In the wake of Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, you have been told countless times to wash hands, avoid crowded places, wear masks etc. Yet not much about boosting the immune system has been shared, which doesn't make sense. As we all know, the said virus and most viruses for that matter, typically prefer to attack people with weakened immune systems. It is, therefore, imperative to boost the immune systems using specific strategies. While that won't completely bullet-proof your body, it is definitely better than being a sitting duck.
Here are some tried and proven tips to ramp up your personal defence system:
Eat more foods that strengthen the immune system.
Focus on foods that contain the following nutrients:
Vitamin C. We all know this nutrient fights infections. This popular nutrient is thought to increase the production of white blood cells which are key to fighting infections. Because your body doesn't produce or store it, you need daily vitamin C for continued health. High vitamin C foods include grapefruit, oranges, lemons. broccoli, red bell peppers etc.
Vitamin E. This is a powerful antioxidant that helps the body fight off infection. Foods rich in vitamin E include nuts, seeds, peanut butter, cereal, broccoli, and spinach.
Vitamin B6 is vital to supporting biochemical reactions in the immune system. Vitamin B6-rich foods include meat, liver, and cold-water fish such as salmon and tuna. Vitamin B6 also is found in green vegetables and in chickpeas, which is the main ingredient in hummus.
Vitamin D. This Vitamin, which can get easily from adequate exposure to the Sun daily, supports a healthy immune system by behaving like a so-called volume control—turning up or down our immune cell actions. Time to don on your sleeveless shirt/blouse and let the body soak in the Sun.
Mineral zinc. Research suggests that people who are deficient in zinc have severe dysfunction in their immune systems, Get Zinc from sources like seafood (particularly oysters), eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy products,
Other foods that may offer protection benefits include ginger, probiotics, garlic etc.
Exercise regularly but not excessively
The link between exercise and increased immunity is not clear but it could be that each bout of exercise causes a transient increase in immune system activity, increasing the numbers of white blood cells and immunoglobulin in the blood, which acts to reduce a person¹s susceptibility to disease, according to the researchers.
Some exercises like 30 to 60 minutes a day of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise—brisk walking, swimming, cycling or jogging or 15 to 20 minutes of HIIT — go a long way when it comes to optimizing immune function.
Weight training for 30-45 minutes, 2 or 3 times a week is good too. More recent research shows that resistance training session transiently increases the number of circulating immune cells that help protect the body against infection
Take note that, if you over-exercise, beyond the recommended amount, it can be counter-productive and your immune system takes a beating instead. The reason for this is simple: your body sees long periods of exercise as stress. This raises the levels of norepinephrine and cortisol. Such hormones tend to suppress the immune system. They cause the numbers of immune cells (including white blood cells) to drop during and after the workout.
Sleep/rest more.
There's a strong link between sleep and a healthy immune system. Without sufficient sleep and rest, your body makes fewer cytokines, a type of protein to combat foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. If you want to keep the viruses at bay, stop keeping late nights and hit the sack as early as possible.
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