In today’s health-conscious world, many people are concerned with improving their immune systems naturally. The body’s immune system is complex, and it can be difficult to understand what optimizes it to create long-lasting health.
Dr. Ryan Shelton Zenith Labs explains the top four ways in which you can improve your immune system naturally, recommending supplements you can take and other steps that can boost your protection from disease.
How Does The Immune System Work?
Every day, our bodies are exposed to microbes that could be harmful. Our immune system is a network of mechanisms inside the body that helps to protect us against microbes and other disease vectors. The immune system recognizes invaders like parasites, viruses, and bacteria and protects us from these threats.
The two types of immunity that our bodies have are called innate immunity and adaptive immunity. Protective barriers within our bodies provide innate immunity. These barriers include our skin, mucus, stomach acid, enzymes in our tears and sweat, and the cells in our immune systems that attack foreign bodies.
Adaptive immunity is when the body learns to recognize pathogens. The spleen, bone marrow, thymus, and lymph nodes govern this type of immunity. When foreign substances enter the body, these organs create antibodies. Immune cells, including white blood cells, multiply and destroy the substances. The immune system adapts to the new threat by remembering the foreign cells. If they enter the body again, the antibodies can destroy it more efficiently.
Factors that Suppress a Healthy Immune System
Advancing age can slow the immune system down. Internal organs may lose their efficiency. The organs that produce immune cells slow down. Also, aging is associated with deficiencies in micronutrients that support immune function.
Environmental toxins like air pollution and alcohol are also dangerous for people with depressed immune systems. Excess weight is another serious problem since it is associated with chronic inflammation.
Poor diet and chronic disease can also slow down immune functions. In addition, mental stress and lack of sleep can put a damper on the immune system.
If you feel that your immune system is not working in the way it should, there are many steps you can take to reverse the decline in your personal protection.
Here are the top four ways that you can get started on a healthy immune system:
1. Start with a Healthy Diet
The most important change you can make to protect your immune system is eating a healthy and varied diet. Too many people overload their bodies with fried food, fatty meats, and empty carbohydrates. To jumpstart your immune system, an example of a wise choice would be following a heart-healthy Mediterranean diet.
The Mediterranean diet includes lean meats and fish, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, olive oil in place of butter, and whole grains in refined sugars and flour. People can feel healthy and satisfied while following the diet, lessening the feeling of deprivation that often causes them to “cheat” on their diet plans.
The diet keeps cholesterol at a healthy level. It lowers blood sugar and can help to prevent diabetes and prediabetes. It can help calm inflammation, which is an immune system response that happens when the body tries to fight off invaders. The diet keeps arteries strong and flexible.
When you follow this diet or a similar low-fat, high-protein eating plan, you will find that your immune system can fight inflammation more effectively as well as combating invaders like bacteria and viruses.
2. Probiotics
A natural, easy way to boost immunity is by taking probiotics. A probiotic contains healthy, living bacteria that help your body fight disease. Oral probiotics interact with the immune cells, inducing the production of cytokines or chemokines and stimulating the production of T-cells. Probiotics can also help to reinforce the intestinal barrier by increasing mucus and other protective proteins.
When people are undernourished or obese, probiotics can increase their systemic immune response. It makes sense that everyone concerned about their health would want to take probiotics, which are a side-effect-free and natural remedy.
3. Detoxing the Body
When people live unhealthy lives, often their natural liver function is depressed. Excessive alcohol and obesity can damage the function of the liver and prevent natural detox from occurring. Detoxing your body is proven to help with jump-starting your immune system.
Stay away from processed and packaged foods. Eat fresh food from natural sources. It is best to eat about 50 percent vegetables and fruits in your daily diet since they are full of beneficial phytochemicals and fiber.
4. Vitamins
Finally, your body needs micronutrients like vitamins and minerals to have a healthy immune system. The importance of Vitamin C is well-known, but other antioxidants like B-vitamins and Vitamin A should be considered equally important. As much as possible, get your vitamins from whole, fresh foods, but you may, of course, supplement if you feel that you are not getting enough nutrition from your daily diet.
Supporting a Healthy Immune System
Dr. Ryan Shelton Zenith Labs offers products that are helpful with boosting your immune system. The company takes your immune health seriously.
Taking these steps toward a healthier life doesn’t have to be complicated. Through natural living and supplements when needed, you can boost your immune system naturally.
Hannah is a professional writer who loves to make research on unique topics and express her thoughts by content writing.
