The excessive intake of carbohydrates, nutritional deficiencies and stress affect the immune system’s response to invading microorganisms and cancer cells. Also, the response of the immune system becomes less efficient with age. However, one can adopt various measures to reduce the risk of infection.
The way we eat and our lifestyle choices can play a key role in our ability to resist infection.
Excessive intake of refined carbohydrates has been shown to inhibit the ability of our white blood cells to mobilize and to attack invading microorganisms. Also, high levels of stress can impact the ability of the immune system to respond to the invasion of bacteria and to ingest and destroy cancer cells lurking in the body.
Aging is associated with a decline in the vigor of the immune system to respond to and deal with invaders. This process begins in the 40 to 50 year age group and continues on a downward path until body death.
Parallel with this decline of immune status is the high prevalence of nutritional deficiencies. Several causes contribute to this phenomenon and these include the use of multiple drugs, physical disabilities, depression and maldigestion and malabsorption.
There are ways that we can help to reduce the risk of infections. The immune system depends on nonspecific stimulation from bacterial antigens in the throat and upper gut. In fact, brushing teeth and eating clean food can be unphysiological. This dysregulation favours allergy and increased susceptibility to infection.
Correct dental hygiene should involve firstly, brushing the teeth with a wet brush and not toothpaste. The resulting saliva loaded with bacteria should be swallowed. Then the teeth should be brushed again using toothpaste and spat out. This is like using a bacterial vaccine to cause a non-specific stimulation of the white blood cells.
In fact, several bacterial vaccines for oral consumption are available in Europe that have been tested for efficacy with many double-blind trials showing a protective effect in influenza epidemics. These are not available in North America but the use of probiotics such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria can stimulate immunity nonspecifically without colonization of the intestinal tract and endow some increased level of immunity.
The use of nutritional supplements with a mixture of vitamins and trace elements can show a marked reduction in the incidence of common infections and a consequent reduction in the use of antibiotics.
Since multiple nutritional deficiencies are common affecting at least one-third of persons 50 years and older, it is wise to consider the use of micronutrient supplements to improve immunity and reduce the incidence of many infections.