Amanda Sardeli, Department of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham
Higher levels of physical activity (HPA) are associated with enhanced immune responses in older adults, including improved vaccine efficacy, reduced incidence and severity of chronic inflammatory diseases, and lower rates of infection-related hospitalization and mortality. Given the crucial role of metabolic regulation in determining the fate and function of immune cells, we aimed to investigate whether physical activity influences T cell metabolism.
This pilot study – partially funded by the British Society for Research on Ageing (BSRA) and led by Dr Amanda Sardeli at the University of Birmingham – was recently published in Aging Cell. It may also provide valuable guidance for researchers studying metabolism in cryopreserved cells.
Our findings show that physical activity prevents the age-associated increase in baseline protein synthesis in T cells, suggesting a lower resting metabolic rate. While HPA did not block the enhanced protein synthesis observed upon T cell activation with ageing, it did mitigate the age-related rise in IL-6 levels, indicating a dampened hyperinflammatory response.
Collectively, our data suggest that ageing is associated with increased energy demands, impaired metabolic flexibility, and heightened inflammatory responses in T cells. Regular physical activity appears to counteract these effects by lowering metabolic demand, potentially through improved mitochondrial dynamics and enhanced metabolic adaptability.
Given the influence of T cell function on systemic ageing, a deeper understanding of T cell metabolism in the context of physical activity could inform the development of interventions aimed at promoting healthy ageing. Our next steps involve exploring how PA reduces energy expenditure and curbs excessive inflammation, which we hypothesize is linked to improved metabolic flexibility in physically active older adults. These findings may also have implications for immune responses under nutrient-limited conditions – such as within the tumour microenvironment – where T cells from physically active individuals may better adapt by efficiently shifting metabolic pathways.