With the first autumn storms approaching, you may be wondering exactly how your immune system works and whether you can strengthen it yourself. The answer to the second question is yes, says immunologist Ger Rijkers. And you can read how to do that here.
WHAT EXACTLY IS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM?
“Your immune system is an ingenious system that protects your body,” explains Ger Rijkers, medical immunologist and professor of biomedical sciences at University College Roosevelt in Middelburg. “But the tricky part is:you can't point it out, like you can with your liver, for example. It's in different places, because it's supposed to protect your entire body." The main defense forces of your body are the bone marrow, thymus, spleen, lymph nodes and intestines.
IS THERE SOMETHING LIKE GOOD OR BAD RESISTANCE?
“Yes, there are big differences in resistance between people. And that has several causes. Even before you are born, in the womb, the foundation is laid for your immune system. And that basis is the same for everyone. But the womb is a 'sterile' environment, you do not come into contact with pathogens before birth. That is why we call your immune system 'naive'. After you are born, your immune system must immediately show its worth at full capacity, because then disease makers are lurking everywhere. If such a pathogen passes by, a baby will get sick or have a cold, but in the meantime your body is crafting an army of lymphocytes with special receptors on them that respond to that specific virus or bacterium. This is how the cold or flu is defeated.
The clever thing about the immune system is that your body stores a few of those 'remodeled' lymphocytes:those are your memory cells. If that same virus or bacterium passes by again, those cells immediately go to work and beat it before you get sick:you are then immune. The more of those memory cells you have, the better protected you are against viruses and bacteria. Because the more pathogens your body recognizes, the faster they are tackled. In the ideal world, everyone would have memory cells against every disease maker. But it can differ per person which viruses you have come into contact with. If I have developed memory cells against twenty flu viruses, then I am less susceptible to flu than someone who has memory cells for ten viruses. So I have a stronger resistance, I might say. But that doesn't say anything about other diseases:it may be that the other person is immune to measles and I am not. Or that I catch a cold much faster and more often. Everyone has their own unique resistance.”
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN MEN'S AND WOMEN'S RESISTANCE?
“Yes, women generally have a slightly stronger immune system than men, because female sex hormones boost the immune system. And as you get older, your resistance weakens slightly. This is because you have actually collected too many memory cells:that large number then hides the production of new cells. In addition, other bodily functions also decrease as you get older, so your body is less able to keep pathogens at bay.”
HOW CAN YOU BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM?
“By living a healthy life:eating healthy and making sure your body is in good shape by getting enough exercise. If you eat a healthy and varied diet, you get enough vitamin C, D and the trace elements zinc and selenium, each of which has a positive effect on the functioning of your immune system † That has been proven. Vitamin C supplements are not necessarily necessary. You can find enough vitamin C in cabbages, citrus fruits, kiwis, berries and strawberries. And because the Dutch soil is naturally full of zinc and selenium, you don't have to take those trace elements if you eat enough fruit and vegetables."
WHAT ABOUT VITAMIN D?
“In the summer you make enough of it under the influence of the sun, but not always in the other seasons. You can prevent a shortage by spending at least half an hour in the outdoor air every day between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to walk. If that doesn't work, it's good to take a supplement. Do check the recommended daily amount on the packaging , some supplements contain up to a thousand times as much and that does your body no good.”
WHAT IF YOU DO GET SICK? HOW DO YOU HELP YOUR BODY BACK UP QUICKLY?
“By not making excessive efforts. If your immune system working at full throttle means that ten percent of your body is working very hard. And that means that you also have less energy have for other things. You really don't necessarily have to go to bed if you don't need it, but slowing down a bit is good for your body."
Text Priscilla Borgers, Image Getty Images
