WEBVTT - Can Foods Really Boost Your Immune System?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum here. Doing everything we can to have an

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<v Speaker 1>immune system that runs like a top should be a

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<v Speaker 1>priority all the time, but of course it's on our

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<v Speaker 1>minds more during cold and flu season and when we're

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<v Speaker 1>worried about a deadly pandemic. You may have heard that

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<v Speaker 1>certain foods are good for bolstering your immune system, but

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<v Speaker 1>is that true? First off, there's no way to boost

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<v Speaker 1>your immune system. We spoke with Kristen Kirkpatrick, a registered

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<v Speaker 1>dietitian with Cleveland Clinic. She said, it's better to say

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<v Speaker 1>enhancing immunity. And here's why. The human immune system has

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<v Speaker 1>two facets, innate and acquired or adaptive. The innate immune

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<v Speaker 1>system is your first line of defense that starts working

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<v Speaker 1>the moment you're born, based on your mother's lifestyle when

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<v Speaker 1>you were in the womb. These are cells that go

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<v Speaker 1>to work immediately fighting off in actions. But if the

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<v Speaker 1>innate system can't do the job, after four to seven days,

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<v Speaker 1>adaptive white blood cells and proteins acquired antibodies targeted to

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<v Speaker 1>a specific pathogen will be mobilized to fight the infection.

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<v Speaker 1>It's true that these two systems do better under certain conditions,

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<v Speaker 1>but our bodies aren't like a video game. You can't

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<v Speaker 1>just eat or drink something to get a health bonus. Still,

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<v Speaker 1>eating the right foods can maintain or improve your bodies

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<v Speaker 1>immune function. Fresh or minimally processed foods are best, and

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<v Speaker 1>excess sugar should be avoided because it can slow down

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<v Speaker 1>immune function. Kirkpatrick said a healthy diet, along with things

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<v Speaker 1>like sleep and stress management, all those things help contribute

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<v Speaker 1>to that robust immune system. Good food diversity and colorful

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<v Speaker 1>plants are going to be a key factor to a

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<v Speaker 1>healthy gut. But don't kill yourself if you have a cookie.

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<v Speaker 1>We also spoke with Alison Brown, a nutritional researcher and

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<v Speaker 1>chair of the National Organization of Blocks in Dietetics and Nutrition.

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<v Speaker 1>She explained that you could compare the body and immune

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<v Speaker 1>system to a luxury imported car. Unfortunately, some of us

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<v Speaker 1>treat our automobiles better than our bodies. She said, if

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<v Speaker 1>your car is a luxury car, you can't just put

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<v Speaker 1>regular gas in a luxury car. You want to put

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<v Speaker 1>premium fuel in it. So the same goes for your body.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's a few things you need to fuel it right.

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<v Speaker 1>First up evidence shows that vitamin A enhances immune response

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<v Speaker 1>in ways that researchers are still unpacking, though we do

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<v Speaker 1>know that it supports the innate immune system, including what's

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<v Speaker 1>called natural killer cells. Plus, vitamin A is needed to

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<v Speaker 1>form the epithelial cells and mucous layer that act as

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<v Speaker 1>defensive barriers in the lungs and intestines. The best sources

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<v Speaker 1>for vitamin A tend to be orange or golden colored

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<v Speaker 1>foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, egg yolks, and cantaloupe, though

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<v Speaker 1>other plant and animal sources includes finach, broccoli, and liver.

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<v Speaker 1>Then there's full late, also known as B nine, which

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<v Speaker 1>helps send signals to the natural killer cells. It also

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<v Speaker 1>helps with forming and repairing DNA. To incorporate more into

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<v Speaker 1>your diet, look two lentils and other lagoons, leafy greens

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<v Speaker 1>like brussels sprouts, beats, and the aforementioned deliver. Then, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>there's the famous vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that does

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<v Speaker 1>many beneficial things for the body. Research paper that explored

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<v Speaker 1>vitamin c's impact on immunity says that it supports protective

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<v Speaker 1>epithelial cells and killer cells work. It's also crucial for

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<v Speaker 1>helping immune cells called macrophages to clean up infected areas.

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<v Speaker 1>The best sources include things like citrus, kiwi fruits, and spinach.

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<v Speaker 1>Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is also critical to optimal

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<v Speaker 1>immune function in the body. It acts as a hormone

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<v Speaker 1>that signals actions and cells and helps fight offruses and infections.

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<v Speaker 1>Low vitamin D levels are associated with higher rates of sepsis,

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<v Speaker 1>m R s A and hepatitis C, but when people

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<v Speaker 1>have at least thirty nanogram's permilla leader of vitamin D

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<v Speaker 1>in their bloodstream can help prevent or blunt the severity

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<v Speaker 1>of pneumonia and respiratory infections. Researchers at the Medical University

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<v Speaker 1>of South Carolina currently are studying weather supplementing with vitamin

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<v Speaker 1>D can lessen the severity of COVID nineteen infections. They're

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<v Speaker 1>hoping that D three supplementation in particular, could better the

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<v Speaker 1>survival odds for Black Americans and the elderly in care homes,

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<v Speaker 1>both being groups of people who run a higher risk

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<v Speaker 1>of vitamin D deficiency and both having been especially vulnerable

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<v Speaker 1>to COVID nineteen. Salmon, other fatty fish, and egg yokes

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<v Speaker 1>offers small amounts of vitamin D and sun exposure is

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<v Speaker 1>an easy way to synthesize of vitamin D unless you

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<v Speaker 1>have darker skin, in which case D three supplements are key.

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<v Speaker 1>Nutritional Epidemiologist Walter Willet colleagues at Harvard University's th H.

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<v Speaker 1>Chan School of Public Health recommend taking a supplement of

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<v Speaker 1>one thousand or two thousand international units per day if

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<v Speaker 1>you believe your levels might be low, for instance, if

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<v Speaker 1>you have darker skin or get limited sun exposure. Then

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<v Speaker 1>there's vitamin E, which is a nutrient that can help

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<v Speaker 1>protect cells from damage and support the creation and action

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<v Speaker 1>of T cells, which are a type of white blood

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<v Speaker 1>cell that's important to the immune system. Good sources include almonds,

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<v Speaker 1>sunflower seeds and most other seeds for that matter, avocados, spinach, mangoes,

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<v Speaker 1>butternut squash, and cooking oils like staff flour and olive oil.

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<v Speaker 1>And finally, there's selenium, a trace mineral that's necessary for

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<v Speaker 1>certain proteins to function. Those seleno proteins help kick off

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<v Speaker 1>the immune response when germs invade, but it also makes

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<v Speaker 1>sure the response isn't too vigorous, which can cause inflammation

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<v Speaker 1>and cell damage. Brazil nuts, fish, chicken, and ham all

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<v Speaker 1>contain it. Today's episode was written by Maria C. Hunt

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<v Speaker 1>and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this and

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<v Speaker 1>lots of other curious topics, visit how stuff works dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio or more podcasts

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