Although the epidemic is temporarily gone, experts warn that it may return this autumn and winter. Wear a mask when you go out, wash your hands frequently when you go home, and self-isolate if necessary... These are all good ideas in your battle against the new coronavirus, but making your immune system strong enough to be your strong backing is the key The heaviest.
But how do we make our immune system stronger?
The immune system also has its own age
Composed of hundreds of cells and signaling molecules, the body's immune system is incredibly intricately controlled by some 8,000 genes, the second most complex system in our body after the brain.
As you age, your immune system also ages. This is the main reason why the death rate of the elderly is higher after contracting the new coronavirus. To many, this "immune aging" may sound far-fetched, but it's something we all need to care about. Immune aging is surprisingly early in some people, starts during adolescence, and is accelerated by various unhealthy lifestyles (such as smoking, sedentary, etc.).
In order to measure the health of the immune system, scientists have invented a new concept called "immune age". In groups, the immune age roughly corresponds to chronological age, but in some individuals it can vary by as much as 20 years. Some people's immunization age is much older than their actual age, while others are much younger. However, because the human immune system is too complex, it is not easy to accurately measure a person's immune age.
The good news is that immune ageing is reversible and can be either older or younger—often the result of lifestyle changes. You don't need to know your immune age to reverse it.
Rejuvenate neutrophils
Why does immunosenescence occur? This has to do with the fact that as you age, some immune cells start to behave badly.
The worst offenders are a class of immune cells called "neutrophils." This is the most common type of white blood cell. They form part of the innate immune system and are the body's first line of defense against infection. Neutrophils tirelessly patrol the bloodstream in search of harmful pathogens. When they spot an intruder, they eliminate it in one of three ways: swallow the pathogen; spray it with deadly chemicals; or suicidally toss out its DNA, entangling the enemy like a net, immobilizing it. , until death.
As they age, older neutrophils, though still able to spot intruders, rampage like drunken soldiers in pursuit, firing indiscriminately. The consequences are: on the one hand, the speed and efficiency of defenses are reduced, giving the intruder more time to gain a foothold; on the other hand, the accidental injury caused by indiscriminate fire triggers chronic inflammation that spreads throughout the body.
But the viability of neutrophils can be restored. Scientists have found that taking a common cholesterol-lowering drug, a statin, can make old neutrophils rejuvenate and act like their younger counterparts. However, this drug has certain side effects. But without medication, exercise can also rejuvenate neutrophils. Scientists found that older adults who ran an average of 10,000 steps a day had as good neutrophils as younger ones.
Regenerate T cells
As we age, another type of immune cell starts to go awry a little too, and that's T cells. T cells play a key role in adaptive immunity, but due to immune senescence, they, too, go on a rampage and fire indiscriminately like a neurological disorder. The consequence is that the invaders cannot be eliminated but normal cells are damaged.
There is an easy way to regenerate T cells and that is vitamin E supplementation. Vitamin E has the function of enhancing immunity. In one experiment, researchers divided 670 nursing home residents into two groups. One group took a small amount of vitamin E every day, and the other group took a placebo. The results showed that the group taking vitamin E had a significantly lower rate of upper respiratory tract infections. In order to improve immunity, the International Medical Association recommends that people over the age of 65 take 200 international units of vitamin E daily.
At the same time, vitamin D seems to play the same role, especially for those who live in high latitudes and lack sunlight in winter. Experts recommend taking 1000-2000 international units of vitamin D daily, but do not exceed this dose, as large doses will inhibit T cell function.
The third supplement is zinc. Zinc is very effective against viral infections, but the dosage should be strictly controlled, and overdose can also suppress the immune function of T cells.
Prevent thymus gland degeneration
Besides misbehaving immune cells, another organ implicated in immune aging is the thymus. Many people are unaware of the thymus. It is located under your breastbone and is a heart-shaped lymphoid tissue. This is where T cells mature before being put into "service". The thymus gland is very active during our childhood, but regresses as we age, shrinking by about 3% each year starting at puberty. By late middle age, it usually shrinks into fragments, and T-cell numbers fall off a cliff. This has an impact on the body's ability to fight off new pathogens. Adaptive immunity is severely weakened in older adults with few thymus glands.
Thymus regeneration is an active area of antiaging research. A large part of the degeneration of the thymus gland is due to lack of exercise, and exercise can not only prevent the degeneration of the thymus gland, but also reverse it. In one study, scientists surveyed 125 amateur cyclists between the ages of 55-79. For decades, these people have regularly ridden long distances. They are healthier, stronger and have better immune systems than the average person. Their thymus was younger and had a comparable number of T cells.
Exercise also has other immune-boosting effects. Skeletal muscle is a deep immune regulatory tissue in the human body, and active skeletal muscle has anti-inflammatory and stimulates macrophage production. Maintaining the normal functioning of skeletal muscles through exercise has great health benefits.
Taking care of gut flora and fasting, weight loss
What you eat also matters to your immune system - it's time to take care of your gut flora. A healthy gut flora can lower your immune age. In one study, scientists analyzed the immune age of patients with chronic diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile. They found that the patients' immune age was 10-20 years older than their chronological age. But after receiving a fecal transplant, their immune age plummeted within a few weeks, and the decline was astonishingly fast.
There are many things you can do to keep your gut flora healthy, including eating foods rich in fiber and fermented foods (like kimchi), and eating a varied diet. Other dietary changes, such as dieting and fasting, also have a significant effect on boosting immunity.
The reason why fasting can improve immunity is based on the long-term evolution of the animal body to adapt to hunger. The calories ingested by animals are, on the one hand, used to maintain the survival of the animals themselves, including fighting pathogens, repairing damaged DNA, etc.; When an animal is not consuming enough calories and is in a certain degree of hunger, the body turns on "starvation mode." In this mode, the body prioritizes survival over growth and reproduction. At this time, the animal's development stops and its fertility declines, but its metabolism is healthier, its spirit is sharper, and its immunity is stronger.
The International Medical Association recommends a 16:8 fasting regime, in which you eat no calories at all for 16 hours and only eat for the remaining 8 hours. If you can't do it every day, even doing it once a week can be very effective.
Even if fasting isn't for you, simple weight loss can boost your immunity. Obesity leads to decreased B cell function in the immune system, and adipose tissue also negatively affects antibody responses. Whether you lose weight through diet or exercise, you can improve your immunity in the short term.
The methods described above are not too difficult to do, although there is a price you need to pay, such as sometimes sacrificing appetite. But in the current epidemic, what is this sacrifice for the safety of our own lives? Act now!
