. That part wasn’t surprising. But they also improved their immune function. Specifically, they had greater immune responses to certain proteins placed on their skin, proteins found in disease-causing microorganisms that can elicit an immune response.
“We did not measure specific health outcomes or diseases,” comments Simin Nikbin Meydani, DVM, PhD, head of the Nutritional Immunology Laboratory at Tufts and a professor at the University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. “But,” she says, “the improved immune function could conceivably help fight everything from the common cold to cancer.”
This is not the first research to examine excess weight, excess cholesterol, and immune function. Earlier studies also showed a link between high cholesterol, often matched with excess weight, and compromised immunity. “We don’t fully understand the mechanism,” Dr. Meydani says, “but it appears to be a combination of the reduced cholesterol levels, the low-fat diet, and the weight loss. At this point, we have not teased apart one from the other.”
The take-away message, particularly for older adults with elevated cholesterol who may be carrying a few extra pounds: Making some modest dietary changes may not only reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease but could also potentially boost the ability to fight other illnesses.
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