immune system booster
Your body (including your immune system) runs on
the fuel you put into it. That’s why eating well,
along with several other good-for-you behaviors, is
so important. iStock
Put simply, it’s your immune system’s job to
defend your body against illness and disease. The
complex system is made up of cells in your skin,
blood, bone marrow, tissues, and organs that —
when working the way they should — protect your
body against potentially harmful pathogens (like
bacteria and viruses), and limit damage from
noninfectious agents (like sunburn or cancer),
according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Think of the immune system as an orchestra. For the
best performance, you want every instrument and
every musician in the orchestra to perform at its
best. You don’t necessarily want one musician
performing on double speed or one instrument
suddenly producing sound at twice the volume it
usually does. You want every component of that
orchestra to perform exactly according to plan.
The same goes for your immune system. To best
protect your body from harm, every component of
your immune system needs to perform exactly
according to plan. The best way you can ensure that
happens is to practice the good-for-you behaviors
every day that your immune system runs on. Here
are seven key ones.
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1. Eat a Healthy Diet
The nutrients you get from food — in particular,
plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, herbs, and
spices — are essential to keeping your immune
system functioning properly, according to Yufang Lin,
MD, an integrative medicine doctor at Cleveland
Clinic in Ohio. “Many plant-based foods also have
antiviral and antimicrobial properties, which help us
fight off infection,” Dr. Lin says.
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For example, research shows that spices like clove,
oregano, thyme, cinnamon, and cumin contain
antiviral and antimicrobial properties that prevent the
growth of food-spoiling bacteria like Bacillus
subtilis and Pseudomonas fluorescens, harmful fungi
like Aspergillus flavus, and antibiotic-resistant
microorganisms like Staphylococcus
aureus, according to a review published in June 2017
in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences .
Furthermore, the zinc, folate, iron, selenium, copper,
and vitamins A, C, E, B6, and B12 you get from the
food you eat are the nutrients your immune system
needs to do its job, according to the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics. Each one plays a unique role
in supporting immune function.
Research suggests, for example, that vitamin
C deficiency may increase the likelihood of
infection, according to a review published November
2017 in Nutrients. Our bodies do not produce this
essential, water-soluble vitamin on their own, so we
need to get it through foods (such as citrus
fruits, kiwis, and several cruciferous vegetables). You
can get 95 milligrams (mg), or 106 percent of the
daily vitamin C you need by snacking on a half-cup of
red pepper, according to the NIH.
Protein is also critical for immune health. The amino
acids in protein help build and maintain immune
cells, and skimping on this macronutrient may lower
your body’s ability to fight infections. In one study
published February 2013 in the Journal of Infectious
Diseases, mice who ate a diet consisting of only 2
percent protein were more severely impacted by the
flu than mice who ate a "normal protein" diet with 18
percent protein. But once researchers started feeding
the first group a "normal protein" diet, the mice were
able to get rid of the virus.
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When it comes to a diet that supports good immune
health, focus on incorporating more plants and
plant-based foods. Add fruits and veggies to soups
and stews, smoothies, and salads, or eat them as
snacks, Lin says. Carrots, broccoli, spinach, red bell
peppers, apricots, citrus fruits (such as oranges,
grapefruit, tangerines), and strawberries are all
great sources of vitamins A and C, while seeds and
nuts will provide protein, vitamin E, and
zinc, according to the Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics.
Additional sources of protein and zinc include
seafood, lean meat, and poultry, according to the
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
2. Keep Stress Under Control
According to a review published in the October 2015
issue of Current Opinion in Psychology, long-
term stress leads to chronically elevated levels of as
the steroid hormone cortisol. The body relies on
hormones like cortisol during short-term bouts of
stress (when your body goes into “fight-or-flight”
response); cortisol has a beneficial effect of actually
preventing the immune system from responding
before the stressful event is over (so your body can
react to the immediate stressor). But when cortisol
levels are constantly high, it essentially blocks the
immune system from kicking into gear and doing its
job to protect the body against potential threats from
germs like viruses and bacteria.
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There are many effective stress-reduction techniques;
the key is to find what works for you. “I like to give
my patients options,” says Ben Kaplan, MD, an
internal medicine physician at Orlando Health
Medical Group Internal Medicine in Florida. He
recommends meditation (apps
like Headspace and Calm can help), journaling, and
any activity that you enjoy (such as fishing, playing
golf, or drawing). Try to do at least one stress-
reducing activity every day. Short on time? Start
small. Set aside five minutes at some point each day
for fun and increase it when you can.
3. Get Plenty of Good Quality
Sleep
Your body heals and regenerates while you sleep,
making adequate sleep critical for a healthy immune
response, Lin says.
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More specifically, sleep is a time when your body
produces and distributes key immune cells like
cytokines (a type of protein that can either fight or
promote inflammation), T cells (a type of white blood
cell that regulates immune response), and interleukin
12 (a pro-inflammatory cytokine), according to a
review published in Pflugers Archiv European Journal
of Physiology.
