Easy lifestyle switch can beat the bugs
A FIBRE-RICH diet, gentle exercise, a good night’s sleep and a cold shower could help boost immunity and even reduce the severity of Covid infection, a TV programme reveals.
But drinking too much alcohol reduces the number of immune cells needed to fight off infections from bacteria and viruses the next day.
The experiment also finds the only supplement healthy people need is vitamin D, especially during winter when we get less sun.
Casualty doctor Dr Ronx Ikharia says that while we cannot make ourselves immune from illness, simple lifestyle changes could help make us better able to fight off bugs.
In The Truth About Boosting Your Immune System, Dr Ikharia explores how we can keep our body’s defences strong and looks at the latest science on how to keep it healthy.
The body relies on circulating white blood cells to detect and destroy invading bacteria, viruses and parasites.
But poor diets and an unhealthy lifestyle can play havoc with the immune system.
In the unique six-week trial, six volunteers were given an immunity makeover for the BBC One show.
At the start, all had an immune system that was overreacting and damaging their bodies. But afterwards five who finished the experiment saw improvements.
Sales manager David Richard had to drop out after he caught Covid in the fifth week but believes the progress he made while overhauling his lifestyle helped him cope better with the virus.
He says: “I am aware of people my age who are fitter than me yet ended up in hospital on the oxygen. I am convinced what I have done has helped me fight this. I can’t prove it but I do wonder if it has.
“Because, yes, I am asthmatic and was overweight. You could argue I was all the classic signs that meant it could have been dangerous. But it hasn’t got me badly, I have not been as ill as some people.”
Junk food fan David Lloyd also caught a cold but made a rapid recovery.
He admits: “I did not expect to be in work the next day but the following morning I woke up feeling great. In my opinion, it probably has improved my immune system.”
The programme explains that a fibrerich diet boosts the production of immune cells and may give them more of a killer instinct. Moderate exercise helps stimulate the immune system. Studies also show that people who sleep fewer than seven hours a night are three times more likely to catch a cold than those that get more than eight.
It is also believed that during a long sleep, the immune cells are better able to identify infections. Dr Ikharia shows that a short bout of stress to the body – such as finishing a daily shower with 30 seconds under cold water or even a massage – releases immune cells into the blood.
This primes them ready to fight infections.
The medic says: “This goes to show with modest lifestyle changes we can better protect ourselves by bringing our immune system back into balance.
“If we eat a diet full of fibre, supplemented with vitamin D, if we follow a moderate exercise regime and if we get eight hours’ sleep a night, we keep our immune cells fighting fit.
“And if you are looking for a shortterm boost, a 30-second cold shower or even a massage should do the trick. We
‘It helped me to fight Covid-19’
obviously can’t make ourselves invincible but when we do get ill, having a healthy immune system makes us more able to fight it off so we can carry on with our daily lives.”
The London-based A&E medic also takes part in an experiment to look at the effect of alcohol on immunity.
After drinking booze, the immune cell count drops substantially the next day.
Dr Ikharia says: “The evidence is clear – drink too much alcohol and the immune system suffers. The good news is that my immune cells recover in time.
“So if we take regular breaks from drinking alcohol, it gives our immune cells a chance to bounce back and keep us healthy.”
● The Truth About Boostingyour Immune System, BBC One, Wednesday at 9pm.