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dietary supplements are loaded with antioxidants, important minerals and herbal extracts to support the immune system.
Probiotics can help restore balance when the gut contains unhealthy levels of certain bacteria. They’ve been shown to secrete protective substances, which may turn on the immune system and prevent pathogens from taking hold and creating major disease.
—Harvard Health
How Diet Affects
the Immune System
A high-fiber, plant-rich diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes provides the nutrition and antioxidants our bodies need to be healthy. It also supports the trillions of microorganisms or microbes living in our gut that are important to immune function. Probiotic foods, such as kefir, yogurt and sauerkraut, contain helpful bacteria. Prebiotic foods, such as garlic, onions and bananas, contain fiber to feed and maintain the bacteria.
A balanced diet can help boost immunity.
PRODUCTS
FOR IMMUNE HEALTH at Hy-Vee
NIH
Autoimmune Diseases
CIIID
What is Innate Immunity?
Johns Hopkins University
The Immune System
Cleveland Clinic
Immune System
National Library of Medicine
Physical exercise as a tool...
Harvard School of Public Health
Nutrition and Immunity
Mayo Clinic
Lack of sleep: Can it make you sick?
Harvard Health Publishing
Should you take probiotics?
comes in several flavors and contains turmeric, echinacea and live probiotics.
suja
is a fermented, gluten-free, plant-based drink for immune, digestive and gut health.
CHOBANI PROBIOTIC
is a blend of vitamin C, zinc and naturally sourced beta glucan to strengthen the immune system.
LIQUID I.V. HYDRATION MULTIPLIER
supplements offer immune-boosting echinacea, zinc, vitamin C and elderberry.
OLLY ACTIVE IMMUNITY + ELDERBERRY
offers echinacea and elderberry in vegan liquid phyto-caps.
GAIA HERBS QUICK DEFENSE IMMUNE SUPPORT
capsules support the digestive and immune systems.
HY-VEE HEALTHMARKET ADVANCED PROBIOTIC
The Hy-Vee HealthMarket has vitamins, minerals and supplements to help support immune function.
Autoimmune Diseases
As efficient as they are, immune systems do sometimes malfunction.
When the immune system is overactive, it may mistakenly target the body’s healthy tissues, leading to destruction of body tissue, abnormal growth of an organ or changes in organ function. Autoimmune diseases affect various parts of the body, including blood vessels, connective tissues, endocrine glands, joints, muscles, red blood cells and skin. Examples include multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes.
An overactive immune system can lead to a range of autoimmune diseases.
HEALTHY LIVING STRATEGIES
Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity has a direct effect on the immune system because it stimulates low-grade inflammation, an immune system response. Recent studies show that obese adults have twice the risk of influenza or influenza-like illness compared to healthy-weight adults when both groups were vaccinated. Get adequate sleep. Studies show that people who don’t get enough sleep are more prone to getting sick when exposed to a virus. Sleep deprivation may decrease the production of protective cytokines, needed in higher quantities when there is an infection. Aim for 7 to 9 hours nightly.
Stay active. Exercise has “a profound effect” on the immune system, according to a report cited by the National Institutes of Health. However, the report cited one caveat: while moderate-intensity exercise stimulates immunity on a cellular level, prolonged or high-intensity exercise without enough rest can decrease cellular immunity.
Limit stress. Stress causes the body to produce more of the hormone cortisol. A short bout of stress, like preparing for a test, can actually boost the body’s immunity by limiting inflammation. But ongoing stress has a negative effect, decreasing the white blood cells that are needed to fight infection; the lower the level, the more at risk one is to viruses.
Lifestyle adjustments can positively impact your immune system.
Did You Know?
The immune system is intertwined with the microbiome (a community of microorganisms), so immune cells in the gut interact with bacteria and fungi in the gastrointestinal tract.
of the body’s immune system is in the gut.
70
%
Another thing that can get the immune system fired up: vaccines. When you get
vaccinated, the immune system builds up antibodies to the vaccine’s foreign cells.
It then remembers and destroys those foreign cells if you are later exposed to them.
Did You Know?
The immune system is intertwined with the microbiome (a community of microorganisms), so immune cells in the gut interact with bacteria and fungi in the gastrointestinal tract.
of the body’s immune system is in the gut.
70
%
Autoimmune Diseases
As efficient as they are, immune systems do sometimes malfunction. When the immune system is overactive, it may mistakenly target the body’s healthy tissues, leading to destruction of body tissue, abnormal growth of an organ or changes in organ function. Autoimmune diseases affect various parts of the body, including blood vessels, connective tissues, endocrine glands, joints, muscles, red blood cells and skin. Examples include multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes.
An overactive immune system can lead to a range of autoimmune diseases.
HEALTHY LIVING STRATEGIES
Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity has a direct effect on the immune system because it stimulates low-grade inflammation, an immune system response. Recent studies show that obese adults have twice the risk of influenza or influenza-like illness compared to healthy-weight adults when both groups were vaccinated. Get adequate sleep. Studies show that people who don’t get enough sleep are more prone to getting sick when exposed to a virus. Sleep deprivation may decrease the production of protective cytokines, needed in higher quantities when there is an infection. Aim for 7 to 9 hours nightly.
Stay active. Exercise has “a profound effect” on the immune system, according to a report cited by the National Institutes of Health. However, the report cited one caveat: while moderate-intensity exercise stimulates immunity on a cellular level, prolonged or high-intensity exercise without enough rest can decrease cellular immunity.
Limit stress. Stress causes the body to produce more of the hormone cortisol. A short bout of stress, like preparing for a test, can actually boost the body’s immunity by limiting inflammation. But ongoing stress has a negative effect, decreasing the white blood cells that are needed to fight infection; the lower the level, the more at risk one is to viruses.
Lifestyle adjustments can positively impact your immune system.
Another thing that can get the immune system fired up: vaccines. When you get vaccinated, the immune system builds up antibodies to the vaccine’s foreign cells. It then remembers and destroys those foreign cells if you are later exposed to them.