When you don’t get enough sleep, your immune
system may not do these things as well, making it
less able to defend your body against harmful
invaders and making you more likely to get sick. One
study published in the July–August 2017 issue
of Behavioral Sleep Medicine found that compared
with healthy young adults who did not have sleep
problems, otherwise healthy young adults with
insomnia were more susceptible to the flu even after
getting vaccinated.
Sleep deprivation also elevates cortisol levels, which
of course is also not good for immune function, Lin
says. “Our immune system wears down as a result,
and we tend to have [fewer] reserves to fight off or
recover from illness.”
The National Sleep Foundation recommends all
adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night to
optimize health. To ensure you get quality sleep,
prioritize good sleep hygiene: Turn off the electronics
at least two to three hours before bed, and avoid
violent or stressful books or conversations, Lin says.
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4. Exercise Regularly (Outdoors,
When Possible)
Regular exercise lowers your risk of developing
chronic diseases (like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and
heart disease), as well as viral and bacterial
infections, according to a review in Frontiers in
Immunology in April 2018.
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Exercise also increases the release of endorphins (a
group of hormones that reduce pain and create
feelings of pleasure) making it a great way to
manage stress. “Since stress negatively impacts our
immune system, this is another way exercise can
improve immune response,” Lin says.
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And while there is some evidence that very long or
intense exercise sessions may suppress the immune
system, making you more susceptible to illness and
infection in the hours immediately after your
workout, the evidence on that question is
contradictory, according to the same Frontiers in
Immunology review. And there is a wealth of
epidemiological evidence (studies that followed
human behavior and outcomes) showing that people
who are more active overall tend to have lower
incidences of both acute illnesses (like infections) and
chronic ones (like cancer and type 2 diabetes).
Studies that have looked at how exercise affects the
body on a cellular level suggest that bouts of physical
activity may make your immune system more vigilant
by distributing immune cells throughout your body to
look for damaged or infected cells, according to that
2018 report.
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At a minimum, try to meet the physical activity
guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC). Adults should be getting at
least 150 minutes (two and a half hours) of
moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (like walking,
jogging, or cycling) or 75 minutes (one hour and 15
minutes) of high-intensity aerobic exercise (like
running) every week. You should also be
doing strength training at least twice a week. Note:
More activity has been found to be linked to even
more health benefits, so aim high.
For even more immune system benefits, Dr. Kaplan
recommends taking your exercise outside. Spending
time in nature has been shown to support mood,
lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and
support immune system health, according to Lin.
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Sunshine also boosts vitamin D in the body, which
plays a key role in immune health, too.
5. When It Comes to Alcohol,
Practice Moderation
Drinking high amounts of alcohol is associated with a
range of negative health effects, including lowered
immune function. When you drink high amounts of
alcohol, your body is too busy trying to detoxify your
system to bother with normal immune system
function, Kaplan explains.
According to a review published in the
journal Alcohol Research in 2015, high levels of
alcohol consumption can weaken your body’s ability
to fight infection and slow down your recovery time.
As a result, people who drink high amounts of
alcohol face a greater likelihood of pneumonia, acute
respiratory distress syndrome, alcoholic liver disease,
and certain cancers, according to the same review.
If you don’t already drink, don’t start. If you drink
occasionally, limit your alcohol consumption to one
drink (equivalent to a 4-ounce glass of wine) per day
if you’re a woman, and two drinks per day if
you’re a man, as recommended by the NIH.
6. Don’t Smoke Cigarettes
Like alcohol, cigarette smoking can also affect
immune health. “Anything that’s a toxin can
compromise your immune system,” Kaplan says.
In particular, the chemicals released by cigarette
smoke — carbon monoxide, nicotine, nitrogen
oxides, and cadmium — can interfere with growth
and function of immune cells, like cytokines, T cells,
and B cells, according to a November 2016 review
in Oncotarget .
Smoking also worsens viral and bacterial infections
(especially those of the lungs, like pneumonia, flu,
and tuberculosis), post-surgical infections,
and rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease in
which the immune system attacks the
joints), according to the CDC.
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“Don’t smoke,” Lin says. And avoid secondhand
smoke whenever possible.
If you currently smoke, there are many resources
available to help you kick your habit, including
counseling, nicotine replacement products,
prescription non-nicotine medications, and behavioral
therapy, according to the CDC.
7. Keep Symptoms of Chronic
Conditions Under Control
Chronic conditions like asthma, heart disease,
and diabetes can affect the immune system and
increase risk of infections.
For example, when people with type 2 diabetes
don’t manage their blood sugar properly, this can
create a chronic, low-grade inflammatory response
that weakens the body’s defense system, according
to an October 2019 review in Current Diabetes
Reviews.
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Similarly, people with asthma are more susceptible
to catching — and even dying from — the flu, and
often experience worse flu and asthma symptoms as
a result of the infection, according to a study
published in the July 2017 issue of the Journal of
Allergy and Clinical Immunology .
Living with a chronic condition can be like trying to
drive a car that has only three tires, Kaplan says.
“If you get sick with a virus, it’s going to take
more effort for your body to recover,” he explains.
If you manage your chronic conditions better, you'll
free up more reserves to help your body fight off
infection, Lin says. So be sure to stay on top of any
medications, doctor visits, and healthy habits that
keep your symptoms at bay. Your immune system
will thank you.
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