How to Boost the Immune System
Here are 8 solutions to boost the immune system and be in top shape!
The immune system
Christine Walker, 53, seemed to catch every cold that passed. She realized that if she didn't tackle the problem, her immune function would only weaken as she aged. His mother, who had never led a healthy lifestyle, suffered as she grew older from chronic illnesses and mobility issues. His father, on the other hand, who had always exercised, rarely complained of being sick in his 80s. "My parents are day and night," confides Christine. I obviously hope to grow old like my father!”
Alas, his way of life did not make things easier. She worked long hours at the head of a culinary arts school, which left her little time for exercise or the great outdoors. And by March 2020, when the pandemic forced her to work from her home in Whitby, Ont., she was spending even more time at her table.
This sedentary diet had repercussions. In addition to catching all kinds of germs, Christine began to sleep poorly and suffer from joint pain, not to mention her weight, which was becoming worrying. “I even wondered if I would be able to fight COVID,” she says.
One evening in April last year, after crawling into bed with the usual aches and pains from her long day of sitting, Christine decided to take charge of herself. The next day, she began the habit of walking every day with her husband in a small park in the neighborhood. As she regained her strength, her walks got longer, then, thanks to an application, she discovered hiking routes of several kilometers. The couple took up cycling – a little exhausting and hard on the knees at first, but Christine eventually built up some stamina. She tackled her diet, making sure to eat healthy foods like vegetables and grains rather than chips and sweets. She took online fitness classes and lifted weights.
After a few weeks, the changes were noticeable. “More alert, I had less trouble waking up in the morning,” she enthuses. She rode 16 kilometers on a bicycle without getting tired, without being hampered in the hills that she would have had to climb on foot next to her bicycle. She had less pain in her knees on the stairs and used ibuprofen less often. His stress level went down. “Stress puts a strain on the body much more than we think. I'm more patient now, less frustrated."
The immune system is affected by many factors against which we are powerless – aging, among others, or genetic baggage, which makes us unequal in the face of disease – but also by malnutrition (due to a loss of appetite or celiac disease, for example) and physical immobility (bed rest, temporary injury).
That said, Christine has good reason to hope that she will be able to fight the disease better as she gets older. Indeed, as scientists are proving, certain lifestyle changes improve the body's ability to defend itself against disease and infection.
Immune function is extraordinarily complex. “We still have trouble understanding it, recognizes Donald Vinh, specialist in infectious diseases and medical microbiologist at the McGill University Health Center in Montreal. We have progressed for 50 years, but the field of research remains vast.”
Compared to the cardiovascular system or respiratory function, the human immune system involves countless elements, including antibodies, organs, certain proteins and enzymes, not to mention lymphocytes such as natural killer cells (which attack cells infected) and memory cells (B and T lymphocytes designed to recognize and fight any microbes that re-enter the body). These lymphocytes are everywhere, from the skin to the brain and bone marrow. Even the mucous membrane that lines our lungs and the acid in our stomach are part of our natural defenses.
These elements interact and complement each other. We inherit some of these tools at birth, ready to identify and attack invaders (this is innate immunity). Others learn to defend themselves against germs they encounter for the first time (this is adaptive immunity).
Given this complexity, it is illusory to look for a quick fix or a miracle pill. “You don't strengthen the immune system like you do a muscle; it's far from being that simple”, notes Donald Vinh.
But like any other bodily function, immunity is most effective when you maintain your health. Here are eight practical approaches with proven positive results. But there are a multitude of good tips to try to strengthen the immune system.
To get vaccinated
The vaccine, the most important discovery in human history, strengthens the immune system. Vaccination of children has been a key factor in increasing life expectancy.
“Polio has almost disappeared and children have stopped dying of diphtheria thanks to it”, explains Donald Vinh. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination against diseases like influenza and measles saved four to five million lives annually, according to the World Health Organization. "Vaccines do not solve all the problems, but they are extremely effective," insists the microbiologist.
The vaccine is a kind of training session for adaptive immunity, teaching it how to fight off an unknown invader. We usually inject an inert or weakened component of the virus that cannot make us sick. Some modern vaccines instead contain instructions for our bodies to make harmless proteins similar to the virus.
