The term immunity expresses the body’s ability to destroy foreign substances whose purpose is to enter the nucleus of the body’s cells and multiply there. The way to strengthen immunity is to have a constant, balanced diet full of vitamins and minerals and enough exercise. At a time when the concentration of respiratory viruses in the air is higher, it is important to support the immune system with an increased dose of vitamins (C and D) and minerals (zinc).
However, strong immunity will not develop over the weekend, do not wait for viruses to appear, but prepare for them weeks in advance.
The moment the virus enters the body, a systematic fight is waged inside. In the case of vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc, it is justified to claim that without their sufficient intake immunity is insufficient. “Supplementation of these essential ingredients in the form of quality food supplements can be recommended both preventively and in the form of increased doses due to signs of infection or a feeling of loss of vitality. It also has an indirect effect on our psyche,” concludes immunologist Prof. Dr. Jan Krejsek.
The primary protection is the skin, mucous membranes, tears, saliva, and gastric juices. They can destroy germs if you eat something harmful to your health. If everything were stopped by the skin, mucous membranes, and gastric juices, pathogens (viruses, bacteria, pollutants) would not stand a chance. The reality is different, so if the pathogen crosses the first barrier, the second defense mechanism, the so-called innate immunity. You have been gifted with this by nature, by your ancestors. This includes macrophages – cells capable of absorbing and killing hostile microorganisms and pathogens. At the same time, dendritic cells with receptors that register the foreign substance try to get rid of it through inflammation. You will feel it in yourself as an increased body temperature or as a burning sensation, and sometimes swelling of a certain part of the body.
AND THEN THE IMMUNITY…. WHITE BLOOD CELLS, FIGHT!
Once innate immunity alone is not enough, acquired immunity mechanisms are added. Here, pathogens are opposed by T and B lymphocytes (white blood cells), the most important guardians of the immune system.
WHO ARE YOU? FRIEND OR FOE
As soon as the immune system identifies which pathogen it is dealing with, it gradually begins to engage the mechanisms of acquired and innate immunity. Vitamin C significantly helps in accelerating the immune response. The sooner the body reacts, the less damage a virus or bacteria can do to the body. Without vitamin C, white blood cells slow down.
On first encounter, the body’s response is longer as the immune system searches for what might work. Meanwhile, a virus or bacteria can enter the body’s cell nucleus, rewrite the DNA, and start multiplying.
ZINC PROTECTS CELLS AND SUPPORTS IMMUNE MEMORY
Sufficient zinc prevents viruses from entering the cell nucleus. At the same time, it supports the proliferation, growth, formation, and function of immune cells, the number of which is crucial for defensive inflammation.
If the first encounter with the virus is successful, white blood cells form memory cells in which important information is stored. This immune memory serves to allow the body to respond immediately and effectively if the body is attacked again by the same pathogen.
VITAMIN D ACTIVATES WHITE BLOOD CELLS
Vitamin D, which has several functions, also significantly interferes with the immune system. In the immune system, it strengthens anti-infective barriers and activates NK cells (a type of white blood cell, so-called natural killers), whose main purpose is defense against viral, parasitic, and bacterial infections.
Vitamin D also has a regulatory role in the body. At the first encounter with an unknown virus, the organism can “go crazy” and start attacking everything possible, including its own immune cells. Vitamin D controls that antibodies target only pathogens. Balanced reactions are essential in combat.
Mr.Pharm Brankica Milinković
