ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How to Build Up Your Immune System

Updated on March 2, 2012

Vitamin C can boost immunity, but there are many other nutrients your body needs to fight off illnesses

Source

Nothing is worse than an illness. Winter is usually the season for the flu, but a cold can be an unwanted surprise any time of the year. Here are some easy ways to build your immune system naturally and effectively.

1. Exercise - Moderate, consistent exercise has been shown to help immune cells circulate more efficiently through the body fighting off viruses, infections and other more serious illnesses. The more regularly you exercise, the better your immune system will get meaning you can build your immunity for hours after your workout is over. Fast walking, running, swimming, biking and aerobics for about 40 minutes per day can mean less sickness than those who don't exercise at all. It can also shorten the length of your cold. Remember to rest when you have a fever - exercising with fever can damage your heart muscle.

2. Reduce Refined Carbs - Refined carbs are in any food containing table sugar or high fructose corn syrup, as well as white flour products like white bread, cakes, cookies and cereal. White flour is actually processed by the body like sugar. Overeating refined carbs can reduce the amount of vitamin C being absorbed by the immune cells. Sugar can also cause the release of the hormone cortisol in an effort to normalize blood sugar levels. Cortisol suppresses the immune system as well.

3. Stress and Sleep - Reduce your stress, increase your sleep. This is easier said than done, but it's important to prioritize and put yourself at the top of the list. Cortisol is the stress hormone. When you are stressed and sleep deprived, your levels of cortisol are elevated causing suppression of the immune system and the good prostaglandins that support immune function. Elevated cortisol levels can even be attributed to weight gain. Increasing your sleep time as much as 20 minutes per day can reduce cortisol levels. And, if you are getting more sleep, you are probably, naturally, less stressed throughout your day.

4. Omega-3 Fatty Acids - These fats are found in fish like salmon and tuna, as well as nuts, seeds and oils. Not only does it contain Omega-3's, fish oil contains the good prostaglandins your body needs for immune function. Studies have shown Omega-3's can improve the immune system in adults as well as children. Instead of a supplement, which can provide too much or too little nutrients, try eating about 3 ounces of coldwater fish per day. If your kids hate fish, try slipping half a teaspoon of flax oil in their milkshake or oatmeal. Studies show kids that took this small dosage of flax oil had fewer respiratory infections.

5. Vitamin D - You've heard that vitamin C can boost your immunity, but did you know that vitamin D is just as important? Apparently there is a link between a vitamin D deficiency and illnesses. This would make sense since most people get more sun (sunlight triggers vitamin D synthesis) in warmer months, and most people get colds and flu in colder months. A recent study showed that those with a vitamin D deficiency had a 40 percent greater probability of getting a respiratory infection than those with vitamin D levels of 30 nanograms per milliliter or higher. Get your daily dose by spending about 20 minutes per day outside, as well as eating foods like mushrooms, salmon, tuna, eggs and milk every day. Check with your doctor for information on proper supplementation as well.

6. Eat Your Vegetables! - Remember your mom saying that? Well, she was right. Vegetables have the antioxidants you need to fight off illnesses. Tomatoes have lycopene which can help your white blood cells fight off infection. Canned tomatoes have been shown to be just as, if not more, effective as fresh. Broccoli contains sulforaphane which has been shown to restore the immune system and fight infections. Garlic contains a chemical called allicin that has antiviral properties.

7. Limit Alcohol - Alcohol suppresses the immune system. It dehydrates the body, and also, like sugar, suppresses the white blood cells' ability to multiply. The only exception to this rule is red wine. Studies have shown a couple glasses of red wine per day don't have the same effect on the immune system as liquor and beer. Still, you can get the same antioxidant benefits, resveratrol, from eating red grapes or drinking grape juice.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)