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Immune Boosting Foods Part 2:
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Hosting, Research, Writing & Post-Production by Lara Hyde, PhD
Music & Video Production by Robbie Hyde
Opening Motion Graphics by Jay Purugganan
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The information in this video is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this video is for general information purposes only.
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The idea of eating foods to bolster immune function is always enticing, and especially right now with the COVID-19 pandemic. There are no known foods, nutrients or supplements that prevent or treat infection with the novel coronavirus. Your body’s immune system is like your government’s military. The military is protecting a country from foreign invaders, the immune system is protecting your body from invading microbes. The military has several branches with specialized functions – the Army, Navy, Air Force and Space Force. The immune system has many kinds of white blood cells each with their own specialized functions. Here are three tools in the immune system’s arsenal. Tool #1 is inflammation. Inflammation is initiated when white blood cells sound the alarm by secreting chemical messengers called cytokines. This helps recruit more white blood cells to the battlefront. Tool #2 are free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive compounds stored inside some white blood cells. When white blood cells engulf a microbe, they spray it with free radicals to destroy the invader. But here’s the thing. While inflammation and free radicals are effective at destruction, they’re non-specific and can damage healthy tissue caught in the crossfire. So the immune system needs to make this warfare more targeted. Antibodies are proteins that specifically recognize the invading microbe. Where does nutrition fit in? In order for the immune system to be constantly producing new white blood cells and ramping up antibodies, it needs raw materials from the diet. Severe malnutrition impairs immune function. Protein provides the building blocks to synthesize new white blood cells and antibodies. But how much do you need? It depends on your size – adults need 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight. There are many ways to get sufficient protein with or without animal products. Protein deficiency is exceptionally rare for Americans so this issue isn’t really a concern for immune function. Deficiencies of other nutrients can severely impair immune function like zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and the B vitamins. If free radicals get out of control they can wreak havoc called oxidative stress. Antioxidants like vitamin C and E can quench these free radicals to neutralize oxidative stress. Don’t be deficient in nutrients if you want your immune system to function. Deficiency is common in some low and middle-income countries, especially for pregnant women and young children. Supplementing with essential nutrients to reverse deficiency enables immune function, and is truly lifesaving. In high-income countries like the United States, deficiency is rare. Between varied diets and fortified foods, Americans have sufficient intake of essential nutrients for immune function. Is there a difference between sufficiency and optimal when it comes to immune health?
