Stress And Immune Function
Modern medicine has come to appreciate the closely linked relationship of mind and body. A wide variety of maladies, including stomach upset, hives, and even heart disease, are linked to the effects of emotional stress. Despite the challenges, scientists are actively studying the relationship between stress and immune function.
For one thing, stress is difficult to define. What may appear to be a stressful situation for one person is not for another. When people are exposed to situations they regard as stressful, it is difficult for them to measure how much stress they feel, and difficult for the scientist to know if a person’s subjective impression of the amount of stress is accurate. The scientist can only measure things that may reflect stress, such as the number of times the heart beats each minute, but such measures also may reflect other factors.
Most scientists studying the relationship of stress and immune function, however, do not study a sudden, short-lived stressor rather, they try to study more constant and frequent stressors known as chronic stress, such as that caused by relationships with family, friends, and co-workers, or sustained challenges to perform well at one’s work. Some scientists are investigating whether ongoing stress takes a toll on the immune system.
Despite these inevitable difficulties in measuring the relationship of stress to immunity, scientists are making progress.
Vitamins For The Immune System
A normal immune system can be supported by a variety of vitamins and minerals in order to do its job properly. Vitamins that play a role in immune function include vitamins C, D, and A,i in addition to others. The food you eat can help you get these contributors for immune system health. However, if you are unable to get all the vitamins you need from your everyday diet, you might want to consider taking a daily multivitamin. Centrum multivitamins contain vitamins and minerals to help support the normal functioning of the immune system.
Best Vitamin B6 Supplement
Vitamin B6 aka pyridoxine helps your body maintain a strong immune system. Studies found that B6 supplementation increases the immune response in people who were already ill and deficiencies can hinder the immune system’s response. This vitamin is found in chicken, salmon, tuna, leafy greens, and chickpeas, but it can also be incorporated into your diet through a supplement.
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Can Vitamins Boost Your Immune System
Your immune system works tirelessly to fight off any harmful bacteria and viruses that you come into contact with. Its one of the most complicated and interconnected systems in the human body, with many different factors shaping your immune response. These include your genetic makeup, age, health status and stress levels.
Diet is one of the biggest contributors to a healthy immune system. A growing body of evidence suggests that the modern Western diet high in sugar, salt and fat may be to blame for a steep rise in chronic diseases across the world.
Your body needs an array of different nutrients to power up your defences and stay free from disease. But while certain nutrients do a good job in supporting the immune system, its not as easy as just popping a multivitamin pill every morning. If youre serious about improving your immunity, you may need to implement lasting and far-reaching changes to your dietary habits.
Still, addressing vitamin and mineral deficiencies could be a good start. Micronutrients contribute to the bodys natural defences by strengthening its physical barriers , increasing the production of antibodies and improving communication between cells. Some vitamins tend to be better at supporting your immune system than others too.
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The Importance Of Vitamins For Our Health
We tend to underestimate the importance that vitamins have in our health. The biggest danger here is eating always the same thing and forgetting about variety in our diets. This greatly limits our vitamin intake, thus leaving us defenseless against virus and infections.
In order to be protected against the flu and other infections, the key is having a strong and resistant immune system. For most people, this means keeping an eye on variety and having a diet high in all of the aforementioned foods. Do you already take vitamins to boost your immune system?
From now on, try to include foods into your diet that have vitamins A, B, C, and E. You will start noticing youre less likely to bet infected. As time goes by, you will see that you dont get sick that often!
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Your Money Might Be Better Spent On Something Else
During the winter months, you’ve likely seen ads for products that claim to give your immune system a boost to help you ward off colds and the flu. But can something in a bottle, whether a vitamin formulation or probiotic, really rev up your immune system to help you stay healthy?
“Unfortunately, the reality is that those kinds of products aren’t really offering you any benefit,” says Michael Starnbach, a professor of microbiology at Harvard Medical School. “There’s no evidence that they help in fighting disease.”
To understand why, you need to know a little about how the immune system works. The very idea of boosting the immune system is flawed.
“The immune system is very finely tuned,” says Starnbach. There is a balance between an immune system that is effective at limiting the ability of bacteria, viruses, and parasites to cause infection, and a hyperactive immune system that can cause such problems as allergies, diabetes, and other types of autoinflammatory and autoimmune disorders.
“If there were a wholesale boost to the immune system, it could trigger autoimmunity and other problems,” he says.
