Last updated: 18 April 2020 15:00EST by Frank Cusimano
Summary
There is a fine balance in the immune system. One of the branches of the immune system has both a pro-inflammatory branch and an anti-inflammatory path. In COVID-19 positive patients, research has found there are more pro-inflammatory cells present. There are three easy ways to optimize your immune system and shift from pro- to anti-inflammatory based on the research: exercise 150mins a week, sleep 7-8hrs a night, & make sure you are not VitD deficient.
Science
A few days ago I posted that we need to ban the term ‘boost’ the immune system. The argument was that the immune system is nuanced & requires careful consideration when to increase certain cell types & inhibit or suppress others. This is part 2 of the post with some more actionable take-aways. Note this is just about 1 cell lineage & there are others that are important in the disease process that i’ll discuss in future posts.
The body has about 22 types of immune cells (with countless of subclasses). One of these cell types make up the T lymphocytes which produce cytokines, recognize foreign pathogens, & recognize normal tissues. There are two major subsets of T cells based on their surface molecules/functions: CD4 & CD8. The CD4 cells are known as helper T cells & they are the most prolific cytokine producers. CD4 cells are further divided into Th1 & Th2 based on the cytokines they produce .
Th1 Cells
Th1 cells produce a pro-inflammatory response responsible for killing intracellular infections. These th1 cells mainly produce the cytokines Interferon gamma INF-y & GM-CSF. If left unregulated, Th1 cells recruit inflammatory monocytes (that produce IL-6) to the area ; together they coordinate an inflammatory cascade that destroys everything.
Th2 Cells
The regulator of the Th1 cells are the Th2 cells which produce IL4, IL5, IL13 & IL10. IL-10 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine which helps Th2 cells counteract the excessive Th1 induced inflammation. Optimally, there should be a balance between Th1 & Th2 cells in an immune response.
In a recent COVID-19 paper, pathogenic Th1 cells with co-expressing IFN-y & GM-CSF exist only in the ICU patients whereas little are found in non-ICU patients & healthy controls . This is one reason why anti-GM-CSF antibodies are being tested on COVID-19 patients .
So how can we shift the CD4 T cell population from Th1 to Th2?
There are three main things (two of which I already discussed):
- Exercise – induces shift to Th2 cells from Th1
- VitD – VitD & VDR may be responsible for Th1 to Th2 switching
- Sleep – researchers have seen during sleep there is a Th1 to Th2 shift .
We don’t actually know if shifting a Th1 to Th2 population is what is needed to improve symptoms.
The immune system is redundant and finds other ways of causing inflammation/destruction. While theoretical if this will work for COVID-19, I don’t think anyone can argue with the importance mild/moderate exercise, sleep, and preventing VitD deficiency.
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Disclaimer: Opinions on this site or on social media do not reflect that of my institutions. I do not provide medical advice. If you have a medical question please see your doctor or if you have a medical emergency, please go to the nearest emergency room.. I have a PhD in Nutrition and Metabolic Biology and three masters degrees including two master’s in nutrition & metabolism. I am a personal trainer & have researched nutrition for 12 years. The info I post is my interpretation of the medical and scientific literature.
