You are not aware of it, but there is a smart system scattered throughout your body that monitors 24/7 whether no virus or harmful bacteria is entering:your immune system. If your immune system finds such an invader, it will shut down nine times out of ten before it can strike. This is everything you want to know about your resistance.
Is the system just too late or does it not recognize a virus or bacteria because, for example, it is the first time you have come into contact with it? Then you can already take the paracetamol, because then you will get sick or have a cold. A well-functioning immune system is therefore vital. And now that flu season is upon us, you all want to get your defenses in top shape. But how can you take care of that yourself? And how does your immune system actually work?
“Your immune system is an ingenious mechanism that literally protects your body from head to toe,” says Ger Rijkers, medical immunologist and professor of biomedical sciences at University College Roosevelt in Middelburg. “The only problem is:you can't point it out, like you can with your liver, for example. The immune system is in different places, because it has to protect your entire body. The most important parts are mainly found around 'sensitive parts', such as your respiratory tract and digestive organs. These are more susceptible to infections and therefore need to be better protected.”
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Your immune system consists of an extensive system of cells and organs. And everyone has it. How is it possible that one person picks up that flu or that cold and the other does not? Is there such a thing as good or bad resistance? “Yes”, says immunologist Rijkers. “There are big differences in resistance between people. And that has several causes. Even before you are born, in the womb, the foundation is laid for your immune system. This basis is the same for everyone. The uterus is a 'sterile' environment; you do not come into contact with pathogens before you are born. That's why we call the immune system 'naive' before birth."
Immediately after birth, the immune system has to show at full speed what it's worth, because then suddenly pathogens are lurking everywhere:“If such a pathogen comes along, a baby may get sick or have a cold, but meanwhile it is tinkering body an army of lymphocytes with special receptors (proteins to which a specific molecule can bind, ed.), which respond to that specific virus or bacterium. This is how the cold or flu is defeated.
The clever thing about the immune system is that your body stores a few of those 'remodeled' lymphocytes:those are your memory cells. If the same virus or bacteria comes along again, these cells immediately go to work and beat them before you get sick:you are then immune.”
The more of those memory cells you have, the better protected you are against viruses and bacteria. Because the more pathogens your body recognizes, the faster they can be tackled.
In the ideal world, everyone would have memory cells against every disease maker. “But of course it can differ greatly per person with how many and which viruses you have come into contact with in your life,” explains Rijkers. “If I have developed memory cells against twenty flu viruses, then I am less susceptible to flu than someone who has memory cells for ten viruses. I could say that I have a stronger resistance. But that doesn't say anything about other diseases:it may be that the other person is immune to chickenpox and I am not. Or that I catch a cold much faster and more often. Everyone has their own unique resistance.”
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In order to develop a good resistance, it is in any case important that your body continues to produce memory cells for as long as possible. How strong your resistance is also depends on your gender and age. According to Rijkers, women generally have a slightly stronger immune system than men, because female sex hormones give the immune system a boost. When you get older, your resistance weakens slightly. That's because you've actually accumulated too many memory cells:that large number then clogs the production of new cells. In addition, other bodily functions also decrease as you get older, so your body is less able to keep pathogens at bay.
Although your immune system is largely invisible and elusive, you can do something to strengthen it, Rijkers believes:eat healthy and ensure that your body stays in good condition by getting enough exercise. “If you eat a healthy and varied diet, you also get enough vitamins C, D and the trace elements zinc and selenium. All of these have a positive effect on the functioning of your immune system. That has been proven.” Vitamin C supplements are not necessarily necessary, according to the immunologist. “Vitamin C can be found in sufficient quantities in cabbages, citrus fruits, kiwis, berries and strawberries. And because the Dutch soil is naturally full of zinc and selenium, you don't have to take those trace elements if you eat enough fruit and vegetables."
Vitamin D, according to the immunologist, is a different story. “In the summer you make enough of it under the influence of the sun, but not always in the winter, when your immune system needs it so much. You prevent a deficiency by walking in the open air for at least half an hour every day between 11 o'clock in the morning and 3 o'clock in the afternoon. If that doesn't work, it's good to take a supplement.” Rijkers does recommend checking the recommended daily amount on the packaging. Some supplements contain up to a thousand times as much and that does your body no good.
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Another immune booster:probiotics. Rijkers:“It has been proven in young children that probiotics stimulate a balanced maturation of the immune system. Not much is known about the effect in adults, but I can well imagine that probiotics have a positive effect on your immune system. This way you ensure a lot of good bacteria in your intestines. And I sometimes make the comparison with cars:if you want to go on holiday to Italy, you can take that trip in an old car, but in a new car there is a greater chance that you will arrive at your destination and that the journey will go more smoothly. With a healthy gut, you are also more likely to beat a microbiological opponent if they come your way.”
But what if you are struck down by a flu or a bad cold this winter? Can you help your immune system to defeat such a virus? “Yes”, says Rijkers. “By not making excessive efforts. When your immune system is running at full blast, it means that ten percent of your body is working very hard. And that also means that you have less energy for other things. You really don't necessarily have to go to bed if you don't need it, but taking it easy is good for your body."
Oh, and while you do go into slow mode, you might want to ask your parents, spouse, or someone else to make you chicken soup. Because Japanese research shows that eating chicken soup has a 'somewhat positive effect' on your immune system. We say:if it doesn't help, it won't harm.
Text Priscilla Borgers
