Increasing or boosting the immune system is beneficial to keep you in good health and to help when you are on treatments for immune-weakening diseases such as cancer or AIDS. The immune system acts as a shield to protect you from bacteria, viruses and disease. The immune system is complex, and there is no one particular food to eat to ensure an increased immune system. However, certain types of food do appear to affect the immune system in a positive way.
A Healthy Weight
Before you pinpoint which foods to eat and which ones to avoid, look at the complete picture. People who are undernourished or obese can reduce the function of their immune system. Therefore, if you go on a crash or fad diet, you are likely not getting proper nourishment and could be compromising your immune system. When you don't get enough food or are not eating nourishing food, your body must get its energy from its reserved body fat and its protein from muscle. If you are obese, you are likely eating too much of the wrong types of foods, which can lead to heart disease that can alter the immune system. In addition, obesity has been tied to a diminished immune function, according to Dr. Connie Rogers, a research fellow at the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology at the National Cancer Institute. Rogers discovered that obesity negatively affects the body's response to a vaccine used to target tumors in cancer patients.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
By reducing your fat intake, you are probably going to drop some pounds, which is good if you are overweight, but more than that, decreasing dietary fat intake seems to influence the immune system, according to Medical News Today. High fat diets may weaken the immune system; eating a diet low in fats may strengthen it. You don't want to avoid all fats, however, just saturated and trans fats. You want some omega-3 fatty acids in your diet that you get in oily fish, whole grains, vegetables, fresh fruits, garlic, olive oil, nuts, soy and wine in moderation. Yogurt can help your immune system stave off microorganisms responsible for food poisoning, particularly probiotic yogurts.
Vitamin B6
Foods rich in vitamin B6 are important to boost your immune system because vitamin B6 is partly responsible for cellular growth and protein metabolism and keeps the organs healthy that make white blood cells that fight infections. You get vitamin B6 in fortified cereals, meat, poultry, fish, beans and in some fruits and vegetables. Some good examples are bananas, canned garbanzo beans, skin-on baked potatoes, skinless chicken breast, oatmeal, lean pork loin and canned tuna in water. Signs that you haven't been getting enough vitamin B6 in your diet for awhile include skin inflammation, a sore tongue, depression, confusion and anemia. Groups at the highest risk for vitamin B6 deficiency are alcoholics and the elderly. These groups may benefit from a vitamin B6 supplement. However, too much vitamin B6, more than 100 mg a day for adults, can lead to complications, including nerve damage.
Food Versus Supplements
If you are not healthy or if you are elderly, besides eating healthy, taking a multivitamin or a mineral supplement can help boost your immune system, according to Medical News Today. If you are young and healthy, you do not need vitamins and mineral supplements to boost your immune system; you just need to eat healthy foods. It is better to get nutrients from food than from supplements.
References
- Medical News Today; Nutrition and the Immune System; September 2004
- American Association for Cancer Research; How Diet, Obesity and Even Gum Disease May Affect Immune System and Cancer; November 2006
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-6 Fatty Acids
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B6
