Education
Immunity
Our immune system which is our body's natural defense help us to deal effectively with many insults to the body. Our bodies are continuously under attack from a variety of germs, toxins and pollutants. We eat food full of bacteria and drink water with varying degrees of contamination. Night and day, day after day, we encounter countless microbiologic enemies who
want to dominate us for their purposes.
want to dominate us for their purposes.
The immune system
The immune system has one mission to identify and destroy foreign invaders before significant harm is done to our bodies. Disease-causing organism such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, are detected upon entry into the body and by a healthy immune system and are tagged for elimination by immune cells. Cancer cells should be similarly detected as abnormal cells, treated as unwelcome intruders and eliminated with a strong immune system. Our singular duty to the immune system is to develop a lifestyle that will support its constant defense work on our behalf. Some immune suppressors are alcohol, sugar, excessive exercise, tobacco, viral infections and poor lifestyle.
How we live day by day determines whether our immune system works at peak levels or is inhibited by our neglect and abuse. Is it possible to strengthen our immune system? yes, there are a variety of ways we can provide help to our immune systems. Three of the most important are diet, exercise and stress control.
An adjunct to diet is vitamin C, which is an essential micronutrient that we must obtain from our diet, as our bodies do not make vitamin C. It is a potent antioxidant, meaning that it donates electrons, to neutralize free radicals. Vitamin C contributes to immune defense by supporting various cellular functions of the immune system. Vitamin C supports barrier function against pathogens and promotes the oxidant scavenging activity thereby potentially protecting against environmental oxidative stress.
How we live day by day determines whether our immune system works at peak levels or is inhibited by our neglect and abuse. Is it possible to strengthen our immune system? yes, there are a variety of ways we can provide help to our immune systems. Three of the most important are diet, exercise and stress control.
An adjunct to diet is vitamin C, which is an essential micronutrient that we must obtain from our diet, as our bodies do not make vitamin C. It is a potent antioxidant, meaning that it donates electrons, to neutralize free radicals. Vitamin C contributes to immune defense by supporting various cellular functions of the immune system. Vitamin C supports barrier function against pathogens and promotes the oxidant scavenging activity thereby potentially protecting against environmental oxidative stress.
immune cells
Vitamin C accumulates in the immune cells and enhance their motility and function, increases their activity to fight off invaders and ultimately killing them. Vitamin C role in Lymphocytes ( a type of white blood cell) has been shown to enhance proliferation of B and T cells likely due to its gene regulating effects. Vitamin C was found to improve components of the human immune system such as antimicrobial and natural killer cell activities. It plays a role in immune function and modulation of host resistance to infectious agents, reducing the risk, severity and duration of infectious diseases. Vitamin C and Zinc combination reduce the incidence and improve the outcome of pneumonia, common cold and flu and other systemic infections. They act as prooxidant in cancer cells, thus helping to suppress them. Vitamin C and Zinc was found to improve components of the human immune system.
References
- Carr AC, Maggini S. Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients.
2017;9(11):1211. Published 2017 Nov 3. doi:10.3390/nu9111211 - Wintergerst ES, Maggini S, Hornig DH.
Immune-enhancing role of vitamin C and zinc and effect on clinical conditions.
Ann Nutr Metab. 2006;50(2):85-94. doi:10.1159/000090495