Research

Hormonal

Sarcopenia and obesity in aging are linked to immune senescence through a common mechanism of decreased IL-15 (myokine) and increased pro-inflammatory adipokines, which negatively regulate Natural Killer (NK) cell survival and function.

Maintaining muscle mass through resistance training and managing body fat are critical for preserving immune function as you age. This is achieved by supporting healthy levels of IL-15 (from muscle) and reducing pro-inflammatory signals from fat tissue, which together protect Natural Killer cells.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
We posit that increased adipokine and decreased IL-15 levels during aging constitute a common mechanism for sarcopenia, obesity, and immune senescence.
Charles T. Lutz et al. · Aging · 2012

Why this rating

The paper is a review article proposing a hypothesis based on existing literature and preliminary observational data, not a primary clinical trial.

Source

Sarcopenia, obesity, and natural killer cell immune senescence in aging: Altered cytokine levels as a common mechanism

Charles T. Lutz et al. · Aging · 2012

DOI 10.18632/aging.100482

narrative_reviewCited 334×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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