Can you boost your immune system with food?

As the weather gets colder, the seasonal colds and flus come back with a vengeance. There’s so much on social media about how to ‘boost’ your immune system and be healthier at this time of year.

So, can you really boost your immune system with food?

The short answer is no.

The long answer is that food and nutrition can support an immune system to work at it’s best. But it still can’t ‘boost’ it. In fact, a ‘boosted’ immune system – i.e., your immune system working in overdrive, is actually a sign of disease.

What is a boosted immune system? 

The immune system helps your body fight against infection and disease from things like bacteria and viruses. No one likes being ill, so I can see why you might be tempted to try and boost your system with food or a supplement. However, there’s nothing you can eat that will boost your immune system, and you don’t really want it boosted anyway.

An autoimmune disease occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body cells instead of foreign cells like bacteria. Coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes are all examples of autoimmune diseases. These occur when your immune system is ’boosted’ and working more than it needs to.

These diseases can happen for many reasons, but they all come down to the immune system being in ‘overdrive’.  So, you can aim to support your immune system to work well, but ‘boosting’ it, isn’t really a thing.

What does help our immune system? 

The best way to support your immune system is to maintain a healthy balanced diet. It’s not as glamorous as a green juice or fancy powder but it does the trick. There are certain nutrients that are especially helpful to your immune system, and you can get them from everyday foods.

• Vitamin C – I think we’ve all heard about vitamin C and fighting off colds. While vitamin C might not cure your existing cold, it can help your immune system be ready for next time. Sources include citrus fruit, vegetables, and potatoes.
• Vitamin D – a.k.a. the sunshine vitamin plays a key role in the development of immune system cells. it also helps reduce inflammation. Food sources of vitamin D are pretty scarce but things like egg yolks, oily fish, and fortified breakfast cereals contain some.
• Iron – helps the creation of immune system cells and helps to regulate the inflammation response. It also helps create the cells that line all the surfaces of our body which act as a physical barrier to infection. Red meat, beans and pulses, and dried fruit all have iron.
• Zinc – has many roles in the immune system including helping the production of memory T cells. These immune cells can remember if the same bacteria/virus has been in your body before and can generate a quicker response to fight it off.  Seafood, beans and pulses, and nuts are good sources of zinc.

These are just a few of the nutrients that support our immune system. And you should be able to get enough through a healthy, varied diet. So, improving your diet is a good first step to ‘boost’ your immune system.

Other ways to help your immune system be at its best include reducing stress, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and staying up to date with vaccinations.

• Stress – when we’re stressed, the immune system’s ability to fight off infection is reduced. And so, we’re more likely to get ill. It can help for you to think of activities to do that will reduce your feeling of stress. I like to go for a walk, do some deep breathing, or vent to a friend.
• Sleep – sleep is crucial for our bodies to rest and repair but it also allows the immune system to work. A lack of sleep can weaken your immune response to disease. Ways to improve your sleep are to have a consistent bedtime and try to avoid screen time before bed.
• 
  Exercise – an active lifestyle can increase your body’s ability to fight off disease. It’s recommended that adults get 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week. But this doesn’t have to mean going to the gym, any way you can move your body will have a big impact! A brisk walk, dancing, tennis, swimming and mowing the garden all count as moderate exercise.
  
• Vaccines – keeping up to date with the recommended vaccines is a great way to help out your immune system. Vaccines contain a weakened version of the microbe and trigger an immune response. This means when the real microbe comes around, your body will recognise it and be able to fight it off quicker.

Hopefully this has given you some ideas of how to help your immune system, without splashing the cash on fancy supplements or powders.

Key points: 

• Food or supplements can’t boost your immune system.
• A ‘boosted’ immune system is an autoimmune disease.
• A healthy balanced diet will support your immune system to work at it’s best. You can get all the essential nutrients through food.
• Reducing stress, getting more sleep, exercising, and being vaccinated can also help your immune system.

I hope you enjoyed this post. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Bye for now! 👋

References:

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/autoimmune-disease-why-is-my-immune-system-attacking-itself

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/what-are-common-symptoms-of-autoimmune-disease

Vitamin C https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29099763/

Vitamin D https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8615708/

Zinc https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7415215/

Stress https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361287/

Sleep https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3256323/

Exercise https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7149380/ and https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-health-benefits/