Thymus health

Mauritio

@TexugoDoMel awesome. Thanks for sharing !

Mauritio

Boron https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29032684

Mauritio

The thymus can produce pregnenolone and cortisol. Similarly to the andrenal glands.
Just haven't found info on how significant this hormone production is.

cs3000

@Mauritio
the fgf21 is largely through mtor , (rapamycin abolished effect)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39972173/
still hindered when on low protein with the increase so yeah guess its weaker more of a support (when they knocked out fgf21 in the young mice in study you posted their thymocyte numbers didnt change). something can happen in aging with mtor signalling still high but fails to create anabolic response i guess need both

this one affected thymus of young mice sort of, in some composition changes. and showed fgf21 is maintained high in thymus regardless of regular eating (protein intake)

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-00349-8
(also a bit in the liver , because these 2 are always vulnerable needing protection & to regenerate more & more often)

Its a pretty wide comparison , i'd guess ~60g protein wouldnt show a loss. or adding some leucine

FGF21
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26755598

@cs3000 said in Thymus health:
~35grams daily gave a way smaller thymus vs 125grams protein daily with extra carbs replacing the lost protein,

87% lower thymus weight from 35g protein

Not sure how to make sense of the above two statements . Other than low protein seems to be more detrimental than FGF21 os beneficial for thymus health.

Mauritio

@cs3000 said in Thymus health:

the fgf21 is largely through mtor , (rapamycin abolished effect)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39972173/
still hindered when on low protein with the increase so yeah guess its weaker more of a support (when they knocked out fgf21 in the young mice in study you posted their thymocyte numbers didnt change). something can happen in aging with mtor signalling still high but fails to create anabolic response i guess need both

this one affected thymus of young mice sort of, in some composition changes. and showed fgf21 is maintained high in thymus regardless of regular eating (protein intake)

Makes sense!
It seems that FGF21 can up or down regulate mtor depending on tissues.

In this study FGF21 lowered mtor in the liver
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26926384/

And in this study in cancer cells it lowered it as well.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7985321

And the strong expression of FGF21 in thymus tissue is a brilliant adaption of the body to a low protein diet. Since low protein weakens immunity via lowered mtor, but it strongly increases FGF21 in thymus which activates mtor locally and improves immunity.

But it's wild how big the difference in FGF21 is between different tissues! Nothing comes close to the thymus.

Mauritio

10-HDA from Royal jelly restores thymus health in immunosuppressed mice.

Dosage was quite high . HED~ 30-60g

https://sci-hub.ren/10.1080/14728222.2020.1733529

Mauritio

The negative effects of androgens on thymus health, Sometimes observed, are medicated through the Glucocorticoids receptor.
Maybe aromatization of testosterone,/ estrogen activates it.

"The androgen-induced thymic involution was dependent on GC action, because this was completely absent in mice lacking GC receptor (GR) expression specifically in thymocytes. We provide here an unrecognized mechanism how androgens contribute to thymic involution by stimulating local synthesis and release of GCs in the thymus."

Lejeboca

@TexugoDoMel, thanks for the tables. Interesting, indeed.
Do you have a reference paper for the tables?

Mauritio

Folate deficiency might be bad for thymus health
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1673889/

BioEclectic

Thymus info hitting the mainstream:

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/12/coffee-break-science-update-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly.html

*T cells of the immune system are responsible for the establishment of self-tolerance and adaptive immune function. T cells come from the thymus, which is mammals basically disappears early in life in a process called involution.

Understanding how the thymus might regenerate has been a goal of immunology for a very long time. A paper in Science (paywall) represents a fundamental advance in the basic science of vertebrate thymus development and regeneration*

More info at the linked website.

sunsunsun

@BioEclectic there's like zero actionable info at that summary of the study,, it is just some high-tier midwit posting some le science based complex mechanisms findings. Georgi posted studies already showing something as simple as dhea, glucose, vitamin d, nutritional/caloric abundance regenerates it, what you posted offers an illustration of midwit subconscious willing ignorance of obvious therapies

even the actual study listed makes reference to the metformin, dhea, and hgh study that Georgi posted about, and conveniently when talking about it, leaves out the part about DHEA being involved. interestingly, Georgi, in his own summary, literally unironically said that the actual study itself is funny because it's likely dhea that had the restorative effects and hgh and metformin probably weren't necessary.

midwit le science experts tend to always do this, talk about subjects as being complex and hard to figure out, while totally ignoring the parts in the research that show, actually, it isn't that difficult

but axolotls are cute so its ok

alfredoolivas

@sunsunsun unecessary crash out.

beriberi

@alfredoolivas it seemed necessary

alfredoolivas

@beriberi I have heard it's that time of the month for her.