Studies involving AR-deficient bone marrow chimeric mice demonstrated that androgen signaling through AR in thymic epithelial cells mediates androgen’s effects in the thymus (27). In summary, B lymphopoiesis is inhibited by androgens both directly and indirectly via effects on bone marrow stromal cells. A possible mechanism of action has been suggested based on studies showing that testosterone upregulates TGFβ production by bone marrow stromal cells leading to inhibition of IL-7 production and suppression of B lymphopoiesis (29, 87). However, other studies have suggested that the inhibitory effect of testosterone on B lymphopoiesis is dependent on bone marrow stromal cells (29, 30). Recent studies of B cell subsets in 3- to 8-year-old children identified different distributions in males and females (81, 82). The in vivo nature of these experiments and observations, however, do not necessarily support a direct effect of androgens on DCs, as both MHC and costimulatory molecules are also regulated by cytokines secreted by other cells subject to androgenic regulation. More than 33% of men over 45 may have lower than normal testosterone levels. Although there is no direct evidence on this issue because this such a new disease, avoiding low levels of vitamin D makes sense for this and other reasons. The findings from this large meta-analysis have raised the possibility that low vitamin D levels may also increase risk of or severity of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection. However, multiple studies examining the association between dietary vitamin D or trials supplementing children at high risk for T1D with vitamin D have produced mixed and inconclusive results Approximately 40% of T1D cases begin in adulthood. This conclusion has been strengthened substantially by recent evidence that genetically determined low levels of vitamin D predict higher risk of multiple sclerosis. And could vitamin D supplements help boost our body’s defenses to fight infectious disease, such as tuberculosis and seasonal flu? This is consistent with the important concept that taking additional vitamin D may not benefit those who already have adequate blood levels, but those with initially low blood levels may benefit. Indeed, sex hormones directly influence immune cell function and development as well as the susceptibility of cells and tissues to damage from aberrant (autoimmune) processes. In addition to determining biological sex, sex hormones are known to influence health and disease via regulation of immune cell activities and modulation of target-organ susceptibility to immune-mediated damage. On the other hand, testosterone can also enhance certain aspects of immune function and response, like releasing antibodies and generating certain immune cells. In males, testosterone levels are typically much higher than in females. It contributes to the growth and maintenance of bones, stimulates the production of red blood cells, enhances libido and sexual function, and plays a role in mood regulation and cognitive function. Future studies will focus on the differential impacts of testosterone and other steroid hormones on cytokine response to additional mitogen types and using a wider age range and across sexes, to better understand the role of such hormones in modulating immune function. This does not diminish the results of this study; with modal ages of death in the 70s, a 45 year old Tsimane male can expect to live an additional 25.6 years of life (Gurven et al. 2007), and thus trade-offs between androgens and immune function still have important consequences even at later ages. The authors noted that a longer follow-up period would be necessary to better assess potential effects of supplementation, as many cancers take at least 5-10 years to develop. The findings did not show significantly different rates of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer between the vitamin D and placebo groups. 4) seven years may be too short to expect a reduction in cancer risk. Animal and laboratory studies have found that vitamin D can inhibit the development of tumors and slow the growth of existing tumors including those from the breast, ovary, colon, prostate, and brain. Of course, vitamin D deficiency should always be treated and some high-risk patients with malabsorption syndromes, osteoporosis, or taking medications that interfere with vitamin D metabolism will benefit from supplementation." This suggests that only small-to-moderate amounts of vitamin D are needed for bone health and fall prevention, achieved by most community-dwelling adults. Some studies suggest that vitamin D supplementation in certain amounts may prevent such fractures, while others do not. In vivo androgen supplementation of women with adrenal insufficiency and female rats with experimental autoimmune orchitis expands the number of regulatory T cells (104, 110). Androgens may influence the differentiation and function of regulatory T cells differently in males versus females. Thymocytes and lymphocytes isolated from non-autoimmune female mice respond more vigorously to exogenous and allogeneic antigens in vitro than cells isolated from male mice (101, 102). In mouse studies, gonadectomy of male mice has been found repeatedly to drive B cell lymphopoiesis in the bone marrow, with both testosterone and DHT treatment capable of reversing this effect (43, 83, 84). For example, after LCMV infection, infiltrating DCs isolated from the brains of male mice were less activated (reduced MHC-II and CD86 expression) than cells isolated from females and gonadectomized male mice (70). Interestingly, male mice subjected to sepsis fare worse than females (60), although whether the outcome is dependent on testosterone-mediated suppression of myeloid cell activity remains unknown. In this review, we will discuss how androgens and the androgen receptor (AR) affect immune cells and how this may dampen or alter immune response(s) to affect disease incidence and progression.