1
00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,960
Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey, brain Stuff,

2
00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:11,239
Speaker 1: Lauren Vogelbaum here. Doing everything we can to have an

3
00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:13,800
Speaker 1: immune system that runs like a top should be a

4
00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,880
Speaker 1: priority all the time, but of course it's on our

5
00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,759
Speaker 1: minds more during cold and flu season and when we're

6
00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:23,400
Speaker 1: worried about a deadly pandemic. You may have heard that

7
00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:27,000
Speaker 1: certain foods are good for bolstering your immune system, but

8
00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:31,639
Speaker 1: is that true? First off, there's no way to boost

9
00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:35,760
Speaker 1: your immune system. We spoke with Kristen Kirkpatrick, a registered

10
00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:39,560
Speaker 1: dietitian with Cleveland Clinic. She said, it's better to say

11
00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:44,320
Speaker 1: enhancing immunity. And here's why. The human immune system has

12
00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:49,400
Speaker 1: two facets, innate and acquired or adaptive. The innate immune

13
00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,400
Speaker 1: system is your first line of defense that starts working

14
00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:55,160
Speaker 1: the moment you're born, based on your mother's lifestyle when

15
00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:57,960
Speaker 1: you were in the womb. These are cells that go

16
00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,920
Speaker 1: to work immediately fighting off in actions. But if the

17
00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,960
Speaker 1: innate system can't do the job, after four to seven days,

18
00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:10,000
Speaker 1: adaptive white blood cells and proteins acquired antibodies targeted to

19
00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,319
Speaker 1: a specific pathogen will be mobilized to fight the infection.

20
00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:18,520
Speaker 1: It's true that these two systems do better under certain conditions,

21
00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,560
Speaker 1: but our bodies aren't like a video game. You can't

22
00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,959
Speaker 1: just eat or drink something to get a health bonus. Still,

23
00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,600
Speaker 1: eating the right foods can maintain or improve your bodies

24
00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:33,600
Speaker 1: immune function. Fresh or minimally processed foods are best, and

25
00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,200
Speaker 1: excess sugar should be avoided because it can slow down

26
00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:40,640
Speaker 1: immune function. Kirkpatrick said a healthy diet, along with things

27
00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:44,080
Speaker 1: like sleep and stress management, all those things help contribute

28
00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:48,000
Speaker 1: to that robust immune system. Good food diversity and colorful

29
00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:50,360
Speaker 1: plants are going to be a key factor to a

30
00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,680
Speaker 1: healthy gut. But don't kill yourself if you have a cookie.

31
00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:58,920
Speaker 1: We also spoke with Alison Brown, a nutritional researcher and

32
00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,560
Speaker 1: chair of the National Organization of Blocks in Dietetics and Nutrition.

33
00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,200
Speaker 1: She explained that you could compare the body and immune

34
00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:10,560
Speaker 1: system to a luxury imported car. Unfortunately, some of us

35
00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:14,440
Speaker 1: treat our automobiles better than our bodies. She said, if

36
00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,040
Speaker 1: your car is a luxury car, you can't just put

37
00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:19,560
Speaker 1: regular gas in a luxury car. You want to put

38
00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:23,400
Speaker 1: premium fuel in it. So the same goes for your body.

39
00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,320
Speaker 1: Here's a few things you need to fuel it right.

40
00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,560
Speaker 1: First up evidence shows that vitamin A enhances immune response

41
00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,800
Speaker 1: in ways that researchers are still unpacking, though we do

42
00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,119
Speaker 1: know that it supports the innate immune system, including what's

43
00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:43,240
Speaker 1: called natural killer cells. Plus, vitamin A is needed to

44
00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,480
Speaker 1: form the epithelial cells and mucous layer that act as

45
00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:51,160
Speaker 1: defensive barriers in the lungs and intestines. The best sources

46
00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:53,800
Speaker 1: for vitamin A tend to be orange or golden colored

47
00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:58,160
Speaker 1: foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, egg yolks, and cantaloupe, though

48
00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:01,440
Speaker 1: other plant and animal sources includes finach, broccoli, and liver.

