It’s common to hear about ‘boosting’ your immunity, but it might not always be clear exactly what this means, or how it works. Learn how your body does battle with seasonal bugs – and what you can do to support this important work.
What is the immune system?
Unlike the kidneys or liver, the immune system isn’t a single organ located in a specific part of the body, which can make it seem a little abstract. Instead, it’s a complex network of specialised cells, proteins, tissues and membranes, which all work together to defend the body from infection.
This network is able to tell the difference between healthy cells that belong to the body and foreign cells – germs such as viruses, bacteria and parasites – that make their way into the body from the outside and cause disruptions to our health. Every germ has a unique protein, called an antigen, on its surface. When the immune system recognises a germ (or ‘pathogen’), it starts to create its own very specific proteins called antibodies, which attach themselves to antigens in order to destroy the germs.
When your body knows how to make a certain type of antibody, it also makes memory cells. If you come into contact with the same pathogen again, these memory cells immediately set off the production of the right antibodies to fight off infection fast. It’s a truly sophisticated defence system, crucial to our health.
How can you support your immune system?
When your immune system is well resourced, it is remarkably good at fighting off infection. So how can you give it the tools it needs to do the job well?
Sleep well
Research shows that when you skimp on sleep, your body produces fewer antibodies. According to Dr Nathaniel Watson, the lead author on a recent study linking sleep deprivation to lowered immunity, we should be getting at least seven hours or more per night.
Eat your greens
A plant-rich diet provides your immune system with the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals it needs to run well. Aim to ‘eat the rainbow’ – that is, to include as many colours of fruit and vegetables as possible on your plate. Because the same active compounds that give plants their colour enable swift immune response, this is a sure way to increase them in your diet.
Stress less
If your stress levels are already high, knowing that this depresses your immunity will probably make you feel more anxious (now you’re worried about getting sick!). But the point here is not to eliminate all stress from your life. Instead, it’s to make sure that you are consciously shifting your nervous system out of the ‘fight or flight’ mode stress causes, into daily periods of ‘rest and digest’. This might mean yoga, meditation or time outdoors – whatever makes you feel relaxed.
Exercise more (but, not too much)
Regular exercise mobilises immune cells, so make sure you’re frequently moving your body to get your heart pumping. There’s a sweet spot though, because too much high-intensity exercise can suppress immune function. Guidelines suggest 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise, or 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, per week. It’s not necessarily that more than this is bad for you, but just that pushing your body too hard could put your immune system under strain (depending on your fitness level, of course).
Wash your hands!
This one doesn’t help your immune response per se, but minimising the number of germs your system is exposed to – and then has to fend off – just means it has greater capacity available to keep you healthy. Yes, this is about limiting the spread of COVID-19 as South Africa’s infection rate continues to shoot up, but hand-washing also reduces your risk of catching the flu and other seasonal bugs.
How do supplements help your immune system?
While it’s theoretically possible (and even preferable) to get all the nutrients your immune system needs from food, no one has a perfectly balanced diet 100 per cent of the time. So supplements act as an insurance policy of sorts.
“For example, we know the body needs certain vitamins and minerals to build leukocytes, which are cells that neutralise infecting organisms,” explains Clicks Pharmacist Waheed Abdurahman. “By supplementing, we can be sure our bodies have enough of the required elements for immune function, even if we are not getting them from food.”
Which supplements build immunity?
The following vitamins and minerals are known to support immune health, whether in the form of a daily multivitamin, or a standalone supplement.
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Zinc
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B12
• Copper
• Folic acid
• Iron
• Selenium
And if you had to choose just one supplement to support your immune health? “In that case, a good choice at a reasonable price would be a Vitamin C supplement,” advises Abdurahman.
What about COVID-19?
In light of the current pandemic, you might be wondering if there are specific supplements to help fend off infection by the COVID-19 virus. Abdurahman says that because the virus is still relatively new in humans, and scientists are still learning daily about who’s most at risk and exactly how it affects the body, it’s too soon to point at any one supplement.
“Although we cannot specifically claim that a supplement will fight COVID-19, we only have one immune system. So what we are doing by supplementing is to give our system the best support to function efficiently,” Abdurahman explains. Whether it’s to prevent the seasonal flu or COVID-19, the same principles apply.
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