The Effects of Exercise, Diet, and an Anti-Stress Herbal Supplement on Immune Cell Populations and Integrity

Exercise and a healthy diet can have beneficial impacts on overall health and immune function, particularly later in life. Exact mechanisms remain unclear and longitudinal studies are missing. The rat model was used to observe the effects of diet and exercise on immune function over a lifetime. The hypothesis being that voluntary exercise, ingestion of whole foods, and the ingestion of an herbal supplement (ashwagandha) could enhance immune function and longevity compared to that which can be achieved by the control condition. Flow cytometric analysis was utilized on peripheral whole blood; immunophenotyping population counts of CD161a+, CD45RA+, and CD3+, natural killer (NK) cells, B and T- lymphocytes, respectively, at 3 time-points. Results of this study revealed that combined treatment led to the greatest preservation of cell population distribution in comparison to the control. Objective evidence provided that exercise and a healthy diet can enhance key effector immune cell populations improving immune function throughout the lifespan