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Diet And Your Immune System
Like any fighting force, the immune system army marches on its stomach. Healthy immune system warriors need good, regular nourishment. Scientists have long recognized that people who live in poverty and are malnourished are more vulnerable to infectious diseases. For example, researchers don’t know whether any particular dietary factors, such as processed foods or high simple sugar intake, will have adversely affect immune function. There are still relatively few studies of the effects of nutrition on the immune system of humans.
There is some evidence that various micronutrient deficiencies for example, deficiencies of zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid, and vitamins A, B6, C, and E alter immune responses in animals, as measured in the test tube. However, the impact of these immune system changes on the health of animals is less clear, and the effect of similar deficiencies on the human immune response has yet to be assessed.
So, what can you do? If you suspect your diet is not providing you with all your micronutrient needs maybe, for instance, you don’t like vegetables taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement may bring other health benefits, beyond any possibly beneficial effects on the immune system. Taking megadoses of a single vitamin does not. More is not necessarily better.
Tips For Boosting The Immune System Naturally
In general, eating a variety of freshand colorfulfoods should be your first line of defense in protecting your immune system and getting proper nutrients. In addition to fruits and vegetables, be sure to eat nutrient-rich foods like nuts, legumes, yogurt, and lean protein sources.
Drinking plenty of water is also important. Staying hydrated can help boost your immune system because water enables the body to produce lymph fluid. The lymphatic system carries white blood cellswhich recognize and destroy germsto various locations in the body.
Building a strong immune system happens over time. Taking a huge dose of natural supplements to boost the immune system can be compared to eating five apples in the morning and expecting it to fight off this season’s flu virus. Healthy eating habits require a wide and consistent variety of nutrients.
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These Vitamins Are The Best Insurance Policy Against Flu Season
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Immunity is all the rage at the moment and for good reason. Who doesn’t want a healthy immune system, right? The immune system is the body’s line of defense to ward off viruses, colds, and flus and it helps the body tackle germs that have already invaded, too.
Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, nutrition expert, Nurish by Nature Made® brand partner, and author ofSmoothies & Juices: Prevention Healing Kitchen shares that sticking to a healthy sleep routine, exercising regularly, reducing stress, and eating a balanced diet filled with whole foods are all great ways to keep the immune system in tip-top shape. However, if you need to give your bod an extra boost, adding a vitamin or supplement to your daily routine could do the trick.
To get the inside scoop on just what vitamins and minerals are essential for maintaining a healthy immune system, we checked in with health experts to get their take on the top immune-boosting vitamins.
What Foods Support The Immune System
Fruits and vegetables can help to support the normal functioning of the immune system, thanks to their vitamin content.
Citrus fruits such as grapefruits and oranges are high in vitamin C, and broccoli is packed full of vitamins and minerals, as well as containing vitamins A, C and E, fibre and antioxidants.
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Engage In Moderate Exercise
Although prolonged intense exercise can suppress your immune system, moderate exercise can give it a boost.
Studies indicate that even a single session of moderate exercise can boost the effectiveness of vaccines in people with compromised immune systems (
23 ).
Examples of moderate exercise include brisk walking, steady bicycling, jogging, swimming, and light hiking. Most people should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week .
Summary
Moderate exercise can reduce inflammation and promote the healthy turnover of immune cells. Jogging, biking, walking, swimming, and hiking are great options.
Exercise: Good Or Bad For Immunity
Regular exercise is one of the pillars of healthy living. It improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight, and protects against a variety of diseases. But does it help to boost your immune system naturally and keep it healthy? Just like a healthy diet, exercise can contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthy immune system.
Image: lzf/Getty Images
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The Five Top Vitamins To Boost Your Immune System
Here you can find the 4 vitamins that boost your immune system. Not only should you take them when youre sick, but also before getting ill. This way, your body will be strong and your defenses will avoid possible contagious diseases.
Also read: Vitamin Deficiencies and the Foods That Contain those Vitamins
Best Vitamin C Supplement
Since vitamin C is water-soluble, the body doesnt store it and therefore it must be replenished each day. While Largeman-Roth notes that most people can get enough vitamin C through their diet, if you are trying to give your body an extra boost, and/or you are in a situation where you can’t necessarily stick to your regular diet, the supplementation can help your body maintain those optimal levels.
Dr. Gundry recommends taking 1,000 mg of timed-release vitamin C twice a day, or swallowing or chewing 500 to 1,000mg of Vitamin C four times a day, since it will only last in your blood for a few hours.
