Supporting Your Immune System for Winter: A Dive into Five Key Players and Essential Supplements

Happy Autumn everyone!

With the official start of winter less than a week away let’s talk about immunity and how we can support our immune systems!

 Your immune system is a fascinating and wonderful thing!! For this blog I am only going to focus on five important players as there are lots of smaller cells and mediators involved in the intricate dance that provides us with immunity!

 ·         Natural Killer cells are your front-line attackers. They attack any of our cells that are infected with viral pathogens.

 ·         Dendritic cells are your immune system co-ordinators. These guys are responsible for co-ordinating the T-cell responses against antigen proteins (found on the outside of cells or viruses).

·         T-Cells act as the directors of the process. They are active against antigen proteins on pathogenic cells and wipe out any infected cells.

·         Macrophages are a type of white blood cell and are responsible for eating pathogens and mopping up the mess.

·         B-Cells are responsible for creating antibodies against antigens and disabling their infectious impact. This allows your immune system to recognise a pathogen and mount a quicker response next time you are exposed.

So, what are the drivers of impaired immune function?

 1.    Nutritional deficiencies – Our immune system relies on the following vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A,C,D,E,B6,B12, foliate, iron, copper, selenium and zinc!

2.    Stress (physical and emotional) – it increases inflammation and decreases natural killer cell activity

3.    Sleep dysregulation – it decreases natural killer cell activity and our T-cell levels

4.    Ageing – increasing age equals a declining immune response. Sorry but you can’t do much about this one!!

It is really important that we support and stimulate our immune system! Having a healthy colourful diet, reducing processed foods, increasing our water intake, exercising, improving the quality and quantity of our sleep and using stress relieving techniques all help but life is life, and we are bound to get run down and unwell at some stage!

How can we supplement our diet to help our immune system?

·         Vitamin C – helps reduce the severity & duration of an upper respiratory tract infection like the common cold. It increases the activity of our infection fighting cells and inhibits viral growth. Brussel sprouts, citrus fruits, capsicum, kiwi fruit, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, and kale all pack a vitamin C punch!

·         Vitamin D – maintains healthy immune function. The best source is from the sun in the form of UVB radiation and winter is the perfect time to be outside with some skin exposed while the UV index is under three. This will allow you to get the vitamin D without getting burnt. Vitamin D can also be found in oily fish like salmon, eggs, liver and mushrooms.

·         Zinc – supports healthy immune system function and assists the body’s natural immune responses. It is crucial to the production of antibodies. It has also been shown to reduce the severity and duration of colds and sore throats. Zinc can be found in oysters, red meat, nuts and whole grains.

·         Andrographis – this is a herb that stimulates the immune system and assists recovery from cold symptoms including nasal congestion, cough, fever and sore throat.

·         Medicinal mushrooms – these have been found to enhance and regulate immune system function.

·         Probiotics - gastrointestinal health is really important to support your immune system. Your gut releases antibacterial and anti-inflammatory molecules. There are types of probiotics that have been proven to help support a healthy immune system.

There you have it! Some tips for supporting your immune system this winter.

Here at Bespoke Chiropractic we stock a range of professional only supplements so feel free to chat with us at your next appointment if you would like some further information or talk with your regular health professional.

 *Disclaimer:  A reminder that this advice is general and always seek personal advice from your health care provider before starting any exercises or health routine.