Having a low white blood cell count means your blood contains too few disease-fighting cells, according to MayoClinic.com. Your count may be low if you have a health problem that damages your bone marrow, you take certain drugs, you have a severe infection or you have an immune disorder. Following your doctor’s orders should be your topmost goal when you have a low white blood cell count, but factors such as eating well and taking dietary supplements may also help increase your numbers.
Vitamin-Rich Plant Foods
Getting your fill of brightly colored fruits and vegetables may help boost your white blood cell count. Beta carotene, in fruits and vegetables such as cantaloupe and carrots, converts into vitamin A within your body and can help increase your body’s number of various white blood cells, including your natural killer cells, helper T-cells and infection-fighting cells, according to health website Ask Dr. Sears. Vitamin A is best absorbed when you get it through food. Vitamin C, in foods such as citrus fruits and strawberries, also increases your body’s production of infection-fighting white cells. You may be at a lower risk of heart disease and certain cancers if you include vitamin C in your diet. Vitamin E, in foods such as wheat germ, leafy greens and nuts, helps stimulate an increase in your body’s natural killer cells and antibody-producing immune cells.
Fish and Flax Oil
Omega-3 fatty acids, which you will find in large amounts in foods such as flax oil and oily fish, may not directly increase your number of white blood cells. However, they can help boost your immunity by increasing the activity level of phagocytes, which are white blood cells that “eat” bacteria, according to Ask Dr. Sears. Include flaxseed oil in a smoothie and add three to four servings of fish such as salmon and halibut in your meals each week to get a healthy amount of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, recommends the Stanford Medicine Cancer Institute.
Vitamin Supplements
Discuss your nutrition with your doctor. If your doctor suspects that you’re not getting enough micronutrients out of your meals, she may recommend that you take a daily vitamin or mineral supplement, according to the Harvard Health Publications. In some cases, she may simply recommend a multivitamin that includes various vitamins and minerals. She may recommend that you take a supplement that contains about 200 mg of vitamin C and 100 to 400 mg of vitamin E to improve your immunity. Vitamin C is best in smaller amounts throughout the day, as you may urinate out large doses. If you don’t get enough zinc in your diet through foods such oysters, a zinc supplement may also be helpful for you because your body needs zinc to develop and properly use T-cells, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements.
Other Supplements
Probiotics are healthy bacteria that normally live in your gut, but you can also find them in most yogurt and in supplements. Consuming probiotics may help improve your immunity by increasing your level of certain T-cells and lower your chances of getting severe colds and flu bugs, according to Harvard Health Publications. Some research also suggests that taking supplements such as ginseng and echinacea may improve your white blood cell count and boost your immunity, but not enough evidence is available to confirm their efficacy. Ask your doctor or other health care provider whether or not she recommends you take probiotics or other supplements.
References
- Harvard Health Publication: How to Boost Your Immune System
- AskDrSears.com: 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
- Mayo Clinic: Probiotics: Important for a Healthy Diet?; K. Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
- KidsHealth from Nemours: Vitamins
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Zinc
