Your Food Guide to What Helps The Immune System
/The year 2020 will be identified in history as the year the world went under lock down because of the coronavirus pandemic. As the world closed its doors and individuals and scientists sought to find treatment for those inflicted, and prevention for those who were not, social media and the media itself blossomed with advice, most of it nutrient driven. You may be wondering: What helps the immune system?
Every day a nutrient philosophy to help the immune system appeared in my news feed: IV Vitamin C. Take your Zinc. Take your Vitamin A. For goodness sake TAKE YOUR VITAMIN D. There was also iodine in the chorus too. As time passed, the voices would grow louder, and in fairness, nutrition advice is appropriately relevant. That being said, no human system thrives on mega-doses of any one nutrient and most of us were not working at the bleeding edge where clinical experts were fighting to save lives.
Standing back from the cacophony, five things became very clear to me
Some experts are still approaching disease and critical care with a variety of single nutrient remedies. There’s the idea that massively dosing individuals with one, two or a handful of nutrients at pharmacological levels is the right thing to do. (It’s not.)
Pharmacological nutrient dosing is the same as providing medical advice (without a license).
We ALL respond to nutrients differently and our unique gene blueprint determines this.
NO ONE was talking about the impact of genes and genomics and their relevance to immune modulation.
NO ONE was providing a targeted nutrient-based prescription that utilized what we KNOW about how specific nutrients, and more importantly polyphenols, are integral to immune modulation.
If you want to know what helps the immune system, you have to think about genes.
Your genes affect how your immune system works. These genes can be influenced by your nutrition and lifestyle. Yes, what you eat and how you live can improve the efficiency of these genes, or turn them off when their work is done. They help to modulate the balance we all need for a healthy immune response.
You deserve to understand the basics and a new way to navigate them. I am purposely choosing just a few genes to keep this article succinct and simple. This is simplistic, but I wish to make the point that perhaps—nutritionally—we may be missing the larger view. The immune system is indelibly complex.
So in this blog article, I will discuss six key bellweather genes (in addition to my favorite Nrf2 of course) that are associated with the immune system and what we know in science about how to modulate (or support) them nutrition and foods.
Begin at the Beginning: Immune System 101
The immune system is the largest system in your body and probably the most difficult to understand. And the biggest reason is that it is invisible to you.
The immune system’s roles are to:
Protect you from pathogenic (disease-causing) organisms
Get rid of damage and debris in your body
Prevent growth of malignant (cancer) cells
Develop learning systems that produce protective products when your body signals a defense requirement.
Your immune system is designed to strike a balance between actively seeking out and dealing with invasive molecules, and supporting your body’s routine day-to-day mechanisms. When the immune system is overstimulated or overactive, it causes oxidative stress (an abundance of free radicals). This leads to inflammation. Inflammation manifests in many ways like pain, fatigue, soreness and visibly in the form of rashes or hives. The immune system may also signal sensitivity to certain foods which result in headaches and digestive disturbances.
The Innate Versus Adaptive Immune System
You’re born with an immune system provided to you by your mother called the innate immune system. This system gives you the ability to protect yourself from anything foreign or invasive until your adaptive immune system has a chance to get set up and mature to the new world of you. You keep both innate and adaptive immune systems for life. Both operate synergistically.
The innate immune system you were born with puts up the first fight. Curiously, it has no memory. It simply reacts to what’s in front of it.
Your adaptive immune system does have a memory. It’s considered the second line of defense. Its cells receive messengers from the front line cells in your innate immune system and posts these messages on the equivalent of the immune system’s billboard. Other cells pick up these messages and start manufacturing antibodies—essentially immune system weaponry to fight pathogens. Each time new antibodies are made, their recipe is stored in the adaptive immune system inventory, ready to access should the same invader appear again. Click here (and then scroll down) for a nice graphic to explain how the adaptive and immune systems work together.
“You have two arms of your immune system: innate and adaptive. Both work synergistically together to fight pathogens. Your innate system puts up the first fight, then your adaptive system comes to help and remember this infection in case it happens again in the future.”
Achieving Balance in Your Immune System
As you now know, the immune system is essential to protecting the body from invasion by foreign species. It pulls on its tools to mount a defense and then stands down after the battle is over. It’s all about balance. The challenge with modern life for so many of us is that our immune system may not always get the message to put away its weapons. An overactive immune system can result in allergic reactions or autoimmune conditions.
Genomic science helps us understand more about which genes help the immune system function optimally.
Some genes truly function as activators. They are not interested in putting their weaponry down.
Other genes (and nutrients) can play a dual role, both as activators and deactivators. This is where Vitamin D and its receptor (encoded by a gene) is so interesting.
Trust me, the immune system is incredibly complex. That being said, it’s useful to understand how genes work in the immune system, and what we can do through diet and lifestyle to improve their efficiency, or turn them off, if and when we need to.
“The immune system is essential to protecting the body from foreign species. It pulls on its tools to mount a defense and then stands down after the battle is over. It’s all about balance.”
Join me to look at some bellweather genes for your immune system. And a quick note, they are all important and not listed in order of importance!
What Helps (And Challenges) the Immune System #1: Gene IL-6 (Interleukin-6)
IL-6 helps the immune system in two ways. It is designed to create balance by both activating or deactivating ignition switches for your body’s inflammatory defense against pathogens.
