Sep
Wellness
What happens when germs invade your body?
Immune System: How does it protect you and strategies to strengthen it
Did you know how does the body protect you from getting sick? The answer is the immune system!
Our immune system plays an important role in keeping germs out of our bodies and protect us from diseases. Without it, we can easily fall sick.
What happens when germs invade your body?
Our immune system is made of many types of organs and cells specialised in fighting germs. There are three lines of defence within the immune system that are vital to protect our body from infections.
The first line of the defence comprises the skin, mucus layer, saliva, tears, and sweat. The skin act as a barrier against germs and prevents them from entering the body. The mucus layer produces mucus which helps to trap germs and, saliva, tears, sweat contain a type of chemical called lysozyme, which kills germs. (1-3)
The second line of the defence comprises a group of white blood cells that specialize in detecting and destroying pathogens. When a pathogen is detected, other white blood cells are alerted of the pathogen’s presence and an inflammatory response is activated. This causes fever, swelling, redness, and pain. These responses are important to destroy the pathogens and prevent them from reproducing. (1-3)
The third line of defence is activated to train other immune cells to recognized and attack the pathogen. Some immune cells are trained to remember and prepare for the next attack by the same pathogen. These are called memory cells. Besides that, antibodies are also produced and this helps in the elimination of the pathogens. (1-3)
What can we do to strengthen our immune system?
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables every day for a strong immune system. Fruits and vegetables contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals which are needed by our immune system to function well.
- Balance, variety, and moderation
Eat a balanced diet and vary your food choices in your meals for adequate vitamin and minerals intake. A simple way to achieve this is to follow the Malaysian Healthy Plate Method:
- Fill 1/2 of your plate with fruits and vegetables
- 1/4 of your plate with whole grains such as brown rice or whole-grain bread
- The remaining 1/4 with healthy protein sources such as lean meat, eggs, legumes or tofu
Source: Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia
- Drink plenty of water everyday
Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Staying hydrated is important for your
immune system as water helps in transporting nutrients. (4)
- Get enough sleep
Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleeping time helps in strengthening your immune system. Lacking sleep affects our immune system, leading to decreased production of antibodies. (5)
- Avoid smoking and alcohol
Smoking and drinking alcohol can cause vitamin C deficiency and a weakened immune system (6,7)
- Be physically active everyday
Be active everyday in as many ways as you can and exercise for at least 30 minutes daily. Exercising helps to improve your immune system as it helps to reduce inflammation in the body and maintain immune cells. (8)
Other Immunity Boosters
- Vitamin C
A powerful antioxidant and one of the essential nutrients for a healthy immune system. It helps to strengthen immunity by stimulating the production of antibodies. (9,10)
- Vitamin D3
Commonly known as the ‘sunshine’ vitamin. Besides being beneficial for bone health, it is also linked to immune system health. Vitamin D3 helps to regulate immune response and the activation of T-cells, which is another type of white blood cell. (9,11)
- Zinc
A type of mineral essential to keep the immune system strong. It helps to fight infection and may prevent pathogens from replicating. (9,12)
A natural complex carbohydrate that helps to strengthen the immune system. It may protect you against colds and reduce symptoms.
- Propolis
A natural antibiotic and one of the richest sources of bioflavonoids and antioxidants. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. (13)
- Echinacea
A type of herb which helps support immune health and may reduce the duration and symptom severity of flu and common colds. It helps to stimulate the production of white blood cells. (14)
References
- How does the immune system work? [Internet]. NCBI. 2020 [cited 17September 2021]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279364/
- Immune system explained – Better Health Channel [Internet]. Betterhealth.vic.gov.au. [cited 17September 2021]. Available from: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/immune-system
- Macdonald K. The Immune Response [Internet]. Let’s Talk Science. 2019 [cited 17September 2021]. Available from: https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-in-context/immune-response
- Popkin B, D’Anci K, Rosenberg I. Water, hydration, and health. Nutrition Reviews. 2010;68(8):439-458.
- Ganz F. Sleep and Immune Function. Critical Care Nurse. 2012;32(2):e19-e25.
- Ueta E. The Effect of Cigarette Smoke Exposure and Ascorbic Acid Intake on Gene Expression of Antioxidant Enzymes and Other Related Enzymes in the Livers and Lungs of Shionogi Rats with Osteogenic Disorders. Toxicological Sciences. 2003;73(2):339-347.
