Should you bundle up when it's cold outside? The answer is "yes" if you're uncomfortable, or if you're going to be outdoors for an extended period where such problems as frostbite and hypothermia are a risk. But don't worry about immunity. Regular exercise is one of the pillars of healthy living.

It improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight, and protects against a variety of diseases.

But does it help to boost your immune system naturally and keep it healthy? Just like a healthy diet, exercise can contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthy immune system. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.

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What can you do to boost your immune system? Photos courtesy of Michael N. Starnbach, Ph. Every part of your body, including your immune system, functions better when protected from environmental assaults and bolstered by healthy-living strategies such as these: Don't smoke.

Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables. Exercise regularly. Maintain a healthy weight. If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation. Get adequate sleep. Take steps to avoid infection , such as washing your hands frequently and cooking meats thoroughly. Try to minimize stress.

Keep current with all recommended vaccines. Vaccines prime your immune system to fight off infections before they take hold in your body. Increase immunity the healthy way Many products on store shelves claim to boost or support immunity. Immune system and age As we age, our immune response capability becomes reduced, which in turn contributes to more infections and more cancer.

Diet and your immune system Like any fighting force, the immune system army marches on its stomach. Improve immunity with herbs and supplements?

Stress and immune function Modern medicine has come to appreciate the closely linked relationship of mind and body. Does being cold give you a weak immune system? Exercise: Good or bad for immunity? Share This Page Share this page to Facebook Share this page to Twitter Share this page via Email.

On a daily basis, we are constantly exposed to potentially harmful microbes of all sorts. Our immune system, a network of intricate stages and pathways in the body, protects us against these harmful microbes as well as certain diseases. It recognizes foreign invaders like bacteria, viruses, and parasites and takes immediate action.

Humans possess two types of immunity: innate and adaptive. Innate immunity is a first-line defense from pathogens that try to enter our bodies, achieved through protective barriers. These barriers include:. Adaptive or acquired immunity is a system that learns to recognize a pathogen.

It is regulated by cells and organs in our body like the spleen, thymus, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. When a foreign substance enters the body, these cells and organs create antibodies and lead to multiplication of immune cells including different types of white blood cells that are specific to that harmful substance and attack and destroy it.

Our immune system then adapts by remembering the foreign substance so that if it enters again, these antibodies and cells are even more efficient and quick to destroy it.

Antigens are substances that the body labels as foreign and harmful, which triggers immune cell activity. Allergens are one type of antigen and include grass pollen, dust, food components, or pet hair. Antigens can cause a hyper-reactive response in which too many white cells are released.

For example, an allergy to mold triggers symptoms of wheezing and coughing in a sensitive individual but does not trigger a reaction in other people. When pathogens attack healthy cells and tissue, a type of immune cell called mast cells counterattack and release proteins called histamines, which cause inflammation.

Inflammation may generate pain, swelling, and a release of fluids to help flush out the pathogens. The histamines also send signals to discharge even more white blood cells to fight pathogens. However, prolonged inflammation can lead to tissue damage and may overwhelm the immune system.

Autoimmune disorders like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or type 1 diabetes are partly hereditary and cause hypersensitivity in which immune cells attack and destroy healthy cells. Immunodeficiency disorders can depress or completely disable the immune system, and may be genetic or acquired. Acquired forms are more common and include AIDS and cancers like leukemia and multiple myeloma.

Eating enough nutrients as part of a varied diet is required for the health and function of all cells, including immune cells. Certain dietary patterns may better prepare the body for microbial attacks and excess inflammation, but it is unlikely that individual foods offer special protection.

Examples of nutrients that have been identified as critical for the growth and function of immune cells include vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, selenium, iron, and protein including the amino acid glutamine.

Diets that are limited in variety and lower in nutrients, such as consisting primarily of ultra-processed foods and lacking in minimally processed foods, can negatively affect a healthy immune system. It is also believed that a Western diet high in refined sugar and red meat and low in fruits and vegetables can promote disturbances in healthy intestinal microorganisms, resulting in chronic inflammation of the gut, and associated suppressed immunity.

The microbiome is an internal metropolis of trillions of microorganisms or microbes that live in our bodies, mostly in the intestines. It is an area of intense and active research, as scientists are finding that the microbiome plays a key role in immune function.

The gut is a major site of immune activity and the production of antimicrobial proteins. A high-fiber plant-rich diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes appear to support the growth and maintenance of beneficial microbes.

Certain helpful microbes break down fibers into short chain fatty acids, which have been shown to stimulate immune cell activity. These fibers are sometimes called prebiotics because they feed microbes. Therefore, a diet containing probiotic and prebiotic foods may be beneficial. Probiotic foods contain live helpful bacteria, and prebiotic foods contain fiber and oligosaccharides that feed and maintain healthy colonies of those bacteria.

Animal studies have found that deficiencies in zinc , selenium , iron , copper, folic acid , and vitamins A , B6 , C , D , and E can alter immune responses. Epidemiological studies find that those who are poorly nourished are at greater risk of bacterial, viral, and other infections.

Eating a good quality diet, as depicted by the Healthy Eating Plate, can prevent deficiencies in these nutrients. However, there are certain populations and situations in which one cannot always eat a variety of nutritious foods, or who have increased nutrient needs. In these cases a vitamin and mineral supplement may help to fill nutritional gaps.

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By Alex Osiadacz.

It may also help with nausea. Ginger may also decrease chronic pain and might even possess cholesterol-lowering properties. Similar to broccoli, spinach is healthiest when cooked as little as possible so that it retains its nutrients.

However, light cooking makes it easier to absorb the vitamin A and allows other nutrients to be released from oxalic acid , an antinutrient.

