Right now, we're all trying to find ways to strengthen our immune system. But beyond the basics of eating your greens and washing hands regularly [1] — what can you do to take care of your immunity? Your immune system — a complex matrix of cells and molecules spread across every inch of your body — is your natural defence for fighting infection, disease, and illness, usually working away without us even noticing it. Until, of course, you start to feel under the weather or rundown. Rather than loading up on superfoods or trying to "supercharge" the immune system, however, it's something we should be thinking about and taking care of every day.
We spoke to Dr Jenna Macciochi [2], a Brighton-based immunologist and lecturer at the University at Sussex, who specialises in understanding how lifestyle and nutrition interact with the immune system in health and disease. Dr Macciochi explains that rather than attempting to "boost" our immune system, we should be trying to balance it.
Rather than attempting to "boost" our immune system, we should be trying to balance it.
"Immunity is a system, not a single entity, and to function well it requires balance, not boosting," Dr. Macciochi told POPSUGAR. "Balance comes from more than just nutrition and supplementation and extends to basic hygiene, a sensible lifestyle with regular physical activity, getting adequate sleep, and managing stress. By trying to do this most of the time, we stand the best chance of letting our immune system do what it does best."
So, while there's no miracle formula that will "boost" immunity overnight, there are definitely ways in which we can give our immune system the best chance of working at its optimum level. "There are serious infections of which no amount of lifestyle intervention will make you invincible" says Dr. Macciochi, however, "there are still plenty of small things you can do that may strengthen your immune system."
Get Enough Sleep
We all know that sleep is paramount for our mental health, overall wellbeing, and immune system [4] — but what about the science behind it all?
"Specialised viral fighting cells called "natural killer cells" are one of our first lines of defence against colds and flu," explains Dr Macciochi. "Just one bad night's sleep can make the numbers of these cells plummet by 70 percent," tipping your immune system into a state of imbalance. All in all, more sleep will improve the production of these killer cells, in turn improving your ability to fight off infection.
Look After Your Gut
"More than 70-percent of our immune system is located in the gut," explains Dr Macciochi, so it's important that you're eating a diverse range of foods, including plants and fibre, to provide your gut with good bacteria.
Macciochi recommends eating lots of onion and garlic (to get a daily dose of plant polyphenols), which are full of antioxidants and help your immune system fight back naturally. A poor diet can also significantly disrupt your immune system in more ways than one. "If you're feeling sorry for yourself, you might be tempted to cheer yourself up with comfort foods or sugary snacks — however, eating or drinking sugar limits your body's ability to absorb vitamin C," the antioxidant fundamental for supporting a healthy immune system.
Eat For the Seasons
It makes sense: we crave different foods in the Summer as we do in Winter, just as our immune system changes with each season, too. During the colder months, "our body needs the energy to stay healthy, so it's best to stick to light, warming meals that are easy to digest, such as soups and broths," Dr Macciochi tells POPSUGAR. It also means we eat foods that are in season, which can provide the body with more nutrients, too.
Keep Your Stress Levels in Check
"Stress is one of the major contributors to an unbalanced immune system and susceptibility to infections," explains Dr Macciochi. "After a stressful event, cortisol (the stress hormone) reduces the amount of circulating immune cells, putting a pause on generation of new ones". In extreme cases, cortisol can cause inflammation, leaving us more susceptible to infection. "It's important to try and reduce stress as much as you can through breathing techniques or just taking a moment for yourself," advises Dr Macciochi.
Keep Moving
Right now, keeping active is more important than ever for both our mental health and our immune system. "Exercise has a profound impact on the immune system's ability to carry out its many tasks," says Dr Macciochi, as the movement of our muscles helps to maintain a healthy lymphatic flow (our lymphatic system is critical for our immune system to function properly). It's important to maintain low and high impact exercise, from brisk walking to higher intensity activities. And if you're stuck indoors, there are a wide variety of fitness apps and streaming workouts [5] to choose from.
Know Your Vitamins
The vitamins conducive to a healthy immune system? Dr Macciochi advises we take vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc, recommending a supplement that covers all three from Tonic Health [6].
Each plays an important role: vitamin D is vital in promoting bone health and supporting your immune system; vitamin C, known to boost energy levels, has been shown to speed up recovery when you have a cold (when infection occurs, our body's demand for it increases); and zinc, is also proven to help immune defences fight a cold faster.