What is immunity and the ways to strengthen it

The human immune system is an elaborate protective complex (organs, cells, tissues) that fights infections, viruses, and bacteria and reduces their impact on the body. Nowadays there are a variety of vitamins and nutritional supplements to strengthen the immune system, which are so aggressively advertised in the media. But in order to act on the immune system, one "magic vitamin" will not be enough. Comprehensive measures are needed to be taken.

Here are 5 essential components of a strong immune system:

It is important to eat properly and monitor the balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates

Also you need to remember to take into account vitamins and minerals, the lack of which can also weaken the immune system. Here is a list of the key vitamins for our body, as well as the foods that contain those vitamins:

• Vitamin A improves vision and skin condition (found in egg yolk, butter, carrots, liver).
• Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium (found in dairy products, oily fish and manufactured when the skin is exposed to sunlight).

A lack of vitamin D can negatively affect your health. That was confirmed by a study that was published in the Journal of Investigative Medicine. Scientists have shown that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of developing breast, prostate, ovarian and stomach cancer. Moreover, the study confirmed that vitamin D is recognized as being able to normalize high blood pressure.

• Vitamin E affects the normal functioning of the genitals and endocrine glands (found in vegetables, vegetable oils).
• Vitamin C reduces cholesterol and aids in curing colds (found in fresh vegetables and fruits).
• Vitamin B is involved in cell growth, improves the functioning of the intestines and nervous system (animal liver, heart and kidneys, as well as beans and dairy products are rich in vitamin B).

In addition to vitamins our organs need mineral elements for normal growth and development:

• Sodium and chlorine maintain the acid-base balance in the body (found in ordinary salt).
• Calcium strengthens bones (found in nuts, beans, and dairy products).
• Magnesium reduces the excitability of the nervous system and protects our body from infections (bread and cereals contain a lot of magnesium).
• Sulfur is found in all cells of the human body - joints, muscles, skin, nails, hair (eggs, meat, fish, and cheese contain sulfur).

Intermittent fasting helps to strengthen the immune system

Some surprising facts about the effect of intermittent fasting on the human body have been discovered by scientists from the University of southern California. They revealed the information that during fasting, the body goes into energy-saving mode and begins to carry out the cells, first of all, damaged ones for this purpose.

Physical activity is a necessary tool not only for weight loss, but also for health

Doing short workout sessions, you simultaneously train all your internal systems – respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, and muscular. And as a bonus, after training, the hormones of happiness – endorphins – are produced.

Our immune system is directly dependent on quality sleep

It is during sleep when the body, its cells and tissues recover. Lack of sleep can have very serious consequences. So, the American photographer Tyler Shields was listed in the Guinness book for the fact that he managed not to sleep for the whole 40 days. As a result, the man had a constant headache, fever, and completely lost any sensitivity in his legs. And those are not even all the consequences. By the way, when he normalized sleep, all the problems disappeared.

Emotional state affects your health as well

All emotions that a person experiences directly affect the body's health. That is why you can often hear that it is stress that happens to be the reason for many diseases, and vice-versa, that positive mindset helps to save one's health even in challenging situations.

In order to stay healthy and support your immune system, you need to stick to four basic rules: eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and eliminate the negative emotions from your life.