Power Up Your Nutrition to Boost Your Immunity

Health Is PowHer Podcast Episode 73 with Dr. Anna Esparham, MD

This is part 2 of our 3-part Immune Health Series and it’s all about nutrition. Everyone should know by now (in the healthcare field that is) that your gut health makes up most of your immune system due to the immense about of lymph tissue lining the gut and the microbiome which scientists are finding out plays a major role in our immune system.There are 3 different ways we can bolster our immunity using nutrition.

1. Gut Health
   1. The first way is keeping our gut microbiome diverse, fed, and supported! A diverse gut microbiome means lots of different good bacteria - and these little guys not only put up a fight against bad microbes, but also send signals to your immune system to beef it up a bit.
   2. Eating whole foods with lots of fiber from vegetables, fruits, flaxseed, and even coconut helps the little good microbes in the gut flourish
   3. Taking a spore-based probiotic or regular probiotics with full range of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium may help benefit (at least in short-term) if we have thrown off our gut by taking antibiotics, eating food with antibiotics, or even taking medications that affect the gut bacteria.
2. Foods that may protect the immune system
   1. High levels of anti-inflammatory polyunsaturated fats including Omega-3’s and Omega-9s may protect against certain autoimmune diseases
   2. Soy isoflavones (the organic, non-GMO kind) may decrease CRP (aka C-Reactive Protein), an inflammatory marker often found in infections and inflammatory conditions
   3. Short-Chain Fatty Acids from Fiber (fermented in the gut) may also reduce inflammation
3. Foods that may worsen the immune system
   1. Sugar depresses the immune system: increases inflammation, oxidation, and breaks down the gut barrier and causes slowing of white blood cells to reach the area of need
   2. Unhealthy fats cause inflammation, suppresses white blood cells and promotes more of an autoimmune type immunity
   3. Chemicals, pesticides, preservatives in food may disrupt the gut barrier and microflora
   4. Consumption of processed meat is linked to poor immunity
4. Micronutrients that Promote Immunity
   1. Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene maintains a healthy skin and mucosal barrier while helping our natural immunity respond to outsiders
   2. Vitamin D - probably one of the most important nutrients for our immune system - as it is considered an immunomodulator - suppressing both autoimmune inflammation and protecting us against pathogens. Note - Vitamin D will usually be low in most individuals in the United States by February of the winter. So I always start my Vitamin D starting in October and take it through April when the sun finally comes out in Kansas City
   3. B-vitamins - Most of them play a role in maintaining a healthy immune response, and some even help create antibodies and immune signals
   4. Zinc - Extremely important mineral that maintains a healthy skin and mucosal barrier. It also is absolutely required for specific lymphocyte development and function
   5. Iron - While we think that free radicals and oxidative stress is a bad thing, it’s great for when we need to mount an immune response during an infection.  Free radicals are needed to kill pathogens and bacteria

This list is not exhaustive but a good start to boosting our nutrition to give our immune system a head start!