| It is sometimes said that our bodies are not as resilient during the cold season. For this reason, many of us catch colds or other infections more quickly. It is often said that young children are the most susceptible at this time of the year, as their immunity to various pathogens has not yet developed. However, the same tendency to fall ill more often during the cold season is also true for adults. And this is not just a suspicion, but a scientifically based trend. So how does immunity boosting work for adults?
Why is it important to strengthen immunity during the cold season?
It is probably nothing new to say that the vast majority of people live in a far from sterile environment. Our environment, as well as our nasopharynx and pharynx, is full of viruses, bacteria and other types of pathogens. Influenza or Covid-19 viruses are no exception. So why do viruses and bacteria affect our bodies more often in the cold season than in the summer months?
One answer given by researchers is that the body’s resistance in cold weather is reduced by the immune response in the nasal cavity. As soon as we breathe in cold air, the temperature inside the nose drops, damaging the protective cells in the nostrils whose function is to fight viruses and bacteria. The same happens to children and adults. If the temperature inside the nose drops by at least 5 degrees, the power of our immune system to fight off upper respiratory infections is doubled. It doesn’t take long to get a sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, difficulty breathing, coughing, a rise in body temperature and, in some patients, both children and adults, a variety of rashes.
It is also known that the cold season exacerbates various chronic or inflammatory diseases, such as joint pain and cardiovascular diseases. So almost everyone knows that both cold and damp, especially when combined, tend to have negative effects on health. It is believed that this is genetically programmed in humans, and not only in humans but also in some animals, so that our bodies react to environmental changes. It has been shown that the immune system weakens in winter.
Measures that strengthen our body.
How can we help our immune system and prevent illnesses that will only make our bodies more tired and weak? The main measures are hygiene, appropriate clothing for the environment, a balanced diet, a balance between work and rest, exercising, getting enough sleep, strengthening the body and increasing its resistance. Following these rules will make your body stronger: building immunity in adults is the same as setting a good example for your children.
Sometimes the simplest hygiene measures are forgotten – for example, washing your hands, and not just anyway, but thoroughly, following certain rules. This is especially important when visiting public places. Ventilation is not always remembered in rooms that are not equipped with an efficient ventilation system. It is important to develop the habit of eating a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables regularly, being outdoors more often and avoiding sudden changes in temperature whenever possible. Virus-killing sun, fresh air and exercise help fight off viruses! On the other hand, get vaccinated against viral illnesses if you can. And even if you remember all this but take care of yourself at the expense of sleep – for example, by cutting back on your night’s rest, by enduring stress, physical and emotional fatigue – it will be very difficult if not impossible to get stronger.
The importance and health benefits of dietary supplements
It should be borne in mind that it is much easier to weaken the body than to strengthen it, i.e. strengthening the body requires some effort – it does not get stronger by itself. Immunity is also not acquired in a short period of time – it requires a series of chemical processes in the body and the regeneration of many cells. Even if it is said that in the past, people were stronger, it probably means that they moved more, were outdoors longer, and ate a wide variety of natural, unprocessed food.
Unfortunately, we live in a time of industrial food production, and food often arrives heavily processed, with the loss of many of the substances that help us absorb nutrients better. Our haste or ignorance tends to lead us to eat some of our favourite dishes, making our diets monotonous and lacking variety. This does not ensure that the body gets all the nutrients it needs – enough of a variety of proteins, carbohydrates and beneficial fats. It could be said that nowadays, the claim that a person must get all the necessary substances from food remains a theory and not a practice. That is why more and more people all over the world are using food supplements, the most well-known of which are vitamins.
Some of these supplements are vitamins to strengthen the body, while others have an additional antioxidant function, helping to reduce the negative effects of free radicals and protect the body’s cells from damage. How many and which vitamins do people need to maintain their daily health? Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut answer. It depends on dietary habits, the season, age, active or passive lifestyle, state of health, even nervous tension or stress. Moreover, each person’s body has an individual capacity to absorb the nutrients contained in food or even supplements.
We would not be wrong to say that one of the most necessary, longest known and used food supplements for the body is vitamin C. The problem is that this vitamin is not stored in our bodies. In other words, we could not, say, consume particularly high amounts of foods containing these vitamins in the summer and be sure that our body will use up its vitamin C reserves during the cold season. This means that we should be getting this vitamin, whether through food or supplements, on a daily basis. This is especially true during the cold season, as this vitamin is considered to be one of the most important for strengthening the human body.
Another vitamin that is also associated with better absorption of vitamin C is vitamin E. It is essential for well-being and is often also associated with the ability to burn excess fat and maintain beauty, which is always associated with health.
Vitamin D is one of the best-known vitamins that we need on a daily basis and whose deficiency can be felt most acutely during the cold season, when sunlight is lacking. Its effects are also linked to the body’s resilience, in particular the maintenance of calcium and phosphate balance in the body. The latter substances have a major impact on the health of bone and connective tissue, as well as teeth and muscles. This vitamin is particularly important for the growing body and is therefore given in the first years of life.
Omega fatty acids (omega-3 or omega-6) are also important for improving the body’s resistance during the cold season. It has long been known that an imbalance of fatty acids can lead to a variety of diseases, some of which are difficult to treat. Without adequate levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, we can catch colds quickly and often, get tired quickly, feel muscle weakness and experience bad moods. It should also be noted that these two fatty acids have different effects, so it is important to keep them in balance in the body.
Few people know that zinc is one of the most important elements for maintaining our body’s resistance during the winter period. It is known to be particularly important in the treatment of wounds or mild skin lesions. In addition, if the body is deficient in zinc, the absorption of various nutrients is impaired and we start to feel a lack of energy.
When choosing food supplements to strengthen the body, it is convenient to use vitamin and mineral kits, taking into account the ratio of the active substances they contain to the daily intake.
So, boosting immunity for both adults and children is not difficult – just follow our top tips and enjoy strong health! |