“The vaccine creates a reserve of antibodies which will later help to fight the microbe if it arises”, explains Donald Vinh. Researchers are working on molecules that would stimulate our innate immunity, he adds. Although a naturally contracted infection produces the same effect as a vaccine, it nevertheless carries risks. “Polio is the best example of this. In some, it gives only a little diarrhea, while others remain paralyzed.
Watch your diet
Inflammation, this essential chemical reaction of our immune response, does not only have good sides. When it helps, it traps viruses and bacteria by releasing fluids and causing swelling. It promotes tissue healing by engaging its cleaning crew, specialized white blood cells called phagocytes. But glucose and fat can also trigger inflammation that can wreak havoc on the body if it's constant.
Chronic inflammation is associated with health problems like diabetes, liver disease and cardiovascular disease. Refined carbs like white flour and sugary drinks, including soda, have long been linked to increased inflammation in the body – although the mechanism isn't fully understood yet.
“A cookie, a candy or a piece of cake will not have an effect on the immune system if you eat it only occasionally, assures Maryam Naslafkih, dietitian and biochemist from Saint-Jean, New Braunschweig. But if you put more ultra-processed products on your plate than whole foods like fruits and vegetables, you won't feel good.
Many studies confirm the link between diet and immune function. In 2021, researchers at Harvard University assessed the dietary habits of nearly 600,000 subjects and found that the risk of serious complications associated with COVID-19 was 41% lower in individuals whose diet incorporated more plant-based products compared to those who ate poorly.
Should I use dietary supplements? “Many people imagine that minerals and vitamins stimulate the immune system, but gorging on them does not make you superhuman,” explains Donald Vinh.
For most of us, a varied and balanced diet provides most of the nutrients and micronutrients the body needs, even as we get older. Megavitamins, herbs, and other products will hurt your wallet, but there's no evidence that they help your immune system fight disease. On the contrary, many supplements – iron, zinc and vitamins A, C, D and E, among others – can have side effects or be toxic in high doses.
Immune function is sometimes affected by vitamin deficiency. Vegans should take a vitamin B12 supplement, and for those who don't get enough sun exposure, vitamin D is recommended.
To move
Regular physical activity, even moderate, optimizes immune function. It doesn't take much. A US study of nearly 50,000 people with COVID-19 showed that inactivity increased the risk of hospitalization, while those who engaged in even minimal exercise had a better chance of recovering without go through the hospital.
An experiment whose results were published in 2018 by Duke University School of Medicine showed that with 30 minutes of exercise three times a week, inactive elderly people with rheumatoid arthritis had their innate immunity s improve and their inflammation decrease. Researchers don't yet fully understand this effect, but an article published last year in Nature offered an answer: walking and running stimulate the production of B and T cells in the bones.
No need to go to the other extreme: some research shows that prolonged physical exertion, such as running a marathon, disrupts immune function. Instead, aim for 10 to 30 minutes of daily exercise to maximize immune system benefits. If a chronic illness prevents you from achieving this goal, do the best while ensuring your comfort and safety.
"Every minute counts," says Mary Jung, a professor at the University of British Columbia's School of Health and Exercise Sciences. Above all, don't give up, even if you feel like you're not doing enough and it's unnecessary, because, compared to inactivity, doing a minimum has enormous health benefits.
To help you learn how to fit physical activity into an already busy schedule, Mary Jung suggests writing down on a calendar where, when, and with whom you exercise. To add motivation, find a walking buddy or sign up for online workouts.
Drink less alcohol and more water
Alcohol has many harmful effects on the immune system. Heavy drinkers, for example, have a higher risk of pneumonia or other lung diseases. They also recover more slowly from injuries or infections. Alcohol damages many parts of the body that play a role in immunity, such as the cilia of the respiratory tract that trap invaders, or the cells that line the walls of the digestive system and make sure to trap the microbes.
Also, alcohol often takes the place of water which allows the body to drain waste and distribute nutrients; our immune system relies on these two processes. Maryam Naslafkih advises drinkers to drink more slowly and to insert a glass of water between each glass of alcohol, or to increase the amount of sparkling water in cocktails. "For hydration, carbonated water, even flavored, provided it is unsweetened and contains natural flavors, is just as good as plain water," says the dietitian.
Harness your mental strength
When you have an outburst of fear or anxiety, the body is flooded with hormones that help fight or flee danger – by raising the heart rate and blood pressure to circulate oxygen, among other things. This is the response of the sympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system then takes over to slow the heart rate and relax the body.
