People Who Live Past 100 Have a Surprising Abundance of Cancer-Killing Immune Cells
New research suggests that centenarians and supercentenarians possess a higher proportion of cytotoxic CD4 T cells, which help the body identify and destroy cancerous or infected cells. This immune adaptation may explain how these individuals avoid age-related illnesses.
Why it matters
Understanding the role of these immune cells could lead to new therapeutic approaches for healthy aging and cancer prevention.
Add ScienceAlert on Google (Bloomberg Creative/Getty Images) Today, the average human lives for about 71 years .
A rare few people will see their 100th birthday, earning the title of centenarian, and even fewer will live past 110.
New research published in Cell Press reveals one possible explanation for how these superagers might be dodging the mounting risk of cancer and illness as the years progress.
At around 100 years, a rare form of T helper cells seems to proliferate in these lucky people, expanding and adapting as time marches on.
"These cells exhibit stepwise differentiation and cytokine plasticity, suggesting adaptive responses to persistent antigens during healthy aging," the study's authors write .
We all have T helper cells (aka CD4 cells) as part of our adaptive immune system.
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