Question

Write a letter to your sister about how to improve immunity

Answer 1

Answer:

Our immune systems do a remarkable job at fighting off foreign cells to protect us against illness. Varying factors are at play, such as age, which determine how resilient this defence system will be. Naturally, when a global health pandemic strikes, we’re bound to feel more concerned than usual about staying strong and healthy. As, until a vaccine is available, “our immune systems will need to adapt unaided to COVID-19”, says the World Economic Forum.

So how does the immune system actually work? Our bodies make proteins called antibodies that destroy abnormal cells, but the battle all depends on how healthy we are, both mentally and physically, in the first place. All sorts of factors can affect our immune systems, from a stressful lifestyle or poor sleeping pattern, to a diet lacking in essential nutrients. As a result, sometimes this multi-level system fails us and a germ invades successfully.

The question is, is it possible to “boost” our immune systems to help fight off viruses? The idea of boosting your immunity might seem “enticing” but “the ability to do so has proved elusive”, according to Harvard Medical School.

We spoke to Irish Consultant Dietitian and Nutritionist Paula Mee to find out what this really means.

“The immune system is always on,” she begins. “Even when we’re sleeping, it’s stopping pathogens from invading our bodies - this makes it impossible to measure. The cosmetics industry tends to talk about ‘boosting’ it but, as nutritionists, we think ‘sustaining’ or ‘supporting’ is a more accurate way of putting it.”

Explanation: