Immune Support A to Z
by GRP dietician Megan Chacosky
As winter continues to march forward, there are many nutritional tactics you can employ to help boost your immune system through food. Maintaining a robust micronutrient intake each day can help your overall health, as well as possibly prevent the onset or severity of common colds, flus, or infections that become more pervasive throughout the winter months. Approximately 70-80% of our immune cells exist within the gut*, making our dietary intake an incredibly impactful piece of the puzzle for sustainable, systemic immune health. And while it’s really difficult to “spot fix” a specific inflammatory response with a certain food or food group - or make an entirely exhaustive list of every nutrient or superfood that might be beneficial in some way - the tables below represent some of the most consistently studied vitamins and minerals you can readily aim to include on a regular basis to maintain health: Vitamin A, the B Vitamin complex, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Iron, Magnesium, Probiotics, Selenium and Zinc.
This mighty collection of micronutrients are only needed in small amounts each day, but pack a major punch when it comes to protecting all of our body’s cellular functions - especially developing a strong immune system. Vitamins and minerals work in a variety of ways to strengthen the immune response:
Bolster the innate immune response of the skin barrier to prevent pathogen entrance into the body
Become the building blocks for the variety of white blood cells that counter foreign substances
Act as antioxidants to help remove free radicals (unstable molecules that build up quickly during viral infections that can damage surrounding cells)
Nutritionally speaking, the term “antioxidant” functions more like an adjective than a noun, describing how certain, already-existing nutrient components like vitamins and minerals have the ability to mimic the body’s natural response to quell free radicals
Support the adaptive immune response as the body develops a means to protect itself better if it encounters the same foreign substance later on
Repair cell damage after an infection has been fended off
When contemplating supplementation versus natural food intake for certain nutrients, Hippocrates’ recommendation to “let food be thy medicine” can be a powerful starting place. Getting as many of the key immune-supporting micronutrients through whole food sources can lead to a greater overall health effect for two main reasons. First, foods with antioxidant properties (like most fruits and vegetables) tend to be absorbed and utilized best within the body when consumed in their innate form and alongside other natural plant compounds. Second, whole food sources provide the key macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, proteins, and water) that give our body the energy it needs to work throughout the day, or to maintain its ability to heal if we’re already in the throes of an illness.
If whole food sources are out of season or unavailable, or you’re relying on a more consistent and convenient way to ensure you’re meeting all of your micronutrient recommendations for immune and overall health, supplements can certainly have a place helping meet your overall nutrition needs too. Look for next month’s newsletter about supplement selection and safety to get a deeper look into non-food nutrients.
*To read the full research article for more information on gut health, The Interplay between the Gut Microbiome and the Immune System, follow this link.
