Lifestyle intervention and immune cell changes in older adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes
In nine older adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes, a six-month program of calorie restriction plus exercise was associated with lower inflammatory and ER stress programs in immune cells and higher naive immune cell identity scores. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
Nine adults aged 66 to 83 with obesity and type 2 diabetes had circulating immune cells profiled before and after a six-month lifestyle intervention combining calorie restriction and exercise training. [1]
Participants lost about 7 percent of weight and showed improvements in glycemic control, insulin sensitivity and physical performance. [1]
The intervention was associated with downregulation of inflammatory and ER stress programs, most pronounced in CD14+ monocytes, and with higher naive cell identity scores in naive CD4+ T, naive regulatory T and naive B cells. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Abstract of a small longitudinal study with single-cell transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling.
- Population / context
- Older adults aged 66 to 83 years with obesity and type 2 diabetes (n = 9).
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Publication status
- Preprint · peer-review status not confirmed
- Original publication
- May 12, 2026
Nine older adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes
The abstract describes a small study of nine people aged 66 to 83 years who had both obesity and type 2 diabetes. Their circulating immune cells were profiled before and after a six-month lifestyle intervention that combined calorie restriction with exercise training. The authors note that whether such programs can be modulated by lifestyle intervention in late life, especially with established metabolic disease, was previously unknown.
Supporting source [1]
Weight loss, glycemic control and immune cell profiles
Participants showed substantial weight loss of about 7 percent, alongside improvements in glycemic control, insulin sensitivity and physical performance. Single-cell profiling of gene activity and epigenetic marks found two main changes. First, inflammatory and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress programs were downregulated, most clearly in CD14+ monocytes; DDIT3 (CHOP) was downregulated at both levels. Second, naive CD4+ T cells, naive regulatory T cells and naive B cells showed higher naive cell identity gene activity, and naiveness scores rose after the intervention.
Supporting source [1]
Association, small sample and abstract-only scope
The authors describe these as associations, not proven causes: the intervention was associated with coordinated remodeling of innate and adaptive immune compartments. The comparison of naiveness scores used an independent healthy adult cohort in which these scores decline with age, but that cohort is not described in detail here. Only the abstract was reviewed, not the full text, so design details, follow-up and statistical uncertainty cannot be checked. With nine participants, the findings are preliminary.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. The study had nine participants, and the reported changes are associations, not established causes. The independent healthy adult cohort used for comparison is not described in detail.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Yerrabelli R, Thibodeau A, Nehar-Belaid D, Marches R, Ravichandran S, Barnouin Y, Sen R, Paust S, Stitzel ML, Ferrucci L, West AP, Banchereau J, Villareal DT, Kuchel GA, Ucar D. · europepmc.org · May 12, 2026