49
00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,920
Speaker 1: Then there's full late, also known as B nine, which

50
00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:10,480
Speaker 1: helps send signals to the natural killer cells. It also

51
00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:14,440
Speaker 1: helps with forming and repairing DNA. To incorporate more into

52
00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,560
Speaker 1: your diet, look two lentils and other lagoons, leafy greens

53
00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:23,480
Speaker 1: like brussels sprouts, beats, and the aforementioned deliver. Then, of course,

54
00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:27,000
Speaker 1: there's the famous vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that does

55
00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:31,480
Speaker 1: many beneficial things for the body. Research paper that explored

56
00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,880
Speaker 1: vitamin c's impact on immunity says that it supports protective

57
00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:39,360
Speaker 1: epithelial cells and killer cells work. It's also crucial for

58
00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:43,960
Speaker 1: helping immune cells called macrophages to clean up infected areas.

59
00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:48,560
Speaker 1: The best sources include things like citrus, kiwi fruits, and spinach.

60
00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:53,440
Speaker 1: Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is also critical to optimal

61
00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:56,880
Speaker 1: immune function in the body. It acts as a hormone

62
00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:01,200
Speaker 1: that signals actions and cells and helps fight offruses and infections.

63
00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,720
Speaker 1: Low vitamin D levels are associated with higher rates of sepsis,

64
00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:09,520
Speaker 1: m R s A and hepatitis C, but when people

65
00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:12,200
Speaker 1: have at least thirty nanogram's permilla leader of vitamin D

66
00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,480
Speaker 1: in their bloodstream can help prevent or blunt the severity

67
00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:20,640
Speaker 1: of pneumonia and respiratory infections. Researchers at the Medical University

68
00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:24,320
Speaker 1: of South Carolina currently are studying weather supplementing with vitamin

69
00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:28,279
Speaker 1: D can lessen the severity of COVID nineteen infections. They're

70
00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,760
Speaker 1: hoping that D three supplementation in particular, could better the

71
00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:35,200
Speaker 1: survival odds for Black Americans and the elderly in care homes,

72
00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,080
Speaker 1: both being groups of people who run a higher risk

73
00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,520
Speaker 1: of vitamin D deficiency and both having been especially vulnerable

74
00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:46,800
Speaker 1: to COVID nineteen. Salmon, other fatty fish, and egg yokes

75
00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:49,720
Speaker 1: offers small amounts of vitamin D and sun exposure is

76
00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:52,800
Speaker 1: an easy way to synthesize of vitamin D unless you

77
00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:57,040
Speaker 1: have darker skin, in which case D three supplements are key.

78
00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,840
Speaker 1: Nutritional Epidemiologist Walter Willet colleagues at Harvard University's th H.

79
00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:05,159
Speaker 1: Chan School of Public Health recommend taking a supplement of

80
00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:08,720
Speaker 1: one thousand or two thousand international units per day if

81
00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:11,920
Speaker 1: you believe your levels might be low, for instance, if

82
00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:16,240
Speaker 1: you have darker skin or get limited sun exposure. Then

83
00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,680
Speaker 1: there's vitamin E, which is a nutrient that can help

84
00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:21,559
Speaker 1: protect cells from damage and support the creation and action

85
00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:23,760
Speaker 1: of T cells, which are a type of white blood

86
00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,920
Speaker 1: cell that's important to the immune system. Good sources include almonds,

87
00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:32,600
Speaker 1: sunflower seeds and most other seeds for that matter, avocados, spinach, mangoes,

88
00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:36,400
Speaker 1: butternut squash, and cooking oils like staff flour and olive oil.

89
00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:42,279
Speaker 1: And finally, there's selenium, a trace mineral that's necessary for

90
00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:46,680
Speaker 1: certain proteins to function. Those seleno proteins help kick off

91
00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:50,640
Speaker 1: the immune response when germs invade, but it also makes

92
00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:54,120
Speaker 1: sure the response isn't too vigorous, which can cause inflammation

93
00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:58,279
Speaker 1: and cell damage. Brazil nuts, fish, chicken, and ham all

94
00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:06,080
Speaker 1: contain it. Today's episode was written by Maria C. Hunt

95
00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:08,360
Speaker 1: and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this and

96
00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,320
Speaker 1: lots of other curious topics, visit how stuff works dot com.

97
00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,120
Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio or more podcasts

98
00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:17,040
Speaker 1: my heart Radio visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

99
00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:18,880
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,