- Marik P, Liggett A. Adding an orange to the banana bag: vitamin C deficiency is common in alcohol use disorders. Critical Care. 2019;23(1).
- da Silveira M, da Silva Fagundes K, Bizuti M, Starck É, Rossi R, de Resende e Silva D. Physical exercise as a tool to help the immune system against COVID-19: an integrative review of the current literature. Clinical and Experimental Medicine. 2020;21(1):15-28.
- Recommended Nutrient Intakes Malaysia 2017.Putrajaya: National Coordinating Committee on Food and Nutrition, Ministry of Health Malaysia; 2017.
- Carr A. C., Maggini S. Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017;9:1211.
- Aranow C. Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med. 2011;59(6):881-6.
- Wessels I, Maywald M, Rink L. Zinc as a gatekeeper of immune function. Nutrients. 2017;9:1286
- Tao Y, Wang D, Hu Y, Huang Y, Yu Y, et al. The immunological enhancement activity of propolis flavonoids liposome in vitro and in vivo. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:483513
- Karsch-Volk M., Barrett B, Kiefer D, Bauer R, Ardjomand-Woelkart K, Linde K. Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2014;2.
Ultimate Immune Booster
Ultimate Immune Booster
Covid-19 Essential
【Stock Clearance】Schrell Rinse Free Hand Sanitizer Gel – 500ML
Very good blog post.Much thanks again. Great.
Smooth and tight thighs are extremely desirable for girls
want. Fatty tissue can destroy the look of your whole body a lot
less flexible. The easy ideas in this post can make your fatty tissue
problem a much more manageable problem.
I have read so many posts on the topic of the blogger lovers but this article is really a fastidious paragraph,
keep it up.
That is very attention-grabbing, You’re a very skilled blogger.
I have joined your feed and sit up for in quest of more of your excellent post.
Additionally, I have shared your web site in my
social networks
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an incredibly long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear.
Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted
to say great blog!
I do accept as true with all of the ideas you’ve introduced to
your post. They’re very convincing and will definitely work.
Nonetheless, the posts are very quick for novices.
Could you please prolong them a little from subsequent time?
Thanks for the post.
I am sure this paragraph has touched all the internet visitors,
its really really nice piece of writing on building up new webpage.
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice,
keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later.
All the best
You are so cool! I do not think I’ve read anything like this before.
So good to discover someone with some genuine thoughts on this subject.
Really.. thank you for starting this up. This website is one
thing that’s needed on the web, someone with a
little originality!
Thanks for finally writing about What happens when germs invade your body?
Liked it!
This is the perfect website for anyone who would like to find out about
this topic. You understand so much its almost hard
to argue with you (not that I actually would want to…HaHa).
You definitely put a brand new spin on a topic that’s been discussed for a long time.
Great stuff, just wonderful!
Fantastic website. Lots of useful information here.
I am sending it to some friends ans also sharing in delicious.
And obviously, thank you in your effort!
What’s Taking place i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I
have discovered It absolutely useful and it has aided me out loads.
I hope to give a contribution & aid different
customers like its helped me. Great job.
When someone writes an article he/she keeps the thought of a user in his/her mind that how a
user can understand it. So that’s why this post is perfect.
Thanks!
Very nice blog post. I definitely love this site. Continue the good work!
My spouse and I stumbled over here by a different website and thought I
should check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you.
Look forward to checking out your web page for a second time.
Having read this I believed it was very informative. I appreciate you
finding the time and effort to put this short article together.
I once again find myself personally spending a lot of time both
reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worthwhile!
whoah this weblog is magnificent i love reading your articles.
Keep up the good work! You know, a lot of persons are looking round for
this information, you could help them greatly.
Howdy! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I
really enjoy reading through your blog posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects?
Thanks for your time!
This information is priceless. Where can I find out more?
Hi there friends, its fantastic article concerning tutoringand fully defined,
keep it up all the time.
Good day! I could have sworn I’ve visited this site before but after looking at some of the articles I realized it’s new to me.
Regardless, I’m certainly pleased I stumbled upon it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking
back often!
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful article.
Thank you for providing this info.
What’s up to all, the contents existing at this web page are genuinely
awesome for people knowledge, well, keep
up the good work fellows.
I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your blogs really nice,
keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back
later on. Cheers