When you get sick, it’s easy to think of this as a failing of your immune system.
But when you consider the countless bacteria and viruses that we encounter every day, it’s quite miraculous that we aren’t sick all the time.
In this article, we’ll explain how to naturally support your immune system and overall health through approaches like changing your diet and lifestyle.
We’ll dive into the details about how to eat for immune health and what role your gut microbiome plays.
Why ‘boosting’ your immune system is a bad idea
A quick online search generates hundreds of ways to boost your immune system. But in reality, that might not be a good idea.
Like each of your body’s systems, your immune system is finely balanced.
You need it to respond quickly and decisively when it identifies a threat. But at the same time, you don’t want your immune system to react to things that aren’t a threat – this is what happens in allergies.
Another good example is inflammation, which is a vital immune response to injury or infection.
Inflammation protects your tissues from further damage, but if it continues for too long after the threat has passed, it begins to cause damage.
So, balance is key. If you boost an already healthy immune system, you might send it into overdrive and end up with allergies or continuous inflammation.
How to support your immune system naturally
While boosting isn’t ideal, having a fully functioning immune system certainly is important.
Scientists are still researching the factors linked to immune health. But helping your immune system function at its best doesn't have to be complicated – it involves keeping a few key principles in mind.
And because your body’s systems are interlinked, what’s good for one system is likely good for your whole body.
So, if you maintain overall health, your immune system will benefit. Let’s look at some lifestyle tips that are likely to help.
1. Keep active
Exercise has many benefits, from helping you maintain a healthy weight and reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease to improving your mental health.
There’s also evidence that exercise supports a healthy gut microbiome, which is important for your immune system. We’ll come back to this topic later.
Other research suggests that regular, moderate exercise might help your body fight germs. And some experts think that staying active could help keep your immune system in good shape as you age.
2. If you smoke, quit
Smoking damages your health in many ways.
For example, there’s evidence that tobacco smoke increases inflammation, damages your microbiome and may promote the development of allergies.
Quitting smoking is one of the most impactful things you can do for your health.
3. Keep up to date with vaccinations
While the immune system is excellent at protecting us from most bacteria and viruses, there’s nothing wrong with giving it a helping hand.
So, if you or your kids are due for a vaccination, make sure you get it.
4. Get enough sleep
As we desperately try to keep up with our schedules, sleep can take a back seat.
Scientists now know that getting around 7–9 hours of quality sleep each night is important for all aspects of health, including immune health.
Interestingly, sleep and immune health have a two-way relationship.
Your immune system can influence your sleep – either improve it or disturb it – and sleep can support your immune system, helping it fight infections.
5. Manage stress levels
Stress is a common factor of modern life. When you experience it, levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, rise.
In the short term, cortisol has strong anti-inflammatory effects, and adrenaline increases alertness. But if levels of these hormones remain high for long periods, it can disrupt your body’s processes.
Long-term stress is associated with increased inflammation. This can put you at risk of developing health problems.
It would be impossible (and a bit boring) to avoid stress entirely. But if long-term stress interferes with your life, try these approaches:
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breathing exercises
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yoga
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reading
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talking with friends or family
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massage, including self-massage
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counselling or therapy
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taking up a new hobby or interest
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going for a walk, cycle, swim or run
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mindfulness or meditation
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journalling
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time-blocking
6. Maintain a healthy weight
There’s evidence that obesity is linked to a less healthy immune system.
Maintaining a healthy weight can be incredibly challenging, but following our dietary advice below and staying active may help.
You might also look online for a local weight management group, speak with your GP about a referral or see a dietitian who specialises in weight management.
7. Reduce your alcohol intake
If you drink alcohol, make sure to do it in moderation. Heavy drinking is associated with poorer immune health and an increased risk of infection.
The NHS warns against drinking more than 14 units per week. A 750-millilitre bottle of wine (red, white or rosé, 13.5%) contains 10 units, while 6 pints of average-strength beer has 14 units.
Your diet can influence the health of your whole body, including your immune system. So, next, we’ll explore what experts know about the relationship between your diet and immune health.
Can dietary changes support immune health?
For a long time, research has shown that people with malnutrition are more susceptible to diseases and infections. However, in the West, malnutrition is thankfully rare.
Certain micronutrients are important for maintaining a healthy immune system, including:
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vitamin A
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vitamin B6
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vitamin B12
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vitamin C
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vitamin D
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copper
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folate
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iron
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selenium
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zinc
While these nutrients do help, it doesn’t mean that more is better. In larger doses, some nutrients – such as vitamin A – can be toxic.
In other words, unless you have a deficiency in one of the vitamins above, taking them as supplements probably won’t improve your immune health.
Similarly, no specific foods can boost your immune system, despite what you might read elsewhere on the internet.
So, what should you do? The answer is to eat a nutritious, well-balanced, plant-based diet. This doesn’t include too much highly processed food, added sugars and salt, and saturated fat.
Make sure to eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and pulses.
It's better to get your vitamins from plant-based foods rather than supplements because foods don't just offer specific vitamins and minerals. Each plant contains a complex mix of many nutrients, including fibre and plant chemicals, such as polyphenols.
If you focus on eating a diverse range of plants, you’ll know that you’re getting all the micronutrients you need – and you’ll be supporting your whole body, including your immune system.
The gut microbiome and immune health
Your gut contains trillions of microbes, collectively called your gut microbiome. And researchers continually discover fascinating ways that these microbes are linked to health.
Interestingly, up to 80% of your immune cells are in your gut.
Your gut bacteria communicate with these cells, influencing not just the immune system in your gut but the immune cells throughout your body. This relationship is called the gut-immune axis.
There’s also evidence that probiotics might support immune health by interacting with the immune cells in your gut.
Scientists are still figuring out precisely how gut bacteria influence the immune system, but it’s likely that a balanced gut microbiome supports immune health.
This is another good reason to follow the healthy diet that we describe above – plants are rich in fibre and other nutrients that your ‘good’ gut bacteria love.
Do any supplements work?
Many supplement companies claim that their products will boost your immune system. Sadly, there’s little evidence that any supplements can increase the ability to fight infection.
As we note above, many vitamins and minerals play essential roles in supporting the immune system. And a deficiency can compromise immune function.
But, again, unless you have a deficiency, it’s unlikely that supplements will provide much benefit.
With that said, certain supplements may be worth a try. One is vitamin D, which your skin produces when it’s stimulated by sunlight.
Among its many roles in your body, vitamin D is important for immune function. For example, a large review of 25 clinical trials found that vitamin D supplementation decreased respiratory tract infections by 12%.
So, some experts recommend that people living in cold climates take a vitamin D supplement during the darker months.
Another supplement that may be worth considering is vitamin C. A review of 10 studies found that supplementing with this vitamin reduced the severity of the common cold.
Summary
Your immune system is an incredible, complex system that protects you from disease and infection.
While certain micronutrients play key roles in your immune function, supplements will mostly only help if you have a deficiency.
The best way to support your immune system is to make lifestyle choices that are good for your overall health.
This can include staying physically active, moderating your alcohol intake if you drink, quitting smoking, trying probiotics and eating a healthy, diverse, plant-based diet.
These approaches also keep your gut microbiome happy, which is important for your immune (and overall) health.
To learn more about other gut health topics, visit Symprove’s Gut Hub.
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