FIT to Grow Old - Functionality of the Immune System and Healthy Aging

NCT05940337 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: NL70696.081.19
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 156
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Aging is commonly associated with reduced functionality of the immune system, resulting in a higher prevalence of infectious disease, auto-immune disease, cancer, and lower efficiency of vaccination. Nutritional strategies are increasingly recognized as a method to improve immune functionality, as several nutrients are shown to exert immunomodulatory properties. However, the large variation between individuals with regard to immune responses asks for more personalized approaches. Therefore, this field of research would benefit from a selection of those individuals with immune dysfunction. It is recently shown that immune functionality is largely dependent on intracellular metabolism, leading to the introduction of the new term 'immune cell fitness' which combines the metabolic and functional status of an immune cell. Within this study, we will determine the immune cell fitness of monocytes from healthy young adults and elderly subjects by measuring and integrating a broad range of metabolic and functional immune parameters into an immune cell fitness score. We aim to identify those individuals with immune dysfunction, the unfit. Furthermore, to identify potential nutritional strategies to improve immune cell fitness, we will study the effects of metabolites and nutrients on the immune cell fitness status of monocytes from elderly subjects.

Conditions

Aging

Keywords

Immunometabolism; Monocyte; Elderly; Immune cell fitness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Lactate production

  Lactate excretion by monocytes after ex-vivo exposure to inflammatory stimuli

  1 day

• Cytokine production

  Cytokine excretion by monocytes after ex-vivo exposure to inflammatory stimuli. Measured using ELISA for IL-6, IL-1b. IL-1RA, IL-8, TNFalpha.

  1 day

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Phagocytosis

  1 day

• Glycolytic and oxidative capacity

  1 day

Other Outcomes (12)

• Circulating immune mediators

  1 day

• Glucose levels

  1 day

• Lipid profile

  1 day

Study Arms (2)

Elderly

Young adults

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of healthy men and women between the age of 20 - 30 years old and between 60 - 75 years old. The ratio between men and women will be kept equally as much as possible in both groups. The young adults should have a BMI between 18.5 - 25 kg/m2. The elderly subject should have a BMI between 20 - 30 kg/m2. Subjects will be recruited from the surroundings of Wageningen using the mailing list for potential research subjects from the division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University.

You may qualify if:

• Age 20 - 30y and 60 - 75y
• BMI 18.5 - 25 kg/m2 (young adults); 20 - 30 kg/m2 (elderly)
• Willing to fast overnight for 12 hours
• Willing to give a blood sample
• Having a general practitioner
• Signed informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Diagnosed with metabolic and/or inflammatory disease (e.g. diabetes, cardiovascular disease (with the exception of hypertension), arthritis, arthrosis, glycogen storage dis-orders and auto-immune diseases)
• Current diagnosis of cancer
• Regular use of medication that interferes with immune function (e.g. corticosteroids, cytokine blockers)
• Regular use of medication that may interfere with metabolism (e.g. metabolic inhibitors or activators)
• Use of medication that interferes with immune function and metabolism in at least one week preceding the study visit (e.g. NSAID, anti-histamines, corticosteroids)
• More than 4kg weight gain or weight loss over the last 4 months
• Vaccination within 3 months preceding the study visit (e.g. immunization against influ-enza, pneumonia, and travel-related infections)
• Donated blood within 2 months preceding the study visit
• Pregnant, lactating or wishing to become pregnant in the period between the screening and study visit (self-reported)
• Regular use of hard drugs and soft drugs (i.e. weekly use) and at least no use within 2 months preceding the study visit
• Excessive alcohol use (i.e. \>14 units per week)
• Use of cigarettes and other tobacco products
• Participation in another study that involves an intervention 2 months preceding the study visit
• Members of the research team
• Working, or doing an internship or thesis at the division "Human Nutrition and Health", Wageningen University

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Wageningen University: lead
• Top Consortium for Knowledge and Innovation (TKI) Argi & Food: collaborator
• Mead Johnson Nutrition: collaborator
• Hycult Biotech: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Department of Human Nutrition & Health, Wageningen University

Wageningen, Gelderland, 6708WE, Netherlands

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Smeehuijzen L, Vrieling F, Jansen J, van der Zande HJP, Houslay TM, Gross G, van Diepen JA, Afman LA, Stienstra R. Lactate Secretion by Monocytes as a Determinant of Innate Immune Cell Fitness in Healthy Elderly. Aging Cell. 2025 Nov;24(11):e70220. doi: 10.1111/acel.70220. Epub 2025 Oct 13.

  PMID: 41078099 DERIVED

Biospecimen

Retention: SAMPLES WITH DNA

Blood samples are used to obtain circulating monocytes

Study Officials

• Lydia Afman

  Wageningen University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Rinke Stienstra

  Wageningen University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 1, 2022
• First Posted: July 11, 2023
• Study Start: November 11, 2020
• Primary Completion: July 31, 2023
• Study Completion: July 31, 2023
• Last Updated: January 22, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

NL (1)