Immunity-boosting secrets revealed

There is no "universal secret" that can quickly improve immunity. All products that claim to be effective in 7 days and prevent you from catching a cold are all IQ taxes. The key to truly stabilizing immunity for a long time is to find a diet, work and rest, exercise, and emotional balance that suit your own body rhythm. After all, everyone's immune foundation is very different. What others use that works well may have the opposite effect on you.

A while ago, I helped my mother clean up the storage room and unearthed half a cabinet of "immunity miracle medicines" that she bought following the trend: some broken Ganoderma spore powder, imported bovine colostrum tablets, and quantum energy water that is said to activate immune cells. It cost a small 20,000 yuan. During the peak of the flu last winter, she still had a fever for three days and coughed for half a month. On the other hand, her old square-dancing sister didn't take any supplements. She only had a simple meal every day. After eating, she walked around the community for half an hour. She didn't even catch a cold twice in the whole year.

When it comes to exercise, the opinions on the Internet are now very noisy: one school says that high-intensity intervals must be performed three times a week to maximize metabolism in order to activate immune cells.； The other group says that too much exercise will deplete the body, and rest is the core of nourishing the immune system. Both sides are right, but they don't tell the whole story - I had a friend who forced himself to run 10 kilometers every day for 18 consecutive days in order to prevent COVID-19. However, his immunity failed to improve and he first got herpes zoster. When he went to the hospital, the doctor said that his continuous excessive exercise caused cortisol to spike, which directly suppressed the activity of immune cells. But can you say no? My other homebody boyfriend never goes out more than 20 times a year. He eats and sleeps every day. He gets allergies when the seasons change. Last year, a small cold turned into pneumonia and he was hospitalized for a week. In fact, for ordinary people, there is no need to worry about whether to lift irons or run a marathon. If you feel comfortable and not tired after exercise, then this intensity is suitable for you. Even if it is just a 20-minute walk after meals every day, long-term persistence is more effective than carrying on high-intensity exercise.

There is even more controversy over eating this piece. Some people say that you must eat enough high-quality protein every meal, eggs, milk and beef. ； A vegetarian jumped out and said that he has been a vegetarian for more than ten years and his immune indicators are all normal. High animal protein will actually increase the burden on the body. Also, do I need to supplement vitamin C? The nutrition community has been arguing for more than ten years, but there is no unified conclusion: one group believes that as long as ordinary people eat one pound of vegetables and half a pound of fruits, their vitamin C intake is completely sufficient, and additional supplements are a waste of money. ； The other group believes that people now eat mostly highly processed foods, and most of the vitamin C is lost after frying many vegetables. There is no harm in supplementing the basic amount of 100mg every day. A former colleague of mine took 1,000 mg of high-concentration vitamin C every day to prevent colds. After taking it for two months, he went for a physical examination. His uric acid exceeded the normal value. The doctor said that more supplements are never better, and excessive supplements will burden the kidney metabolism. As for the currently popular claim that probiotics improve immunity, there is currently no solid unified conclusion in the academic community. Only a few studies have confirmed that specific strains may be helpful for intestinal-related immunity. Those probiotic drinks you usually buy for a few yuan a bottle will not have much active bacteria left in the stomach. Most of the time, they just add extra sugar.

Many people don’t know that work and rest have a much greater impact on immunity than taking supplements. But it’s not like what is said on the Internet: You must sleep for 8 hours to be healthy - my father is 63 years old. He has maintained the habit of going to bed at 10 a.m. and starting at 5 a.m. since he was young. He sleeps 7 hours a day. All immune indicators in the physical examination are in the excellent range. ； There is an old colleague in his workplace who is a natural short sleeper. He only sleeps 6 hours a day. He is more energetic than anyone else and has no physical problems. What really destroys immunity is an irregular schedule. For example, if you stay up until 3 o'clock to go to bed today, wake up at 8 o'clock tomorrow, and catch up on sleep until 1 o'clock the day after tomorrow, the biological clock will be disrupted, and the rhythm of immune cells will also be disrupted. My best friend used to work in the new media, and she slept day and night every day. She seemed to get enough sleep for 10 hours a day, but she would always get hives when the seasons changed from spring to autumn. Later, she changed to a 9-to-5 job, and after two months of regular work and rest, the allergic problem went away on its own.

Finally, let’s talk about something that people tend not to take seriously: emotions. Last year, our department was working on a big project. We did 996 for two consecutive months. The whole department was under tremendous pressure. As a result, by the time the project was finished, half of the people in the department had colds and fevers. Except for the little girl in our department who got off work at 10:00 every day and went to jazz dance first when the sky fell, nothing happened. Nowadays, research in psychosomatic medicine has long confirmed that long-term chronic stress will keep cortisol in the body at a high level for a long time, directly inhibiting the activity of T cells and immunoglobulins. To put it bluntly, if you are so anxious every day that you cannot eat or sleep well, it will be useless no matter how many supplements you take.

I have encountered many pitfalls in improving immunity. A few years ago, I followed the trend and bought a bunch of supplements and forced myself to run 5 kilometers a day. As a result, I caught colds frequently. Later, I gradually figured out my rhythm: I would play badminton for an hour three or four days a week, add more dark green vegetables to my meals, try to go to bed before 12 o'clock, and be less angry about work. I have indeed had fewer colds in the past two years. To be honest, immunity is not a value that you can build up in just a few days of assault. It is a "body defense army" that has been with you for decades. You don't need to stuff it with delicacies. As long as you don't toss it every day and give it enough regularity and security, it will naturally help you when you need it.