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Strategies To Stay Healthy
So, if you can’t help your immune system by taking an over-the-counter potion or pill, what can you do to cut down on illness this winter? Differences between people who rarely get sick and those who are sick all the time may have more to do with habits than immune function, says Starnbach. Here are some tips that might help.
Clean your hands. While some germs are airborne, more often than not, illness occurs after you touch a contaminated surface, says Starnbach. Most often germs move from your hands into your eyes, nose, or mouth, so also make an effort not to touch your face.
Keep your body in top shape. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep can help keep your body and your immune system working well.
Manage stress. Research has shown that high stress levels may impair the immune system. So whenever possible, try to be aware of your stress levels and work to lower them when they get too high.
Get vaccinated. Getting vaccinated against the flu and other diseases stimulates the immune system to protect against illness. Vaccines teach the immune system to recognize specific pathogens and prepare them to mount a defense if they are encountered.
The bottom line is that aside from vaccines, there’s really nothing you can take to improve your immune system, so it’s probably best to avoid pills and potions that make those types of claims.
Image: Courtney Hale/Getty Images
What Vitamins Can Help Prevent Covid
Because COVID-19 comes with cold and flu-like symptoms, Vitamins B, C and D, as well as zinc may be helpful in boosting your immune system and fighting the illness in the same way they can help you get over a cold or flu.
Vitamin C
Generally, vitamin C can help you fight a cold faster or ease your cold symptoms if you were taking it prior to getting sick. As an antioxidant, vitamin C can help reduce inflammationand lung inflammation is a severe symptom of COVID-19, which can lead to respiratory distress or even death. So if youre still healthy, it doesnt hurt to start taking vitamin C now.
Vitamin D
The primary function of vitamin D is to help your body maintain optimal blood levels of calcium and phosphorous, which you can get through exposure to the suns ultraviolet rays, or through supplements and the foods you eat.
Getting enough vitamin D can also protect you from respiratory infection. Vitamin D supplementation significantly decreases the chance of respiratory tract infections, based on clinical studies published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics.
B Complex vitamins
Vitamin B6 is essential to keeping your immune system in top condition. Be sure to get enough vitamin B as a supplement, as part of your daily diet or in a multivitamin.
Zinc
Zinc has also been found to help produce and activate T-cells , which trigger the body to respond to infections, according to the NIH.
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How To Integrate Vitamins Into Your Daily Diet
While vitamin supplements may sound like an easy fix, the best way to ensure a sufficient intake of essential nutrients is to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Your body tends to absorb and utilise vitamins better from food, while supplements can be of differing quality.
However, eating a balanced diet may not always be feasible, and its possible to still be deficient in a nutrient even if you eat a healthy diet. In this case, vitamin supplements can come in handy.
And while nutrition will definitely play an important role in building a strong immune system, if you want to maximise your chances of avoiding an infection, you may need to address other aspects of your lifestyle too.
Rather than thinking about boosting the immune system, it is better to think about keeping it healthy and balanced, says Jenny Tschiesche, nutritionist and consultant for Nutriburst . Ideally, this balance will be created through both nutrition and lifestyle interventions. Not only do you need to eat and drink well, but there are other important aspects of your health and wellbeing that need addressing for balance. Sleep well, digest well, reduce long term stress, stay connected to friends and eat mindfully.”
Food Fix: Immune System Boost
Most people turn straight to vitamin C after theyve caught a cold. Thats because it helps build up your immune system.
Vitamin C is thought to increase the production of white blood cells, which are key to fighting infections.
Almost all citrus fruits are high in vitamin C. With such a variety to choose from, its easy to add a squeeze of this vitamin to any meal.
Popular citrus fruits include:
Garlic is found in almost every cuisine in the world. It adds a little zing to food and its a must-have for your health.
Early civilizations recognized its value in fighting infections. Garlic may also slow down hardening of the arteries, and theres that it helps lower blood pressure.
Garlics immune-boosting properties seem to come from a heavy concentration of sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin.
Ginger is another ingredient many turn to after getting sick. Ginger may help decrease inflammation, which can help reduce a sore throat and inflammatory illnesses. Ginger may help with nausea as well.
While its used in many sweet desserts, ginger packs some heat in the form of gingerol, a relative of capsaicin.
Ginger may also
Spinach made our list not just because its rich in vitamin C its also packed with numerous antioxidants and beta carotene, which may both increase the infection-fighting ability of our immune systems.
Papayas have decent amounts of potassium, magnesium, and folate, all of which are beneficial to your overall health.
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