Immune Health and Nutrition

A well-maintained immune cache equals healthier returns

References

Call it what you will—a health army, a defense network—human immune function is simply the body’s ability to recognize and protect itself, all else be damned. By preserving healthy body cells, especially in the face of viruses, bacteria and other antigens, the immune system helps maintain balanced health and promote longevity. Natural approaches to strong immunity abound, as healthy ingredients target very specific aspects of the white blood cells and related compounds that form the basis of the immune response.

The immune system protects against harmful substances from outside the body, as well as defective cells and substances created in the body. This covers a broad range of health issues, from short-term microbial infections to long-term degenerative disease development. The most familiar infections may be the common cold and influenza, but immune care has become a year-round concern.

"The immune system is made up of a network of cells, tissues, organs, and proteins, which work together to protect us against infectious organisms and other invaders on a constant basis, disregarding seasons or any other variables," said Cameron Saffari, Ph.D., CEO of Iceberg Labs.

Immune health in conventional medicine focuses on reactive medicine, compared to a more preventive focus of natural products. And, while over-the-counter (OTC) cold and flu medications can relieve many of the overlapping symptoms, they do not shorten the duration of the illness and often come with a list of undesirable side effects. They also fail to help prevent a cold or flu (the flu shot only targets strains health officials think will be prominent in the coming flu season).

Prevention is a loaded word in immune health care, especially in cold and flu research. However, a few natural products have taken on this challenge, including vitamin C, zinc and echinacea.

Vitamin C helps maintain healthy white blood cell counts, the strength of the immune system, and it also helps increase production of interferon, immune-cell-derived proteins that contribute to the immune response by slowing, blocking and altering foreign substances. Many people take vitamin C, especially in high doses, to ward off the common cold and upper respiratory infections (URIs) or to lessen the duration of such illness, but trials and reviews have produced mixed conclusions. In 2007, Japanese researchers reported their randomized, controlled, five-year trial showed "vitamin C supplementation significantly reduces the frequency of the common cold, but had no apparent effect on the duration or severity of the common cold."¹

Swiss researchers from Bayer stated in a 2006 review that "adequate intakes of vitamin C and zinc ameliorate symptoms and shorten the duration of respiratory tract infections, including the common cold."² The nutrients also reduce the incidence and improve the outcome of pneumonia, malaria and diarrhea infections, especially in children in developing countries.

The researchers explained vitamin C concentrations in the plasma and leukocytes rapidly decline during infections and stress. Vitamin C supplementation can improve various immune functions, including antimicrobial and natural killer (NK) cell activities, lymphocyte proliferation, chemotaxis and delayed-type hypersensitivity. As expected, vitamin C’s antioxidant properties are protective in cells, especially against oxygen generated during respiratory bursts. In fact, the most recent Cochrane Database Review of vitamin C and the common cold revealed vitamin C might be most effective against cold duration and incidence following intense exercise or exposure to extreme cold temperatures.³

For zinc’s part, deficiency of this essential mineral weakens cellular mediators of innate immunity (short-term, infection defense), such as phagocytosis and NK cell activity. This mineral is also important to the thymus, the organ where T-cells (special white cells) mature. And zinc helps levels of other immune cells, phagocytes (ingest microbes) and lymphocytes (T and B cells).

With zinc, maintaining adequate levels is key to strong immune defense. At Tufts University, Boston, scientists recently discovered people with normal serum zinc concentrations experience a lower incidence of pneumonia, fewer new antibiotic prescriptions, a shorter duration of pneumonia and fewer days of antibiotic use.⁴

Another very popular remedy for immune support, including cold and flu relief, is echinacea. This purple flower may play a role in activating front line immune cells, including macrophages, which swallow debris and pathogens (viruses, bacteria, etc.). Thus, echinacea can help boost the immune response and even shorten cold and flu duration.^5,6

"Echinacea would be most appropriate for when you feel those first few warning signs that a cold is approaching," advised Ann Buchman, marketing director for Gaia Herbs, who noted there are many different types and parts of echinacea available, some beneficial for short-term and others for long-term benefits. "Our research showed that using the right part of the plant at the right time will make all of the difference in the world with regards to duration and degree of inflammation."

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