Immunity, Longevity, and Healthy Aging


Robert Silverman, DC, DACBN, DCBCN, MS, CCN, CSCS, CIISN, CKTP, CES, HKC, FAKTR Originally published in Chiropractic Economics, Issue 1, 2025. https://www.chiroeco.com/immunity-longevity-and-healthy-aging/ Reprinted with permission.


The U.S population continues to age rapidly, with about 18%, or one in every six Americans 65 years old or older.


By 2040, 22% of the population will be 65 or older. And people aged 90 and over are the fastest-growing segment of the American population.1


As the U.S. ages, we need to look not only at lifespan, the number of years a person lives, but also quality of health as we age. Longevity is living a long and healthy lifestyle, essentially free of the chronic diseases and disabilities associated with aging. And in the desire for a long and healthy life, the role of our immune system cannot be overstated. Today, the average person in the U.S. can expect to live to 77.5 years but spend only 66.1


years in


quality health.2 How Influential are Genetics?


Some people inherit genes that may shorten their lives or lead to early disability or dementia. We know, for example, that carrying a variant of the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) gene can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). About 25% of the U.S. population carries one copy of APOE4, which roughly doubles the risk of developing AD. People who carry two copies of APOE4 homozygotes are more likely to develop early AD (starting at age 55) and have a 60% lifetime risk of developing AD dementia by age 85.3


Your genes aren’t always your destiny. They may load the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.


A recent study looked at 353,742 adults who participated in the U.K. Biobank project between 2006 and 2010 and whose health was tracked until 2021. Researchers used a polygenic risk score to determine a person’s overall genetic predisposition to a longer or shorter lifespan and found regardless of genetic risk, an unhealthy lifestyle is linked to a 78% heightened chance of dying early.


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However, a healthy lifestyle can offset the effects of life-shortening genes by 62%.4


In practical terms, someone age 40 at high genetic risk of a shortened lifespan could extend their life expectancy by several years if they adopted a healthy lifestyle (not smoking, regular physical activity, moderate alcohol, healthy weight, adequate sleep and good diet). The earlier your patients start to make healthy choices, the more significant the improvement.


Look at people with the APOE4 genetic variant, which predisposes them to AD. About 20% of the population carry the gene, but they account for about 40 to 65% of AD cases. In a prospective cohort study of 29,000 older adults in China, about 20% of participants carried the APOE4 variant.5


When researchers


looked at memory loss and cognitive decline over 10 years, they found those with the APOE4 variant who followed a healthy diet and lifestyle had the same notably slower rate of decline as those who didn’t carry the variant and followed a healthy diet and lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle offsets the inherited risk of the gene variant to the point where the risk is the same as not having the variant. So, you can mitigate genetic factors with lifestyle.


Lifestyle Changes: A look at diet and nutrition


Diet is the most influential place to start. It’s never too late to make dietary changes that increase longevity. A recent study looked at the diets of more than 100,000 participants spanning 30 years.6


The participants were in their 40s when they joined the


study. Participants who followed healthy diets from their 40s onward were 43% to 84% more likely to be functioning well both physically and mentally at age 70 compared with those who did not. The diet most likely to lead to healthy aging had higher intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes and low-fat dairy.


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