GenesRUs777 t1_j8d07ro wrote on February 13, 2023 at 11:56 AM

Reply to comment by hodlboo in What makes a strong immune system? by hodlboo

Lets simplify this greatly.

The immune system is a very complex interplay of just about everything in our lives. We have components that just are, and dynamic components which react to stimuli.

It is very unlikely for two healthy people where one gets sicker than the other to have a truly pinpointable problem, unless they have an undiagnosed biochemical/immunological problem.

hodlboo OP t1_j8d8ukw wrote on February 13, 2023 at 1:25 PM

Thank you, that’s helpful. It sounds like it’s too complex and individualized for us to have answers beyond generalizations at this stage of scientific knowledge.

GenesRUs777 t1_j8dclvp wrote on February 13, 2023 at 1:57 PM

Not really - we know the immune system quite well, you just can’t point to any one problem based on the question you are asking.

Almost 60-70% of medicine comes down to the immune system in some form… either too proactive (lupus, MS, Myasthenia Gravis… etc.) or not good enough (cancer, infection… etc.)

hodlboo OP t1_j8ddq8w wrote on February 13, 2023 at 2:07 PM

But that’s just it, we can’t answer the question about the biggest factor that makes an immune system most effective in its specific context. For example an immune system that very effectively fights off viruses and bacteria so that the human is not often sick, but also does not overreact and create auto immune disorders.

I would love to get pointed towards scientific studies or knowledge about which factors have the largest impact, for example between two healthy people, and by healthy I mean in terms of lifestyle, can specific colonizations of good bacteria cause disparities in how their immune system fight off viruses and bacteria? Can this have an impact that is statistically notable among other variables? Or are there genetic markers that make certain immune systems more effective across the board, meaning a person doesn’t get sick often, doesn’t have auto immune diseases, and also doesn’t get cancer?

The data to answer such questions would ideally control for demographic factors like age, poverty level, etc. and self-reported behaviors related to a healthy lifestyle. I recognize this is a pipe dream in terms of scientifically validated data but I am looking for any evidence that attempts to answer this question.

GenesRUs777 t1_j8desoo wrote on February 13, 2023 at 2:15 PM

Your question is too broad.

That is what I am telling you.

This can be eventually boiled down to nature vs nurture (this is the crux of your question), which is largely an unanswerable question.

We know that good genetics on its own does not stand to be a perfect scenario, we also know that perfect health doesn’t work either. What I am saying is it is both in unison to provide success, and not one or the other - hence the question of which provides the largest benefit is more or less is not a useful question.