Why Does Our Thymus Shrink to Nothing As We Age?

4 years ago
35

Why does your thymus gland shrink as you age? Knowing this could save your immune system.

DATA:
https://www.pnas.org/content/115/8/1883

Timestamps:
0:00 What is the thymus gland?
0:33 Why your thymus shrinks with age
1:22 Thymus involution risks
2:03 The three types of thymus cells
3:14 What thymus shrinkage means for COVID-19 risks
3:57 How to support your thymus gland health
5:16 One additional way you can support thymus health

In this video, I want to talk about the thymus gland and why it shrinks down as you get older. The thymus is a gland located beneath your breastbone, right on top of the heart. It is the training center for your immune cells—specifically for T-cells.

When you’re an infant, your thymus gland is very large. As it’s exposed to pathogens, it becomes smaller and smaller. By the time you’re 75-years-old, it is virtually replaced by fat. This is known as thymic involution or thymic atrophy. As the thymus shrinks, your risk of infection, cancer, and autoimmune disease increases.

A decreased level of antioxidants is believed to be the cause of thymic involution. Without antioxidants, you have excessive oxidation, which kills off important cells. If this is true, it follows that consuming plenty of leafy green vegetables is beneficial for preventing thymic involution.

The thymus is involved in the creation of three cells:
1. T-cells - these are antiviral, anti-tumor, and antibacterial
2. T-helper cell - these are the commanders of the entire immune system
3. T-regulatory/T-suppressor cells - these help suppress an overactive immune system

By age 65, your diversity of these cells is diminished significantly.

When it comes to COVID-19, you are very unlikely to die from this virus if you are under 65. However, after 65, your risk significantly increases. This could be linked to thymus function.

The question is, what can we do? Why we can’t control aging, we can control our health and other factors.
1. Increase antioxidants
2. Lower stress
3. Increase zinc

You can also take a thymus extract, which will help support your thymus health and immune system.

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Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, age 56, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan, and is the Director of Dr. Berg’s Nutritionals. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.

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Disclaimer:
Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Thanks for watching. I hope this video helped you understand how the thymus gland works, and why the thymus shrinks with age.

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