Elderly men with moderate and intense training lifestyle present sustained higher antibody responses to influenza vaccine

• Published in: AGE 2015-12, Vol.37 (6), p.105-105, Article 105
• Main Authors: de Araújo, Adriana Ladeira, Silva, Léia Cristina Rodrigues, Fernandes, Juliana Ruiz, Matias, Manuella de Sousa Toledo, Boas, Lucy Santos, Machado, Clarisse Martins, Garcez-Leme, Luiz Eugênio, Benard, Gil
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging - immunology; Antibodies; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Antibody Formation - physiology; Antigens; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell Biology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dermatology; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; Humans; Immune system; Immunoglobulins; Influenza; Influenza Vaccines - immunology; Influenza, Human - immunology; Influenza, Human - prevention & control; Laboratories; Life Sciences; Life Style; Lifestyles; Male; Medical research; Molecular Medicine; Older people; Physical fitness; Quality of life; Statistical analysis; Studies; Vaccines; Viral infections
• ISSN: 0161-9152; 2509-2715; 1574-4647; 2509-2723
• DOI: 10.1007/s11357-015-9843-4

We aimed to verify whether different levels of training performed regularly and voluntarily for many years could have an impact on one of the main issues of immunosenescence: the poor response to vaccines. We recruited 61 healthy elderly men (65–85 years old), 23 with a moderate training (MT) lifestyle (for 17.0 ± 3.2 years), 22 with an intense training (IT) lifestyle (for 25.9 ± 3.4 years), and 16 without a training lifestyle (NT). Fitness was evaluated through the IPAQ and VO 2 max consumption. The participants were evaluated regarding cognitive aspects, nutritional status, depression, and quality of life. Antibody titers were determined by hemagglutination inhibition assay prior to influenza vaccination and at 6 weeks and 6 months post-vaccination. Strains used were B, H3N2, and H1N1. Our groups were matched for most characteristics, except for those directly influenced by their lifestyles, such as BMI, VO 2 max, and MET. In general, MT and IT elderly men showed significantly higher antibody titers to the three vaccine strains post-vaccination than NT elderly men. There were also higher titers against B and H1N1 strains in the trained groups before vaccination. Additionally, there were higher proportions of seroprotected (titers ≥1:40) individuals in the pooled trained groups both at 6 weeks (B and H3N2, p