HOLISTIC APPROACH TO OPTIMUM IMMUNE HEALTH + HACKS

Welcome to 2022!

What a start in the year it’s been! 2022 hasn’t been easy on us so far, COVID-19 is back to make our lives harder. Whilst the government and institutions do everything in their power to prevent the spread and to keep up the health of the public, we as individuals should understand all aspects of our immune health as well, so we can make informed dietary and lifestyle decisions to keep up optimal health! And whilst the situation might feel frustrating, know one thing, there are so many things that impact our function of the immune system, that we can influence.

How does the immune system work?

To go into it a bit further, I would like to quickly explain how our immune system works and how we can modulate it. Our immune system is divided into two lines of defence, the first one (innate) is the one everybody was born with. Its role is to eliminate and deactivate any unspecific invaders. We do so with our structural defences, such as mucous membranes, mucous, as well as certain immune cells, that are not too fussy with the kind of invader. The second line of defence, also called the adaptive immune system, was developed a bit more specifically to certain invaders throughout our lifespan. The cells that belong to the second line of defence usually recognize specific invaders, such as viruses and deal with those accordingly [2].

Multi-system immune approach:

Dietary and lifestyle patterns impact the function of both lines of immune defences because the nutritional status and environmental inputs determine whether we have the required building blocks and mediators to initiate, sustain and control the immune function. Our body is ruled by complex interactions of many body systems, which explains why all parts and systems of our body must work optimally to achieve the best possible health outcome. By saying that, what I would like to point out is that, for example, the digestive tract is just as important in the regulation of immunity, as the nervous system or any other system. Each system signals back to the other systems to stay in constant communication, so if one area of the body is affected, it will affect all the other systems as well, in this case, our immunity.

How the digestive system is involved with the immune system:

If the digestive tract function is reduced or compromised in any way, the nutrients can't be digested and taken up into the system where they serve their purpose. Meanwhile, if the digestion is suboptimal, the immune system, which literally sits behind the gut lining, is likely to be excessively triggered as well [3]. So, if you can't take up the nutrients and the reduced digestive function results in the excessive activation of the immune system, which can negatively impact our resilience towards infections. The bacteria in the gut also change depending on your diet, because they also signal across the body, a suboptimal microbiome (gut bacteria population) also impact our immune health [4]. That’s why I, as a holistic nutritionist, always promote the “whole-body approach”, where we look at all aspects of a person’s life to identify the individual triggers.

How does stress impact our immunity?

The physiological response to stress is the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and noradrenaline, as well as a shift in neurotransmitter balances (brain chemicals). Those changes also alter our immune function, as we learned are interlinked. The effects on the immune system manifest as the reduced capacity of the innate immune defence to attack invaders, overall lower immune cell count and efficacy of the adaptive immune line, impaired immune cell communication (due to reduced mediators), lower count for antibodies produced by the adaptive immune defence, as well as opportunistic reactivation of latent (silent/dormant) viruses [5].

The Role of Nutrition in Immune Function:

• Generally, during an “activated” or “alarmed” immune system, the nutritional and caloric requirements become higher, as the body needs to facilitate a higher effort to fight off any invaders.

• The availability of nutrients from our diet determines our immunological function, as the efficacy of immune cell function and communication against the invaders depends on those.

• The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of certain foods and nutrients are needed to prevent chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, to avoid worsening and extending the course of illness

[1, 6]

What lifestyle or dietary habits impact the immune system?

[1]

My top 10 Lifestyle habits to promote holistic immune health:

• Aim for 8h of sleep each night

• Avoid excessive alcohol consumption (<10 standard drinks per week)

• Limit your coffee intake to 2 cups per day

• Exercise at least 150 minutes per week, alternate between brisk walking, weight training and cardio

• Go out into nature every day for 15-30 min

• Avoid smoking

• Take time for yourself and dedicate time for stress management (i.e journaling, yoga, meditation, reading, listening to music, watching animal videos, playing a musical instrument)

• Don't take life too seriously and laugh every day

• Talk to your loved ones daily and stay connected to your social environment

• Identify and remove major physical and emotional stressors from your life [7]

Nutrition and Dietary Hacks for better immune health:

• Eat more veggies! Vegetables and fruits contain many antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that support immune function. The general rule of thumb: the more colourful fruit and veg, the better! “Eat the rainbow” and aim for a total of 5 cups of vegetables and 2 pieces of fruits per day.

• Avoid processed and refined sugars and grains, such as white flour, rice, pasta, sweets, chips, ice cream etc. Sugar and simple carbohydrates reduce immune function, whilst supporting the growth of bacteria and other invaders.

• Include a handful of nuts and seeds into your daily diet, as they contain a great amount of immune-boosting nutrients and minerals, such as Vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and magnesium

• Maintain your protein intake, as protein supplies the immediate building blocks of our immune cells and mediators. Aim for at least 1.2-1.4 grams of protein per kg body weight: A person weighing 60kg should include (60 x 1.2/1.4 =) 72-84g of protein per day.

• Nutrients greatly involved in immune system regulation and function include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin D, Vitamin B6, zinc, selenium, magnesium and iron. If you feel like you might need a boost of those, reach out and we can ensure to find the right one for YOU.

[1, 6, 7]

Immune boosting superfood shopping list:

• Garlic

• Ginger

• Turmeric

• Lemons

• Blueberries

• Pomegranate

• Papaya

• Olive oil

• Green tea

• Brazil Nuts

See my next BLOG for recipes that boost your immune system. If you would like to know more about the holistic approach to optimal immune function and overall health, reach out on my website and I will support you to identify your unique requirements.

References:

[1] C. E. Childs, P. C. Calder, and E. A. Miles, ‘Diet and Immune Function’, Nutrients, vol. 11, no. 8, Art. no. 8, Aug. 2019, doi: 10.3390/nu11081933.

[2] D. D. Chaplin, ‘Overview of the Immune Response’, J. Allergy Clin. Immunol., vol. 125, no. 2 Suppl 2, pp. S3-23, Feb. 2010, doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2009.12.980.

[3] ‘Human gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT); diversity, structure, and function | Mucosal Immunology’. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41385-021-00389-4 (accessed Jan. 09, 2022).

[4] V. Lazar et al., ‘Aspects of Gut Microbiota and Immune System Interactions in Infectious Diseases, Immunopathology, and Cancer’, Front. Immunol., vol. 9, p. 1830, 2018, doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01830.

[5] S. C. Segerstrom and G. E. Miller, ‘Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry’, Psychol. Bull., vol. 130, no. 4, pp. 601–630, Jul. 2004, doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.130.4.601.

[6] P. C. Calder, ‘Nutrition and immunity: lessons for COVID-19’, Eur. J. Clin. Nutr., vol. 75, no. 9, pp. 1309–1318, Sep. 2021, doi: 10.1038/s41430-021-00949-8.

[7] I. Monye and A. B. Adelowo, ‘Strengthening immunity through healthy lifestyle practices: Recommendations for lifestyle interventions in the management of COVID-19’, Lifestyle Med., vol. 1, no. 1, p. e7, 2020, doi: 10.1002/lim2.7.