Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Overindulging in alcohol can negatively impact your immune system, leaving you at risk for developing colds, viruses or worse. Learn about how alcohol can suppress immune responses from Amanda Williams, MPH.
The mineral magnesium performs hundreds of functions within the body. It is important for sleep, bones, immunity and more. Recent studies have continued to look at the benefits of this mineral in the human body.
immune system
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey, Ph.
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Welcome to the second part of our episode looking at 10 factors that affect the immune system. In part one, we discussed the microbiome, sleep, nutrients from food and cortisol levels. Today, we will discuss additional factors that impact your body’s ability to defend itself.†
Most people get some level of benefit from a multivitamin. For instance, you get B vitamins, which have been shown to help mitigate the effects of inhaled pollution on your immune system and inflammation. Your immune system also requires a certain level of Vitamin E, Vitamin A, zinc and selenium.†
Multivitamins can be especially important for elderly people as they are missing many nutrients. They absorb zinc poorly from their food and are generally lacking three or four B vitamins, like Vitamin B12. This is why we ensure that our multivitamins contain methylcobalamin, which is an activated form of B12 that also converts to the other forms of Vitamin B that the body needs. They also lack folate, so we include methyltetrahydrofolate in our multivitamin formulations. This helps protect older people and helps the immune system function properly.†
CONSIDER TAKING THESE NUTRIENTS AS YOU AGE, PART 1 – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 315. Listen Now>>
Phytonutrients are nutrients that come from plants. For instance, Resveratrol is found in the skin of red grapes and in red wine. It is also found as a supplement, where it is usually sourced from Japanese knotweed. Resveratrol works on several levels with the immune system. It helps contain inflammation, especially in the heart, lungs and brain. If you have an infection, the infection can inflame these organs. The immune system can also have a backlash against the infection, causing even more inflammation. This is what was happening to COVID-19 patients who were experiencing cytokine storms.†
Beta 1,3 glucan, which is found in mushrooms, yeast and euglena gracilis algae, is another phytonutrient that is important for immunity. It activates different parts of the immune system to attack and kill viruses and bacteria. Researchers have been studying beta 1,3 glucan for decades and they have found that it supports the body’s ability to defend itself.†
Some exercise is great for the immune system, such as taking several walks every day. But when you do intense exercise, like running or lifting heavy weights, it actually suppresses the immune system for about six hours after. Your antibody levels drop and immune cells decline.†
There are two supplements that have been shown to help prevent that from happening. One is called nucleotides. Nucleotides actually make us, but they also create energy in the form of ATP. When you take nucleotides, you make energy that can be used for healing and for immunity. A second supplement that helps offset a drop in immunity with exercise is a good probiotic. Research has shown that certains strains of probiotic help prevent the immune system from declining after exercise.†
IMMUNE-ENHANCING POWERS OF NUCLEOTIDES – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 70. Listen Now>>
In this episode, Jerry Hickey, Ph. continues his conversation on factors that can impact your immune system. He shares multiple nutrients and phytonutrients that are important for promoting immunity and also discusses lifestyle choices that may impact your body’s ability to protect and defend itself.†
Key Topics:
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
Your body relies on your immune system to protect itself from invading cells, but did you know that factors such as your sleep and diet can impact how well it does this? Learn about the nutrients and actions that impact your immune system now.
Vitamin B6 Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH Subscribe Today! B vitamins play a really important role when it comes to supporting energy levels, metabolism, heart health, brain health and so many more systems that are crucial for the everyday functions of …
quercetin
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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A recent report came out called “Why you should pay attention to inflammation.” They’re saying that “inflammation is a complex reaction triggered by your immune system when it fights invaders,” so we’re talking about viruses, bacteria and yeast infections. They go on to say that when inflammation is responding to an injury or an infection, it’s called acute inflammation. That means sudden, rapid onset. The immune system releases chemicals which cause your blood vessels to expand near your injury. This allows more blood to reach the injured tissue and then chemicals are released at the injured point to attract immune system cells, where they help fight infections and help with the healing process.†
When people get an infection that attacks the lungs, the infection itself inflames the lungs. Then there’s a counterstrike by the immune system to save the patient. What can happen, especially if you’re low in Vitamin D, you get this massive assault, triggered by a chemical messenger in the immune system called interleukin-6, and you can have acute respiratory distress syndrome, where the lining of the lungs literally floods with fluids. When this happens, it becomes hard to breathe and you can wind up in the intensive care unit. This can happen if things are out of control. That’s acute inflammation.†
How Different Types of Inflammation Impact Your Body – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 314. Listen Now >>
When inflammation keeps simmering along at a low level, that’s called chronic inflammation. A lot of things can trigger that, including drinking a lot of alcohol, obesity, diabetes, chronic stress, cigarettes, pollution and more. It’s low-grade, so we’re not talking about feeling any pain or anything. You don’t even notice you have it. You’d have to have a blood test to see that you have it. This chronic inflammation has been linked to nasty things, such as the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, different cancers, different forms of arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and more. They’re all connected to this low-grade systemic inflammation.†
Learn more about inflammation by tuning into the full podcast episode.
There are constituents in food that can reduce inflammation. One such constituent is quercetin. Quercetin is a flavonol. It is found in small quantities in exceptionally healthy foods like apples, onions, shallots, scallions, green tea, berries, broccoli, kale, cherry tomatoes and citrus fruits.†
Research shows that eating these foods that are rich in quercetin helps lower systemic, low-grade, chronic inflammation, the kind that’s really bad for the brain, heart, circulatory system and immune system. But even with a good diet, the average intake of quercetin, according to research, is anywhere from 25 to 30mg.†
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of human clinical trials in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at seven randomized controlled human clinical trials that showed that using 500mg or more of quercetin could significantly reduce persistent, chronic, low-grade systemic inflammation. At doses of 500mg or more with a supplement, it lowers the c-reactive protein level.†
When you eat quercetin-rich foods, there is an interplay of other good ingredients. Focusing on enough of these foods is very important, so if you eat a lot of these foods, for many people, it could lower inflammation, but not for all people. Sometimes, you need more quercetin. It depends on your immune system and how you release cytokines. It’s a little bit individualistic. In general, a great diet helps lower inflammation, but there are certain conditions where you need more.†
For more information on the power of quercetin, listen to the full podcast episode and tune in for part 2, coming tomorrow!
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.