The Role of Nutrition in Immune Function

An immune system that is fighting an infection (for example, fever) needs more energy.
For the immune system to work efficiently, the food consumed should:
- Aid the immune cells in their response to pathogens
- Also help in rapid response and prevent inflammation of any underlying chronic condition
Poor Nutrition and Compromised Immune Function
- Undernutrition is well-understood to impair immune function.

Complete Nutrition Must Include:

Holistic Approach

Gut – The Second Brain
- The gut is the second brain in our body. The entire gastrointestinal framework is otherwise called as gut. It processes and absorbs nutrients from food, and excretes the waste.
Why Is Gut Health Important?
- The gut separates the food sources we eat and absorbs the nutrients that help the body’s capabilities. The gut microbiome (micro-organisms) can affect each organ in our body.
How To Improve Your Gut Health?
- Eating a variety of fresh, quantitative and qualitative diversified meals, mostly from plant sources including fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans, nuts, and whole grains, is the greatest method to keep your microbiome healthy. Changes in our lifestyle, such as stress management, exercise, and peaceful sleep, also benefit gut health.
Prebiotic Fiber:
They can serve as a fertilizer for the beneficial bacteria in our stomach, which benefits our gut microbiota. Examples of foods include whole grains like barley and oats; legumes like chickpeas, beans, and lentils; veggies like cluster beans, onion, and garlic; and nuts like almonds, cashews, and pistachios.
Symbiotics:
A combination of probiotics and prebiotics that enhances gut health is known as symbiotic gut health. The probiotics can balance the gut bacteria since the prebiotics help them live in the gut. This can support intestinal health, immunological function, and metabolism. This includes food products like yoghurt, sour dough bread, banana, kombucha, and sour pickled onions and garlic.
Probiotics:
Probiotics are living yeasts and bacteria that support intestinal health. Foods such as yoghurt, kimchi, kefir, kombucha, and sauerkraut (instant pickles that are made with cruciferous vegetables) are probiotics.
Gut Dysbiosis:
In our gut, there is some imbalance in the types of bacteria, fungi and viruses. This is called as gut dysbiosis. Foods that are high in sugar, protein, and sulfur compounds can alter the balance of bacteria in our gut. The bacterial dysbiosis in our gut is directly involved in various GI diseases.
Gut Intolerance:
Otherwise called as food sensitivity or food intolerance, it mostly occurs when the digestive system has trouble breaking down certain food items. Some of the gut intolerances are lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance and histamine intolerance.
Chrono Nutrition:
Chrono nutrition speaks about the relationship between eating patterns, circadian rhythm and metabolic health. The circadian clock system is a function of the body that controls all our biological activities, which includes our sleep pattern and awake time, our metabolism and energy levels, our body temperature and our hunger pattern. Major meals should be 4 hours apart, in order to prevent the body from storing fats.
The Fundamental Principles to Follow While Eating: Moderate good fat, healthy fiber, a good source of protein and a healthy breakfast.
Know Your Micro-Powers
Micronutrients’ requirement is very small but of huge significance; they act as a catalyst in several, physiological reactions. They are vital for healthy development, disease prevention, and overall well-being.
- Growth and Development: Micronutrients help the body produce hormones and enzymes that are needed for growth and development.
- Disease Prevention: Micronutrients help prevent disease and maintain overall health.
- Energy & Mental Clarity: Micronutrient deficiencies can lead to a reduction in energy levels and mental clarity.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins:
- Vitamin A: Mainly responsible for young-looking skin, beautiful hair, healthy nails, sharp vision and strong bones. Foods like carrots, citrus fruits, hard cheese, cottage cheese, milk, eggs, fish, parsley, spinach and liver are rich in this vitamin. High temperatures and long-term preservation may destroy vitamin A. Recommended amount/day – 0.4 to 1 mg.
- Vitamin D: Mainly responsible for healthy bones, blood coagulation, improving immunity, cheerful moods, elimination of toxins, healthy blood vessels and heart. Foods containing this vitamin are cheese, butter, cottage cheese, egg yolk, fish, seafood, potatoes, vegetable oils and beef. It is destroyed by cooking in an alkaline environment. Recommended amount/day – 2 to 5 mg.
- Vitamin E: Responsible for a rejuvenated body, normal operation of the reproductive system, improving mood and protection from the environment. It may be found in sunflower, corn, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, butter, nuts, dairy products and liver. Long-term preservation may destroy vitamin E. Recommended amount/day – 30 to 50 mg.
- Vitamin K: Responsible for healing wounds quickly, regulating blood coagulation and producing required amount of prothrombin in blood. Vitamin K is found in spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, red cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries and green tea.
Water-Soluble Vitamins:
- Vitamin B1: Responsible for efficient brain functioning, good digestion, strong heart and good sleep. It is mainly found in yeast, pork, nuts, oats, buckwheat, wheat grass and legumes. Long-term preparation, adding salt while cooking and drinking coffee during meal may destroy the vitamin B1. Recommended amount/day – 1.3 to 2.6 mg.
- Vitamin B2: Mainly responsible for cell regeneration, good vision and strong muscles. Foods containing this vitamin include milk, almonds, eggs, mushrooms, buckwheat, cottage cheese, yeast and meat. It is destroyed by long-term impact of light. Recommended amount/day – 1.3 to 3 mg.
- Vitamin B5: It is responsible for good memory, quick recovery after illnesses, sturdy blood vessels and a healthy heart. Foods like meats, chicken, egg yolk, dairy products, legumes, nuts, yeast, oatmeal, rice and broccoli are rich in this vitamin. Repeated freezing may destroy this vitamin. Recommended amount/day – 5 mg.
- Vitamin B6: It is responsible for body rejuvenation, improving nervous system and strong blood vessels. It is found in foods like cereals, sprouted wheat grains, green salad, cabbage, bananas, walnuts, salmon and meat. It may be destroyed by the long-term light rays. Recommended amount/day – 1.6 to 2 mg.
- Vitamin B12: It is responsible for weight management, improving memory power, building immunity and a healthy GI tract. Foods like soybeans, spinach, oyster, fish, milk, cheese, egg yolk and a variety of meats contain this vitamin. It may be destroyed by high temperatures and long-term light rays. Recommended amount/day – 2 to 5 mg.

Ms Yamini Prakash, M.Sc RD
Chief Dietitian,
Kauvery Hospital, Chennai