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Dear Colleagues,

Exposome pressure refers to all exposures that may influence (the developmental origins of) health and disease. The exposome was conceptualized as being complementary to the genome and includes a broad range of diverse environmental and behavioral influences, ranging from air pollution, chemicals, food, stress, to alcohol and drug use. Whereas the genome is a relative static factor contributing to health and disease, the presence or absence of environmental stressors and lifestyle factors resulting in exposome pressure can vary significantly throughout life, starting at conception, early life, and affecting health and disease status until death.

Immune fitness has been defined as a state where an individual’s immune system is resilient, having an inbuilt capacity to adapt to challenges by establishing, maintaining, and regulating an appropriate immune response in order to promote health and prevent disease. Lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking, drug use, sleep habits, physical activity, and exercise and dietary nutrient intake are examples of exposome pressure that can have a significant impact on immune fitness. This Special Issue focuses on exposome pressure on immune fitness, with a specific focus on these lifestyle factors.

Immune status can be accessed via biomarkers (e.g., cytokines), but increasingly important is the concept of ‘perceived immune fitness’, as this subjective individual judgment is often the ultimate reference for patients to decide whether or not to pose demands on healthcare and/or absenteeism or presenteeism at work. Reduced immune fitness has been related to higher susceptibility for disease and may increase the risk for accidents at work, as it can be accompanied by a cognitive state characterized by weakness, reduced alertness, and inattention. Thus, reduced (perceived) immune fitness can have serious socioeconomic consequences.

This Special Issue invites articles demonstrating how lifestyle factors can negatively or positively affect immune fitness, and its socioeconomic and biobehavioral consequences. Also of interest are investigations into the relationship between subjective (e.g., questionnaires) and objective assessment (e.g., biomarkers) of immune status and exposure, and tools and technologies on how to monitor or assess these.

Dr. Joris C Verster
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Immune fitness
Exposome
Lifestyle factors
Alcohol
Smoking
Drugs
Food
Sleep
Physical activity

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

8 pages, 649 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Perceived Immune Fitness, Individual Strength and Hangover Severity

by Aurora J. A. E. van de Loo, Nikki Kerssemakers, Andrew Scholey, Johan Garssen, Aletta D. Kraneveld and Joris C. Verster

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(11), 4039; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17114039 - 05 Jun 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2062

Abstract

Various factors may contribute to alcohol hangover severity. The purpose of the current investigation was to evaluate the possible impact of alcohol consumption patterns, perceived immune status, and baseline fatigue on hangover severity. A survey was completed by a convenience sample of N = 199 Dutch students who reported on their latest past month’s heavy drinking occasion, including subjective intoxication (perceived drunkenness) and next-day hangover severity, which were rated on single-item scales ranging from 0 (absent) to 10 (extreme). In addition, perceived (momentary) immune fitness was assessed, and the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS) was completed to assess baseline fatigue. The analysis revealed that instead of the amount of alcohol consumed or estimated blood alcohol concentration, it appeared that subjective intoxication (i.e., level of drunkenness) was the most important determinant of alcohol hangover severity. Especially in men, albeit modest, it was perceived that immune fitness also significantly contributed to the level of hangover severity experienced. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exposome Pressure on Immune Fitness: the Impact of Lifestyle Factors)

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18 pages, 2397 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Development and Validation of the Immune Status Questionnaire (ISQ)

by Livia J. F. Wilod Versprille, Aurora J. A. E. van de Loo, Marlou Mackus, Lizanne Arnoldy, Titia A. L. Sulzer, Sterre A. Vermeulen, Smedra Abdulahad, Hendrikje Huls, Ton Baars, Andrew Scholey, Aletta D. Kraneveld, Johan Garssen and Joris C. Verster

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(23), 4743; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16234743 - 27 Nov 2019

Cited by 56 | Viewed by 8519

Abstract

The self-assessment of perceived immune status is important, as this subjective observation leads individuals to decide whether or not to seek medical help or adapt their lifestyle. In addition, it can be used in clinical settings and research. The aim of this series of studies was to develop and validate a short questionnaire to assess perceived immune functioning. Five surveys were conducted among Dutch and International young healthy adults (18–30 years old), and two others among older age groups with various health complaints. For the first study, an existing immune functioning scale was modified and elaborated resulting in 23 immune-health-related items, of which the occurrence was rated on a 5-point Likert scale. A student sample was surveyed, and the results were used to shorten the 23-item listing into a 7-item scale with a predictive validity of 85%. Items include “sudden high fever”, “diarrhea”, “headache”, “skin problems (e.g., acne and eczema)”, “muscle and joint pain”, “common cold” and “coughing”. The scale is named Immune Status Questionnaire (ISQ), and it aims to assess perceived immune status over the preceding year. The second study revealed that the ISQ score correlated significantly with a 1-item perceived immune functioning (r = 0.383, p < 0.0001). In the third study, the final Likert scale descriptors were determined (“never”, “sometimes”, “regularly”, “often” and “(almost) always)”. The fourth study showed that the test–retest reliability of the ISQ is acceptable (r = 0.80). The fifth study demonstrated the association of ISQ scores with various neuropsychological and health correlates in an international sample, including perceived health and immune fitness, as well as levels of stress, fatigue, depression and anxiety. Study 6 demonstrated significant associations between ISQ scores and experiencing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms in a sample of insomnia patients. Study 7 compared the effect of a dietary intervention in participants reporting “poor health” versus “normal health”. It is shown that ISQ scores can differentiate between those with poor and normal health, and that an effective intervention is associated with a significant improvement in ISQ scores. Data from Study 7 were further used to determine an ISQ cut-off value for reduced immune functioning, and a direct comparison with 1-item perceived immune functioning scores enabled constructing the final scoring format of the ISQ. In conclusion, the ISQ has appropriate face, content, and construct validity and is a reliable, stable and valid method to assess the past 12 month’s perceived immune status. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exposome Pressure on Immune Fitness: the Impact of Lifestyle Factors)

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