Читать книгу Aging - Harry R. Moody - Страница 73

The immune system is the body’s defense against foreign invaders such as bacteria. The immune system protects and preserves the body’s integrity, and it does this by developing antibodies to attack hostile invaders. We know that the immune system begins to decline after adolescence, and the weakening of immune function is linked to age-related vulnerability. According to the autoimmune theory of aging, the system may eventually become defective and no longer distinguish the body’s own tissues from foreign tissues. The body may then begin to attack itself, as suggested by the rising incidence of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, with advancing age (Kay & Makinodan, 1981).