Tag: Lymphocyte count

According to the Cleveland Clinic, nutritional deficiencies are one of the most common causes of low lymphocytes, also known as lymphopenia, worldwide. This critical link raises an important question: does a poor diet cause low lymphocytes, and if so, what nutritional factors are at play?

Studies have shown that a low Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) is significantly associated with a higher incidence of postoperative complications and poorer overall survival rates in patients with various diseases, including cancer and liver cirrhosis. This simple index has become a valuable and cost-effective tool in clinical practice for assessing a patient's immune and nutritional status.

The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) was originally developed in the 1980s for surgical patients and has since expanded as a predictor of outcomes across various diseases. This simple blood-test-based index helps clinicians assess a patient's combined nutritional and immune status, offering critical insights into their risk of adverse outcomes associated with malnutrition.

While eggs contain vital nutrients essential for immune function, like high-quality protein and selenium, the direct link between egg consumption and increased lymphocyte counts is complex. An analysis of diet-induced changes found that while overall immune cell counts remained stable, shifts occurred in specific immune cell populations.