According to a breakthrough study from Stanford University, our immune system weakens with age. This means it responds slower to age related diseases in the brain like dementia or makes it harder to bounce back from infection.
The study says inflammatory hyperdrive plays a role in most age related disease from cancer to cognitive decline. However, the study suggests this immune dysfunction can be reversed with compelling future anti-aging therapies.
According to the journal that published the study, a particular hormone has been found to rise with aging. Hormone PGE2 is also known to promote inflammatory activity in immune cells.
The study explored what happens when you inhibit the hormone and stop it from causing this inflammatory activity. Researchers found when the hormone was disrupted with an experimental drug, the inflammatory characteristics that cause some of those age related illnesses disappeared, and the old cells were effectively rejuvenated.
The experimental drugs used to block those hormones were used on mice and are not ready for human clinical use.
Scientists say there is a long path of research ahead, however, they are hopeful since they have this discovery.