Boosting the immune system - fact check
The notion that the immune system is something that we can easily influence is cast into doubt when you realise how complicated it really is.Â
There are two factors to be considered:
The immune system can be both under-active, where it fails to fight infections, and overactive, where it starts attacking its own healthy cells (autoimmune diseases) - the optimum is a balanced point in the middle
Like all the other systems of the body, the immune system works at top power all by itself. Just like ‘detoxifying’, if a healthy and balanced lifestyle is maintained, going to extreme measures to try and improve what your body does perfectly already will probably do more harm than good.
So how do you maintain a healthy immune system?
Don’t smoke - particularly bad for covid-19 as its main effect is on the lungs, but smoking also exacerbates the immune defences and makes you more vulnerable to infection
Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables - a healthy diet involves eating the same amount of fruit and veg as you do carbs - if you’re not doing that, you should eat more anyway, if you are, you don’t need to start eating 100 oranges a day - you’re getting everything you need.
Limit alcohol - alcohol limits function of important immune cells and disrupts the gut barrier.
Get plenty of sleep - during sleep, the immune system produces cytokines and regenerates other important immune defences
Exercise regularly - aids white blood cells and literally helps move bacteria etc out of the lungs. In this case, the better the lung function (improved with exercise), the better the lungs will cope under the strain of infection.
Minimise stress - stress negatively affects your whole body.
Maintain a healthy weight - links have been made but not concretely proven, however all body systems function best at a healthy weight.
As mentioned, a normal healthy diet covers all the vitamins and minerals you need. However, if you know you’re lacking something (maybe you really hate the foods that have it) a supplement would be recommended.Â
For example, adults need around 40mg of vitamin C a day to achieve a fully functioning immune system. One orange contains about 50mg, and there are supplements that have up to 1000mg - completely useless as it’s water soluble therefore not stored so the 960mg not used just comes out in an expensive wee.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rejected probiotics on the grounds of insufficient evidence, including those around improved immunity and natural defences.
Echinacea / herbal supplements
When taken in supplement form antioxidants don’t have the same benefits as when eaten in fruit and veg - again, a waste of money unless you have problems with eating fruit and veg.
Vitamin D - not necessarily a myth!
We get most of our vitamin D from sunlight so if it’s winter or you’re self-isolating, the recommended dose is 10mg a day. And while there are food sources (oily fish, egg yolk and fortified foods such as breakfast cereals), it’s hard to get enough from these alone.Â
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