Abstract
BackgroundThe coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) pandemic reminds us of the importance of immune function, even in immunologically normal individuals. Multiple lifestyle factors are known to influence the immune function.ObjectiveThe aim was to investigate the association between NK cell activity (NKA) and multiple factors including vitamin D, physical exercise, age, and gender.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional association study using health check-up and NKA data of 2,095 subjects collected from 2016 to 2018 in a health check-up center in the Republic of Korea. NKA was measured using the interferon-γ (IFN-γ) stimulation method. The association of NKA with 25-(OH)-vitamin D (25(OH)D) and other factors was investigated by multiple logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe average age of subjects was 48.8 ± 11.6 years (52.9% of subjects were female). Among 2,095 subjects, 1,427 had normal NKA (NKA ≥ 500 pg IFN-γ/mL), while 506 had low NKA (100 ≤ NKA < 500 pg/mL), and 162 subjects had very low NKA (NKA < 100 pg/mL). Compared to men with low 25(OH)D serum level (< 20 ng/mL), vitamin D replete men (30–39.9 ng/mL) had significantly lower risk of very low NKA (OR: 0.358; 95% CI: 0.138, 0.929; P = 0.035). In women, both low exercise (OR: 0.529; 95% CI: 0.299, 0.939; P = 0.030) and medium to high exercise (OR: 0.522; 95% CI: 0.277, 0.981; P = 0.043) decreased the risk compared to lack of physical exercise. Interestingly, in men and women older than 60 years, physical exercise significantly decreased the risk. Older-age was associated with increased risk of very low NKA in men, but not in women.ConclusionPhysical exercise and vitamin D were associated with NKA in a gender- and age-dependent manner. Age was a major risk factor of very low NKA in men but not in women.
Highlights
The coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 prompted us to keep our immune function healthy to protect the body from the pathogen
There are not many tests that can evaluate the immune function in immunologically normal individuals, that is varied by stressors in everyday life
In the very low NKA and low NKA group, the proportions of vitamin D deficiency represented by serum level of 25(OH)D < 20 were higher than the normal NKA group though it could not reach statistical significance (52%, 48.9% vs. 44.4%, P = 0.092)
Summary
The coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 prompted us to keep our immune function healthy to protect the body from the pathogen. Immune markers that can represent immune function in immuno-competent individuals is still under search. In this regard, earlier research tried to elucidate immune characters that can predict healthy longevity. Disease development in immuno-competent individuals is closely associated with impaired immune function. The NKA test measures the amount of interferon-gamma (IFN-g) released by activated NK cells contained in 1ml of peripheral blood [12]. It represents the secretory function of NK cells. The coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) pandemic reminds us of the importance of immune function, even in immunologically normal individuals. Multiple lifestyle factors are known to influence the immune function
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