Researchers in the UK offer more proof that as people grew older, they experience a decline in their nutrition, metabolism and immunity.

According to researchers, when people age, their immune system declines, and that causes severe infections and less effective vaccinations.

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Arne Akbar from University College London said they also found that despite these findings, the life expectancy of humans is now twice as long as it was 150 years ago.

Aging healthcare costs are increasing immensely, and more older people can expect to have a lower quality of life because of immune system decline, he explained.

He added that it is essential to find out the reason for decreased immunity and the possibility of counteracting these changes.

Through this finding, researchers found out that extra energy that can divide cells can be generated through autophagy, the process that leads to recycling of intracellular molecules.

This will highlight the existence of common signal pathway in T lymphocytes that can control metabolism and immune functions, which can further underscore the association between aging and T lymphocytes metabolism, they added.

Despite this, researchers are still finding out whether their findings can enhance immunity during aging.

Akbar said that drug companies have developed p38 inhibitors in an attempt to treat inflammatory diseases.

The p38 MAPK controls the T lymphocytes and acts as a brake to prevent certain cellular functions.

Researchers hope that their findings could not only enhance their immunity but also help to create a more effective immune system therapy.

This study was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council with researchers from University College London, Career Research UK, University of Oxford and University of Tor Vergata.