Feeling rubbish?

Are you often ill, picking up infections easily and/or finding it hard to shake them off?

You might need support for your immune system.

Your immune system is your body’s defence mechanism, but it needs to be trained and supported to work well. A lack of immune supporting nutrients, stress, robust skin, lung and gut barriers or an imbalance of bacteria can all inhibit immunity, resulting in more frequent or more serious infections.

We are not alone! Because we are surrounded by a vast array of organisms and non-human molecules, some helpful, some harmful, we need a sophisticated system to protect us. Immunity is our body’s ‘defence system’, intelligently monitoring incoming molecules, deciding if they are hostile, destroying harmful ones, and also repairing any subsequent damage. We have a strong inborn immune system called innate immunity, which can mount powerful responses, raising inflammation to drive immune cells to the right area to work. This works alongside our adaptive immune system, which enables us to learn about new threats and create a tailored response.

The immune system is usually well-equipped to deal with exposure to pathogens, often before they have a chance to cause symptoms, reacting at the right level and for the right length of time. However, if it becomes overwhelmed it can result in frequent or prolonged infections, inflammation, allergies and can even target our own cells, mistaking them for harmful pathogens.

Most often, low immunity arises when our exposure to pathogenic bacteria and viruses is high (e.g. from public transport, schools, nurseries), yet our immune resilience is low. This can be the result of a variety of factors ranging from being overweight and stressed, to sleeping poorly and having impaired digestion. We will also be exposed to pathogens from the environment to some degree, so it is important to work to improve the resilience of the immune system.

Immunity can be affected by many things. The food we eat may not nourish it – vitamin C, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin D, and many others are key nutrients for the immune system. We may have a lack of antioxidant-containing foods (fruit, vegetables) which otherwise nourish and help to prevent damage. Sometimes food can also act as a negative stimulus on the immune system creating food sensitivity responses. Stress and our lifestyle choices can also have a huge impact, both reducing immunity or driving an excessive response. The integrity of our skin, lung, and gut ‘barriers’ is important for good protection, as are the natural bacteria that live upon them.

How can we optimise our immunity to protect ourselves from pathogens? How can immune supporting vitamins, plant extracts, live bacteria and other nutrients in supplements help?

The key to supporting your immune system is to reduce stress on the body by managing your diet and lifestyle and increasing your intake of the key nutrients.

Here are some useful tips to help you support your immune system.

• Ensure a good evening and sleep routine by reducing exposure to blue light in the evening (TV, phone, laptop etc.), and sleeping in a cool, dark room.
• Build downtime into your daily routine, perhaps practising mindfulness or meditation or giving yourself dedicated ‘me time’ for something you really enjoy.
• Move regularly to support healthy weight management and encourage lymph flow and movement of white cells around the body.
• Spend time in nature: research shows it can stimulate the immune system, reduce stress levels and improve wellbeing.
• Incorporate cold water therapy by alternating hot and cold in the shower which can help to stimulate the immune system.

• Enjoy a diet rich in a wide variety of plants of different colours to ensure a diverse daily intake of immune-supportive nutrients.
• Increase your intake of the fat-soluble vitamins D, A and omega 3 which are mostly found in good quality meat and fish, or supplement if needed.
• Include probiotic-rich foods: sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha to support your gut bacteria.
• Reduce inflammatory foods including processed foods, gluten containing grains, dairy, sugar, artificial sweeteners, caffeine and alcohol.

Prefer a capsule? Microcell® NutriGuard Plus contains some key nutrients and antioxidants, like vitamin A & C, zinc, and selenium to support immunity, and is a great option for everyday immune optimisation.

There are lots of factors that can influence our energy levels, but supporting our body with the right nutrients and adjusting our lifestyle habits can provide benefits.