A low white blood cell count, generally below 3,500 white blood cells per blood microliter, is a lowered level of disease-fighting cells in your blood, according to MayoClinic.com. Infections, autoimmune disorders, bone marrow-damaging diseases and certain drugs are just a few factors that can cause a low count. Although you should receive medical treatment for your condition, you may also be able to feed your immune system’s power – and increase your count – with certain nutrients.
Antioxidants
Vitamin C may help increase your body’s production of white blood cells in addition to helping increase your body’s level of an antibody called interferon, according to the health website Ask Dr. Sears. Vitamin C has been shown to help reduce the severity of colds and it may also have a protective effect in pneumonia, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Vitamin E can also play an important role for your immunity because it helps stimulate production of various white blood cells, including your natural killer cells as well as your antibody-producing, bacteria-destroying B-cells. Beta carotene, which becomes vitamin A in your body, is also helpful in that it increases your B-cells, helper T-cells and natural killer cells. All three antioxidants may reduce your risk of heart disease by helping reduce the amount of plaques that build up in your arteries.
Focus Foods
Aim for about 200 mg of vitamin C per day to help protect your level of white blood cells. You should be able to meet that as long as you aim for about six servings of vegetables and fruits every day, according to Ask Dr. Sears. To get the most out of vitamin E, get about 100 to 400 mg of it per day by increasing your intake of seeds, grains and vegetable oils. You may need a supplement if you don’t eat many of these foods, if you smoke, if you don’t exercise or if you drink a lot of alcohol. There is no recommended intake of beta carotene per day, but you should meet your daily needs if you eat plenty of carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes and squash, according to the Stanford Medicine Cancer Institute.
Supplementation
Your doctor may suggest that you take a multivitamin if she thinks you aren’t getting enough antioxidants from your diet to support your immune system. Another type of supplement that may help is a probiotic product, such as a yogurt or a drink that contains “live and active cultures”. Probiotics – or “good” bacteria – reside in your gut, help increase your number of some T-cells, and may help prevent or diminish the severity of flu and colds, according to Harvard Health Publications. Probiotics still aren’t guaranteed to work, but most are safe and potentially helpful in moderation.
Foods to Limit
According to a Loma Linda University study published in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,” consuming about 100 g of sugar through drinks or food may limit your white blood cells’ capacity to kill off bacteria by approximately 40 percent. To consume about 100 g of sugar you would have to have about 1 liter of soda or 8 tbsp. of sugar. Researchers in the study found that sugar may start suppressing immune function within less than 30 minutes after consumption and continue suppressing it up to five hours after. An occasional sweet indulgence shouldn’t cause problems, but this research suggests that constantly eating sugary foods may compromise your immunity. Furthermore, cutting back on sugar will reduce your risk of obesity and weight-related conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
References
- Harvard Health Publication: How to Boost Your Immune System
- AskDrSears: 8 Foods that Boost Immunity
- Stanford Medicine Cancer Institute: Nutrition to Reduce Cancer Risk
- Mayo Clinic: Low White Blood Cell Count
- Cleveland Clinic: Diet, Exercise, Stress and the Immune System
- “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition”; Role of Sugars in Human Neutrophilic Phagocytosis; A. Sanchez et al; 1973
- Mayo Clinic; Probiotics: Important for a Healthy Diet?; K. Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
