Overview
- Columbia researchers reported in the Journal of Immunology that mice fed iron-poor diets and infected with influenza had blunted lung immune responses.
- Iron-deficient mice became sicker and showed reduced activation of lung-resident memory T cells compared with iron-replete controls.
- These lung cells produced less interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha despite appearing normally formed.
- The functional deficit persisted after iron levels were restored, indicating a lasting imprint on immunological memory.
- The team plans pediatric and lung-tissue studies, noting iron deficiency affects nearly 10% of U.S. children and is linked to asthma.