To honor Brain Awareness Week (March 15-21, 2021). let’s take a closer look at how a clever immune system protects brain health.
Over the past year, the pandemic has revealed the starring role our immune system plays in our health. Antibodies, cytokine storms, and vaccinations have become part of the daily news. Yet the immune system’s role in brain health is often overlooked.
Immune system protects brain health
For years, brain research has focused on the role of amyloid plaques as the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers were so convinced that these plaques cause the disease, that research on competing theories was not funded. Unfortunately, the amyloid hypothesis has been discredited as the disease’s cause, accounting for the lack of results in finding a cure or effective treatments.
However, extensive amyloid-related research has shed light on how the brain and immune system work together. Rather than the cause of Alzheimer’s, the amyloid plaques are likely an immune system response to some unknown invader.
The accumulation of bacteria
But destructive invaders should not be in the brain—how do they get into it in the first place? The immune system maintains a powerful wall to keep unwanted guests out of the brain. This immune structure, called the blood-brain barrier, is ultra-vigilant in keeping blood-borne pathogens and toxins out of the brain. However, this protective barrier can weaken over time, allowing harmful agents to enter the brain and cause trouble. A major culprit in this barrier’s loss of power is inflammation, the immune system’s own mechanism for fighting disease and repairing wounds.
Inflammaging undermines brain health
Over age 50, the aging process brings increasing wear-and-tear on the body’s cells. This means that normal aging can increase the inflammation factor in the body, even in the absences of disease or injury. This age-related inflammation is known as inflammaging.
A clever immune system does not get agitated by this age-related increase in inflammation or overreact to invading pathogens. Balancing resistance and tolerance, it keeps us healthy without harming us. However, an overworked immune system may become less discriminating, lashing out at threats so intensely that healthy body cells become collateral damage. The blood-brain barrier is especially vulnerable to this friendly fire, making it easier for pathogens to enter the brain and cause trouble.
Your immune system has already proved how clever it is, keeping you and your brain safe all the years of your life! But inflammaging can be accelerated by lifestyle choices that increase your risk for Alzheimer’s disease and COVID complications.
10 tips to keep immune system clever
So how can we help our immune systems stay clever as we get older? These 10 tips help you support both your immune system and your brain health on a daily basis:
- Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
- Drink plenty of water before 5 pm daily.
- Wash hands with soap frequently every day.
- Limit foods high in animal fat.
- Eat high-fiber foods and avoid constipation.
- Eat foods high in vitamin A (such as carrots, peppers, sweet potatoes) and vitamin C (such as berries, citrus, kiwis, melon, pineapple).
- Train your brain to keep growing with lifelong learning and neuroplasticity.
- Get regular exercise and take a stretch break after sitting an hour.
- Avoid social isolation and manage social conflict.
- Stay positive, reducing negative thoughts with journaling, laughter, prayer, or therapy.
To learn more about brain fitness, see Better with Age: The Ultimate Guide to Brain Training.
Happy Spring!
