Background: Some common complications of aging such as nutritional deficiency, lack of physical activity, the increase in body fat percentage and the prevalence of specific diseases may indirectly affect the immune system function. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effect of a 6-month moderate aerobic training program on interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor (CD25 cells), IL-2 and salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels in elderly men.

Materials and Methods: Forty sedentary and healthy aged men (mean age, 65 ± 2 years) were randomly divided into experimental (n=20) and control (n=20) groups. The experimental group performed moderate aerobic training three times a week for 6 months, while the control group did not perform any regular training. Then CD25 cells, the level of IL-2, sIgA and VO2max were determined for each participant.

Results: The results showed that aerobic training significantly increased VO2max, CD25 cells, the level of IL-2 and sIgA in the experimental group.

Conclusion: It seems that the moderate aerobic training for 6 months can be very effective to delay the process of immune system aging.