Check out some spinach recipes here. These cultures may stimulate your immune system to help fight diseases. Try to get plain yogurts rather than the kind that are flavored and loaded with sugar. You can sweeten plain yogurt yourself with healthy fruits and a drizzle of honey instead.

Yogurt can also be a great source of vitamin D , so try to select brands fortified with this vitamin. Clinical trials are even in the works to study its possible effects on COVID Research so far suggests that vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk for COVID19 and the severity of disease progression in people with the infection.

Experts therefore believe supplementation may protect people with a vitamin D deficiency. However, there is no evidence that vitamin D can treat a COVID19 infection. When it comes to preventing and fighting off colds, vitamin E tends to take a backseat to vitamin C. However, this powerful antioxidant is key to a healthy immune system.

Nuts, such as almonds , are packed with the vitamin and also have healthy fats. Adults only need about 15 mg of vitamin E each day. Sunflower seeds are full of nutrients, including phosphorous , magnesium , and vitamins B6 and E.

Vitamin E is important in regulating and maintaining immune system function. Other foods with high amounts of vitamin E include avocados and dark leafy greens.

Sunflower seeds are also high in selenium. Just 1 ounce contains nearly half the selenium that the average adult needs daily. A variety of studies , mostly performed on animals, have looked at its potential to combat viral infections such as swine flu H1N1. You may know turmeric as a key ingredient in many curries.

This bright yellow, bitter spice has also been used for years as an anti-inflammatory in treating both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Research shows that high concentrations of curcumin , which gives turmeric its distinctive color, can help decrease exercise-induced muscle damage.

Curcumin has promise as an immune booster based on findings from animal studies with antimicrobial properties. More research is needed. Both green and black teas are packed with flavonoids , a type of antioxidant.

Where green tea really excels is in its levels of epigallocatechin gallate EGCG , another powerful antioxidant. Research has suggested that EGCG may have antiviral properties that support the immune system. The fermentation process black tea goes through destroys a lot of the EGCG.

Green tea, on the other hand, is steamed and not fermented, so the EGCG is preserved. Papayas also have a digestive enzyme called papain that has anti-inflammatory effects.

Papayas have decent amounts of potassium , magnesium, and folate , all of which are beneficial to your overall health. Like papayas, kiwis are a rich source of essential nutrients, including folate, potassium, vitamin K , and vitamin C.

The soup may help lower inflammation, which could improve symptoms of a cold. Poultry, such as chicken and turkey, is high in vitamin B6. About 3 ounces of light turkey or chicken meat contains nearly one-third of your daily recommended amount of B6.

Vitamin B6 is an important player in many of the chemical reactions that happen in the body. Yogurt and other probiotic foods help build up a healthy microbiome, playing a key role in immune function.

Diet can determine which kinds of microbes live in our gut. Probiotic foods —such as yogurt with live active culture, kombucha, sauerkraut, tempeh, miso and fermented vegetables — contain live active bacteria.

Including some of these natural probiotics in your eating pattern will help boost your immune system. Skip to main content. Home Education Health Research Community Campus Filter News News Releases. Posted on January 17, at pm. To jump-start the New Year, consider eating these five immune-strengthening foods.

Citrus fruits Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C, which supports a healthy immune system. Oats Oats contain many nutrients and bioactive compounds, such as polyphenolics, which have been associated with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunogenic responses.

Sweet potato Sweet potato is packed with beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, which is critical to the immune system. Garlic Garlic has been used in traditional medicine to prevent or treat diseases. Most citrus fruits have high levels of vitamin C which helps to boost the immune system and help your body fight off sickness.

Common citrus fruits include grapefruits, oranges, tangerines and lemons. Blueberries and strawberries are two super nutritious foods that can help your body fight off sickness.

Strawberries are high in vitamin C and blueberries contain a type of antioxidant called anthocyanin which helps to boost the immune system.

Garlic is commonly taken as a daily supplement to help boost overall health and support immune function. You can add garlic to just about any meal by chopping it up and cooking it down.

In addition to offering immune-boosting support garlic also adds a delicious flavor it just about any meal.

Fruits and vegetables are essential to a healthy diet but protein is important too. Many of us remember being fed chicken soup as a cold remedy when we were children. Vitamin B6 is important for immune function since it helps with the formation of new red blood cells. Omega-3 fatty acids are important for immune function.

These nutrients are found in most seafood such as salmon, tuna and mackerel. Omega-3 fatty acids can help to reduce inflammation and boost the function of immune cells. Plant-based protein options like beans, peas, chickpeas, nuts and seeds offer the body a boost of healthy fats and protein while also being nutrient rich.

Nuts are rich in magnesium, iron, vitamin E and vitamin B6. In addition to fruits, vegetables and lean meats there are many other foods that can help to boost the immune system. Actually, some of the most beneficial foods are listed below. Nuts and seeds are an excellent source of nutrients that can help to support immune function.

They are rich in protein, healthy fat and fiber. They are also filled with vitamins and minerals like vitamin E, magnesium and zinc. Fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, yogurt, and sauerkraut support your microbiome since they contain active cultures and provide the body with probiotics.

Your body contains all types of healthy bacteria and fermented foods help to boost the health of these bacteria to support overall health as well as immune health.

Herbs and spices like turmeric and oregano are great for immune function. Many natural supplements are made using herbs and spices—and for good reason. You can easily incorporate herbs and spices into your meals to add an extra boost of nutrients as well as extra flavor.

There are many different delicious meals that are packed with immune-boosting nutrients. The great thing about soup is that it can be made with health-supporting bone broth and you can literally throw in just about any other nutritious foods.