Improving the immune system and protecting against COVID-19. It is possible?
Over the past month, charlatans have been trampled by various pieces of advice and "guaranteed" information on how to fight the coronavirus. We could already see that we should all be vegans and no COVID-19 would be a threat. The authors of the perfectketo blog describe ketogenic diet as potentially one of the key ways to win over coronavirus. Right after that, they offer you guilt-free keto cookies or a revolutionary book on keto eating. Unfortunately, even this is not a real cure for COVID-19. Who would have said that? There were, of course, more different ketards (the definition of this noun is here), but they wield, as always, bad research, in addition to mice, and try to transform them into the real human world, which is not legitimately practicable.
Youtuber Jordan Sather, in turn, promotes MMS (Miracle Mineral Supplement) containing, among other things, chlorine dioxide (used, for example, for bleaching). According to Jordan, MMS is a coronavirus killer, but there are no in vivo studies and we cannot claim anything like that. In addition, it can cause serious health complications and is not recommended by official authorities. We could also see a Fejsbuk post, which was viewed by several hundred profiles, about one Japanese doctor recommending to kill the coronavirus by drinking water every 15 minutes. This information has been shared more than three hundred thousand times in total. Of course, Professor Lang of Oxford University and other experts on the subject have made it clear that this is nonsense.
There is no need to be surprised in today's world, because people set fire to 5G transmitters because they are said to be spreading coronavirus. People will and will still be. Fortunately, there are many who just smile at these single-celled subjects. But let's look at two things. The first will be the real boost of the immune system and how it all actually is, and the second will be lifestyle factors, nutrition and supplementation.
As for the immune system, it is such a line of defense divided into 2 parts
Congenital: various barriers, such as physical - nasal mucosa, chemical - stomach acids, or various protective cells
Adaptive: we use it when the innate immune system does not control and, in addition, can remember, so that when a pathogen attacks again, he can fight it better and more effectively.
Can we actually kick the immune system to make it better and more efficient? Yes and no. The immune system is a coordinated system of cells and proteins. It is not some biceps that you pump (with supplements, a specific diet) and it will be better. If you have a solid base, your immune system can't "boost". If you do not have such a base, there are ways related mainly to lifestyle, which, however, can harden your wooden base. And we're talking about ways that even single-digit IQ is enough. Nutrition, physical activity and mental health. Of course, just because all the factors I mention below are in order, it doesn't mean you can't be infected with any virus.
It should also be added that it will not work overnight. If you go to the gym for a week, you will also not be able to squat 200 kg, just as your immune system will not be able to heal in a week. It takes years of scratching, as with everything you want to last. Many of these factors certainly do not shock, but unfortunately, the revolutionary method does not exist.
# 1 Sleep
Personally, I sleep very well, but even so, sometimes the science of melatonin and sleep can fascinate me. Low sleep causes, among other things, a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, injury or illness. A systematic review of meta-analyzes and 41 RCT studies also points to inconveniences such as increased caloric intake and greater hunger. If you click here, you will discover some of our great articles on sleep that will definitely convince you to prioritize it a little more. Lack of sleep is also a synonym for impaired immunity, so something else needs to be added?
# 2 Physical activity
Another surprising thing, huh? This review summarized findings in four areas related to exercise and immunology. We will focus mainly on one of them - the acute and chronic effects of exercise on the immune system. Exercise (medium to intense exercise within 60 minutes) is considered an important adjuvant (enhancer of the immune response) of the immune system, which stimulates the ongoing exchange of various and highly active subtypes of immune cells between the bloodstream and tissues. Each such exercise increases antipathogenic activity. So with regular exercise / sport, these acute changes work through a summation effect = higher immune defense activity and better metabolic health.
The exact opposite may be too high a load. Typically competitions and related physiological, metabolic and psychological stresses. These factors are associated with transient immune perturbations, inflammation, oxidative stress, muscle damage, and an increased risk of disease. In addition, metabolism and immunity are inextricably linked. It follows that intense and prolonged exercise can cause transient immune dysfunction by reducing the metabolic capacity of immune cells. The risk of illness may increase when an athlete competes, undergoes repeated cycles of over-strenuous training, and his immune system experiences additional stress. Broader risk factors include high levels of depression (current status) or anxiety (current social isolation), participation in unusually intense training periods with large fluctuations (out of date), international travel in several time zones (at least we did not miss it), participation in competitions. events especially in the winter (out of date), lack of sleep (this might not be a problem, right?) and low energy intake from food (you will fix it!).
So we can summarize that regular training and higher physical activity can strengthen your immunity over time. Exercise and the immune system have an inverted "U" shaped curve. This means that people with no exercise usually have a worse immune system. However, there are similar people who exaggerate too much with exercise. The question is, can it really be exaggerated now in quarantine? There will definitely be extremists among us (ehm in practice). However, your immunity will certainly not be missed even by regular (intensive) home training associated with a high caloric deficit in the long run. However, exercise serves not only physical but also mental health. Large-scale research has identified it as a legitimate cure for depression and a helper against anxiety, to which we are undoubtedly more prone today.
# 3 Enough protein
The fact that you have to focus on nutritionally valuable foods probably does not need to be repeated a thousand times. It is such a common sense, and as reported in last year's research, nutrients can (not) directly act on immune cells, causing changes in their function, or they can have effects through changes in the intestinal microbiome. So let's move straight to proteins.
The effect of essential amino acids on the immune system has been investigated several times, each with similar conclusions. Another study states that a balanced diet, especially adequate intake of vitamins, minerals and proteins, increases resistance to infections and has a positive effect on the immune system. Proteins frame cells and are part of the body's defenses, enzymes that control the body's functions, and certain hormones. Even protein as a nutritional supplement has the potential to help, thanks to immunioglobulins, beta-lactoglobulins and the like. Of course, carbohydrates and fats also have an important place in the diet, in addition to which (or meals containing these macronutrients) contain a number of other important micronutrients. If you are active, they have at least 1.6 g / kg of protein.
# 4 Fiber (+ fruits and vegetables)
Vegetables? Full of micronutrients and fiber. Fruit? the same. And it doesn't matter if it's fresh or frozen. Again, this is not a shock for you and we all know this well from childhood. Nevertheless, only less than 10% of the Western population has a sufficient intake of these healthy foods. Fruits and fruit fiber have, among other things, benefits in terms of digestive tract health, long-term weight maintenance, type 2 diabetes, asthma and bone mineral density. Fiber generally has a significant effect on the immune system, and a study called the health benefits of fiber states that prebiotic fiber (eg onions, garlic, bananas, apples, beans, asparagus, oats) can support immune function.
# 5 Nutritional supplements
Of course, they are subordinate, but supplementation of some of them is important. We have discussed the studies and details in this Premium article. Examples are vitamin D, probiotics, pelargonium sidoides, glutamine, vitamin C or zinc. They have nothing to do with COVID-19, but they have a scientifically supported potential in terms of health and possible colds.
We believe that we have put together some information about the immune system, and we also believe that you will not be lured into a trap by those who turn the current unpleasant situation into a business without a backbone and an irrelevant and not helpful business. We've talked about legitimate ways to have armored immunity, and we hope most Fitclan fans have it. Unfortunately, we can't get more out of this "fitness" point of view, so in addition to the things mentioned and avoiding other obviousness (extreme long-term stress, smoking, alcohol, huge caloric deficit), we should focus on official advice such as hygiene, hand washing , the use of drapes or highly-restricted encounters with people.
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