Can Your Pre-Vaccine Health Impact How Well You Fight the Flu? New Study Suggests Yes.

April 27, 2024 TruthUSA

Study reveals that optimal pre-vaccination metabolic health significantly enhances the effectiveness of flu vaccines.

Though commonly believed that vaccines alone are sufficient to keep us healthy, recent research suggests that being healthy before receiving a vaccine is equally crucial.

A new study found that improving the metabolic health of obese mice before vaccination—not after—significantly boosted their immunity against the influenza virus. This discovery could shift health strategies, emphasizing the need for good health prior to vaccination instead of relying solely on the vaccine.

Pre-Vaccine Diet as a Key to Efficacy

Each year, as the flu shot is rolled out, questions arise about its efficacy, including whether the correct strain was anticipated and its effectiveness against the virus.

Recent findings from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital indicate that such questions may overlook a crucial factor—the recipient’s pre-vaccination metabolic health.

For the study, researchers assessed the immune responses of obese mice to the influenza vaccine by comparing the effects of dietary changes made before and after vaccination.

Four weeks prior to vaccination, the mice were placed on either a high-fat or standard diet After vaccination, some maintained their diets while others switched, either just before or immediately after vaccination. The team measured immune responses by examining T-cell activity, crucial for combating infected cells, and antibody levels. They also assessed survival rates after exposure to the flu virus.

The study showed that mice switched to a standard diet exhibited stronger immune responses and higher survival rates against the flu virus than those on unchanged diets. Mice that remained on a high-fat diet or switched only after vaccination showed no improvement in immune responses.

Understanding Metabolic Health

Metabolic health, a critical measure of the body’s efficiency in processing and managing nutrients, is indicated by optimal blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and balanced inflammatory responses. An individual is considered metabolically healthy when these factors are within healthy ranges without medication.

Improved Metabolic Health As a Vaccine Enhancer

While it is well-documented that vaccination is generally less effective in people with obesity compared to those with a healthier body mass index (BMI), the researchers discovered that the underlying issue is not obesity but metabolic dysfunction.

Metabolic dysfunction impairs the immune system and affects T-cell functionality. This issue persists even if one adopts a healthy diet post-vaccination, underscoring the importance of metabolic health at the time of vaccination.

“Weight loss prior to vaccination appears to reduce some of the adipose tissue dysfunction and meta-inflammation, leading to improved T-cell function and antibody production,” lead author and influenza virology expert Stacey Schultz-Cherry told The Epoch Times. “Basically, the T cells are now better able to do their job, leading to improved antibody production and the ability to clear the virus during infection.”

Earlier studies showed that 100 percent of vaccinated mice exposed to the flu virus succumbed to the disease. Surprisingly, mice that lost weight post-vaccination were still not protected and died upon virus exposure, remaining vulnerable despite appearing healthy.

“One surprise was our finding that the problem with the poor vaccine response could be decoupled from the obesity phenotype. Meaning that we could vaccinate phenotypically obese mice and as long as they were metabolically healthy, the vaccine was effective. This is an exciting finding,” Ms. Cherry-Schultz noted.

Reevaluating Flu Vaccine Effectiveness

The findings challenge the assumption of universal flu vaccine effectiveness, suggesting that an individual’s health at the time of vaccination can significantly influence efficacy.

Unlike vaccines for some diseases, there is no universal flu vaccine, mainly because the dominant flu strain changes yearly. Scientists must make an educated guess about which strain will be most prevalent each year.

Typically decided by February, this prediction is based on recent global flu activity, allowing time for adequate vaccine production and distribution. However, the predictive nature of this process entails a risk of mismatch between the vaccine and the circulating virus.

Flu vaccines trigger an immune memory response, prepping the body to combat future infections. Yet, “the anamnestic response [the immune system’s response to a repeated antigen exposure] in aging populations is not as robust,” Dr. Philip Lee Miller, founder of California Age Management Institute, told The Epoch Times in an email.

This challenge has prompted the development of quadrivalent flu vaccines, designed to be more potent to offset reduced immune responses in older adults. Despite these enhancements, effectiveness still varies, with rates as low as “18 to 20% in some years,” according to Dr. Miller.

Ozempic Before Vaccination?

While translating findings from rodent models to human health demands caution, it offers a compelling view on pre-medical procedure preparation. Optimizing health before any treatment likely positions patients for better outcomes, encouraging a broader application of preventive health measures.

“The bottom line is actually very simple,” Dr. Miller points out. “A healthier individual will have a more robust anamnestic response, i.e., a more effective vaccination take.”

The St. Jude researchers are considering further research to test the efficacy of vaccines in individuals with metabolic dysfunctions who are engaging in various health improvement strategies.

“We would love to follow up this work by examining the efficacy of influenza and other vaccines in children and adults that have metabolic dysfunctions and/or with obesity who are on exercise and/or weight loss programs or taking weight loss drugs like Ozempic (as an example),” Ms. Cherry-Schultz stated.

This approach raises interesting points about the extent to which medical interventions might be used to precondition the body for vaccination, particularly medications like Ozempic, which are typically prescribed for weight loss and diabetes management. It prompts critical questions about prioritizing medication over broader lifestyle and health management strategies to prepare an individual’s body for vaccination.

The preliminary study findings will require more research on humans before too many conclusions can be drawn. However, the potential of improved health prior to medical procedures or vaccinations to enhance outcomes presents a promising research avenue that merits further exploration.

Role of Natural Immunity

A crucial aspect not fully explored in current research is the role of natural immunity among healthy individuals who do not receive vaccines. Considering the enhanced outcomes in healthier mice after vaccination, a key question emerges: How would similar healthy but unvaccinated individuals fare against influenza?

Introducing a third control group—healthy and unvaccinated—could provide essential insights. This group would help researchers accurately evaluate natural immunity’s effectiveness in combating the flu, independent of vaccination influences. The authors acknowledge the importance of this approach and confirm that they plan to pursue it.

Such a study would refine our understanding of public health strategies. It could highlight whether robust natural immunity might reduce or even negate the need for vaccinations in certain cases. This approach would highlight the significance of maintaining good health for disease prevention and help delineate the specific advantages of vaccinations over natural immunity.

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