Immune System: How it Works and How to Support It
The body is an expert at collaboration. Nothing in our body stands alone. All cells and processes have a kind of 'chemistry' with each other; they are connected through communication and interplay. Our immune system can only function well and provide adequate resistance and protection if all involved parties are well-coordinated. But which elements in our body work together to ensure optimal resistance? And what role do nutrition and supplementation play in this?
The Immune System: What Does It Consist Of?
The mucous membranes are our body's boundary with the outside world. They form a barrier that protects us from potential external threats. We find mucous membranes in the eyes, mouth, nose, airways, intestines, and around the genitals. A lot happens in our mucous membranes; they not only form a barrier but also produce mucus to protect the mucous cells and to transport unwanted substances out of the body. We also find the majority of immune cells in our body within the mucous membranes.
White blood cells or leukocytes (immune cells) are another important component of our immune system, often referred to as the soldiers of our resistance. They act against harmful substances and pathogens like bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Some leukocytes act like little vacuum cleaners, sucking up all the 'debris', while others produce antibodies to neutralise unwanted substances.
However they operate, all different leukocytes are produced in the bone marrow. Red blood cells are also formed in the bone marrow. After white blood cells leave the bone marrow, some of these cells (immature T-lymphocytes) undergo a learning process. When is something part of the body and when is it foreign? These T-lymphocytes learn this in the thymus. Most of these immune cells fail the exam and are destroyed, but the minority that leaves the thymus is fully equipped for their special task in the defence mechanism. We find such immune cells in the lymph nodes, as well as in the Peyer's patches.
After white blood cells leave the bone marrow, some of these cells (immature T-lymphocytes) undergo a learning process.
Peyer's patches, these are patches of lymphatic tissue in the intestinal mucosa, are another important component of the immune system. They contain many active immune cells that continuously check the contents of the intestine and initiate an appropriate immune response if necessary. These immune cells maintain very close contact with the bacteria in our gut.
The gut flora is the entire population of bacteria that inhabit our intestines. The population density in our gut, especially in our large intestine, is so high that under normal, healthy circumstances there is no room for pathogens to settle. Should a pathogen linger, the immune system in the gut acts as a safety net, and the aforementioned active immune cells will immediately come to the defence.
A less well-known player in our immune system is the appendix. Also known as the vermiform appendix, this tissue is part of our immune system because it stimulates the growth of healthy gut bacteria. Scientists also suspect that this organ serves as a storage place for good gut bacteria.
A less well-known player in our immune system is the appendix. Also known as the vermiform appendix.
We have discussed the main internal elements that contribute to good resistance, but external elements also play a role. All the processes mentioned above require energy because the immune system consumes energy once it needs to act. Without energy, nothing in our body functions, just like a car won't drive without petrol. Our food provides this energy in the form of carbohydrates and fats. Proteins, on the other hand, are needed for the construction of cells and tissues. But food also provides the so-called cofactors, substances necessary for all body processes to run smoothly. These are the vitamins and minerals.
Nutrition
The nutrients our food provides work no differently; vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients are essential for the normal functions of our body, and they do not work independently of each other. All nutrients play a role in the complex metabolic processes in our body and work together with other nutrients, either enhancing or counteracting their effects. Their optimal collaboration and the balance they create at the cellular level form the basis for good health and have a positive impact on the immune system.
Hence the advice: eat 250 grams of vegetables, two pieces of fruit. We know this advice all too well, but what if eating vegetables and fruit isn't your thing? Can you simply replace them with dietary supplements? The answer is: no. Dietary supplements never replace healthy food. The interplay between the different nutrients in food highlights the importance of eating healthily and variedly. Dietary supplements can never compete at this level with Mother Nature. Simply because they do not contain all the nutrients and do not offer the same benefits as a food item.
This raises the question: if Mother Nature can manage perfectly well on her own, why do dietary supplements exist at all?
Because the conditions under which food comes to us are often far from ideal. Eating healthily and variedly is already a challenge. Breeding techniques, pesticides, and soil depletion due to intensive agriculture make obtaining sufficient nutrients an even greater challenge! Then, the addition of a well-chosen dietary supplement helps. Where food falls short, a supplement provides the right nutrients to ensure good collaboration.
Dietary Supplements
Manufacturers take into account all the benefits that a good collaboration has. The most effective dietary supplements therefore contain specific and well-chosen combinations of nutrients that have good biological 'chemistry' with each other.
What a Good Multivitamin Should Contain
A very good example is a multivitamin. It always contains a vitamin B-complex. This is a group of 11 B vitamins and vitamin B-like substances. B vitamins are water-soluble and have various functions individually, but together, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B8, and B12 have the important task of extracting energy from food. Energy that is needed, among other things, to provide the immune system with sufficient energy. In addition to B vitamins, a good multivitamin also contains all other vitamins: vitamins C and ADEK. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins. The body cannot produce enough vitamins on its own to support daily bodily processes. Therefore, they must be regularly, and preferably daily, supplied through the consumption of healthy food, and if necessary, supplemented with a well-chosen multivitamin.
We also find a broad spectrum of minerals in a multivitamin. Like vitamins, minerals do not provide energy but help facilitate various bodily processes. For example, magnesium alone is involved in more than 300 bodily processes, and the same number applies to zinc. It is generally known that minerals have a strong collaborative relationship with each other. Think of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and zinc. All important for the composition of bones and for maintaining strong bones.
Author: Adina van der Zwaag
