Nutrition, Immunosenescence, and Infectious Disease: An Overview of the Scientific Evidence on Micronutrients and on Modulation of the Gut Microbiota.

The immune system is key to host defense against pathogenic organisms. Aging is associated with changes in the immune system, with a decline in protective components (immunosenescence), increasing susceptibility to infectious disease, and a chronic elevation in low-grade inflammation (inflammaging), increasing the risk of multiple noncommunicable diseases. Nutrition is a determinant of immune cell function and of the gut microbiota.

Dietary Fruit and Vegetable Supplementation Suppresses Diet-Induced Atherosclerosis in LDL Receptor Knockout Mice.

Background: Epidemiologic studies suggest that fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption is inversely associated with incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, evidence for causality is lacking, and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood.

Objectives: We aimed to determine whether there is a causal relation between consuming high levels of F&V and prevention of atherosclerosis, the hallmark of CVD pathogenesis.