With chronic stress—due to financial worries, health issues in a loved one—these hormones continue to build up and circulate, which is unhealthy. Chronic stress undermines our defenses and destroys our immune cells. A 2021 study from the University of Western Ontario found that certain stress hormones, glucocorticoids, reduced the function of a class of cancer-fighting T cells.
No matter how brief, a break in a constant flow of stress is beneficial, argues Steve Joordens, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto at Scarborough. "Multiply opportunities to keep anxiety at bay with positive activities," he suggests. Sing, dance, laugh.”
There are other strategies, such as taking the time to feel grateful for what life has to offer: an affectionate cat, the good result of a medical examination, the view from the other side of the window. "It's a way of using something positive to ward off the negative thoughts that plague us."
One can also train to induce physical relaxation. If deep breathing is effective, a little research online will lead you to relaxation exercises to tighten and relax certain muscle groups. “It's a know-how and it takes time to develop it, recognizes Steve Joordens. If you learn to relax completely, you'll know what to do to regain that state when anxiety hits you."
To sleep
A good regular sleep of seven or eight hours a night reduces the risk of infection and chronic inflammation, and improves our response to vaccination. A study in 2020 demonstrated that the flu vaccine produced higher levels of antibodies in healthy adults who slept longer in the days before the injection.
Like exercise, sleep affects our immunity in different ways. A recent study from the Sonnybrook Research Institute in Toronto found that sleep-disturbed older adults performed worse on cognitive tests and had immune gaps; brain autopsies subsequently exposed unhealthy changes in microglia, those immune cells found in brain tissue responsible for removing debris and fighting infection.
Unfortunately, we generally have more trouble sleeping after the age of 55, as our biological clock has lost its effectiveness. We must therefore redouble our efforts to improve the quality of sleep.
“A regular schedule at least five days a week promotes sleep, confirms Steve Joordens. If you have an irregular sleep pattern, wake up at the same time every morning – you'll end up wanting to sleep at a reasonable time."
Take steps to improve your sleep hygiene (in a room where the temperature is low, where it is dark and where there is no noise, for example). You can also consider behavioral therapy that will address the sources of your insomnia; it is generally effective after only four to eight sessions. Otherwise, you can try these anti-stress tips to sleep better.
Nurture your relationships
Research has found that positive social connections result in less chronic stress and inflammation and greater resistance to disease. Loneliness and isolation have the opposite effect. A 2017 experiment published in Health Psychology found that when exposed to the cold virus, people who felt lonely had more severe symptoms, presumably due to difficulty coping with the added burden of illness.
Building friendships and nurturing support networks during a pandemic is no small feat. Be inventive: If you're not a fan of online video chatting, but are afraid of indoor visits, plan outdoor meetups with your friends or get them together at your house without offering food or drink so that everyone can keep their mask. Positive interactions trigger the release of endorphins, which calms the sympathetic nervous system response; also, social connections stimulate natural killer cells.
Steve Joordens is pro-spring cleaning on his social media. “Remove from your friends list or News Feed those who post images or news that cause you anxiety.”
Breathe the fresh air
Enjoying the outdoors not only allows you to escape the indoor ambient air where infectious microbes sometimes circulate, but it is good for immune function. Sunlight improves your sleep pattern and allows the body to produce essential vitamin D. That's not all: In 2016, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center found that sunlight increases T-cell activity. Being outdoors generally invites exercise and relaxation. exposure to nature reduces stress and anxiety. Make sure you know these 9 red flags of vitamin D deficiency.
A few months after setting out to improve her health, Christine Walker was able to convince her family to move to rural Ontario. “It forces me to be active outdoors,” she says, adding that she dedicates herself to the vegetable garden and tending to young apple trees in the summer to enjoy the country air. Christine is satisfied with her new life. "I feel like I'm a better person than two years ago."
6 warning signs
A deficient immune response sometimes signals a more serious medical condition or other health issues. Pay attention to these signs that show you are out of shape.
If any of these situations apply to you, talk to your doctor:
You are too often sick (Canadian employees accumulate on average eight or nine days of sick leave per year).
You have recurrent digestive problems, diarrhea or stomach ache for example.
You catch diseases that generally spare those around you.
Your cuts and scrapes take longer to heal.
You seem to catch new germs even before recovering from previous ones.
Your allergy symptoms are wearing you down more than usual.