It is activated by foreign invaders and toxins, as well as diets high in saturated fat or sugar. These suggest to your immune system that something is out of balance and can put your immune system in overdrive. If they’re not managed, it can result in autoimmune conditions.
Interestingly, IL-6 can also suppress the production of other inflammatory compounds (like TNF-alpha, which you’ll learn about shortly).
So IL-6 is designed to create a balance in the immune system. However, variants in the IL-6 gene can impact its efficacy, perhaps leaving it in overdrive when it needs to switch off.
“IL-6 is a gene designed to create balance in the immune system. It can activate or deactivate ignition switches for your body’s inflammatory defense. Variants in the gene that codes for IL-6 can impact its efficacy, perhaps leaving it in overdrive when it needs to switch off.”
How To Manage The IL-6 Gene
We need IL-6 to do the job it was designed to do, but also need to turn it off when not needed. Here’s what we know:
Modulators (influencers) of IL-6 include exercise, calorie control (fewer calories are better than too many) and a dietary approach that mirrors the Mediterranean diet.
Studies show that people who followed a Mediterranean diet had significantly reduced levels of inflammatory markers IL-6, IL-7, IL-18, CRP and insulin resistance (itself an inflammatory marker).
IL-6 can also be switched off by another gene that turns on during hunger or fasting! This turns on your fat burner and also stimulates ketogenesis! Time and time again, health comes back to eat prudently and not too much. A concept we know as “Hari Hachi Bu.”
What helps your immune system is how much you eat and what you eat. Eating enough (and not too much) is one key to an optimal immune response. Another is a Mediterranean diet, rich in olives, herbs and pomegranate which can reduce inflammation. Kiwi, cloves and cardamom also contain key bioactives that can help.
Other compounds (quercetin, p-coumaric acid, resveratrol) can also block or reduce activation of IL-6. Some are found in olives (Mediterranean!), kiwi, pomegranate and in the spices: cloves and cardamom.
An Immune System Helper and Challenger #2: Gene Nf-kB
If you read about the immune system, inevitably you will learn about Nf-κB. It responds to signals through stress, free radicals, environmental toxins, as well as bacteria and viruses. Nf-κB is necessary to prod the immune system into action, but you also need to turn it down when the immune response has things under control.
Many plant-based bioactives (curcumin, resveratrol, quercetin) can block Nf-κB. These can be found in red grapes, boiled peanuts, capers, Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, thyme and sage, as well as radishes and elderberries. You’ll specifically find quercetin well represented in the Genomic Kitchen Ingredient Toolbox (Master Ingredients) precisely because it helps the immune system by blocking Nf-κB and its inflammatory effects. Epigallocatechin gallate (green tea) and genistein (soy) also have Nf-κB blocking attributes. Galangin, otherwise known as Mexican Oregano, also has Nf-κB blocking abilities.
You should be starting to see a pattern in these foods. Many of the blocking capabilities are related to polyphenols (bioactives), and many of these polyphenols are found in herbs and spices, foods that are abundant in the Mediterranean diet.
“To reduce the overactivation of Nf-κB in your immune system, eat turmeric, red grapes, boiled peanuts, capers, onions, herbs, radishes, elderberries, green tea and soy.”
I have written extensively about Nf-κB both in my blog and also in my Genomic Kitchen book. You can learn about it in my Genomic Kitchen courses as well.
An Immune System Helper and Challenger #3: TNF-alpha
TNF-alpha’s most familiar role is as a pro-inflammatory gene whose job is to mount an immune response. Elevated levels, or hyper-activity, of TNF-alpha is often associated with chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, cancer and also auto-immune disease because, as you can see, it is an inflammation provoker.
Interestingly, TNF-alpha often works with Nf-κB. Like Nf-κB, it helps the immune system, but similarly we do not want TNF-alpha left in the on position.
“TNF-alpha helps your immune response by provoking inflammation. This is why we want it to shut off when its work is done. Leaving it on is like a leaky faucet which causes damage if left unrepaired.”
How To Manage The TNF-alpha Gene
Because we want TNF-alpha to shut off when its work is done, there is a lot of research into how to do this. For one thing, we definitely know that quercetin—yes, once again this powerful polyphenol—can do this.
Other promising polyphenols include many that are integral to traditional Mediterranean diets. Again!!
Oleuropein: olives and olive oil (an antioxidant)
Luteolin: sage, thyme, Mexican oregano, rosemary, olives, Globe artichoke
Hesperidin: oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines, peppermint
Resveratrol: grapes
ECGC: green tea
Chrysin: honey, propolis, passionflower, chamomile
Ellagic Acid: raspberries, blackberries, pomegranate, walnuts, chestnuts
Because we want TNF-alpha to stand down after its inflammatory work is done, research has shown that bioactive compounds called polyphenols can help! These are found in many foods such as olives and olive oil, citrus, green tea, grapes, berries, honey, and herbs.
Immune (and Digestive) System Helper 4: IL-10 Gene
So we come to IL-10 and can gently exhale! We can exhale because unlike the genes we have discussed thus far, IL-10 is not pro-inflammatory. We like to think of it as the brake in the immune system. It's the gene that wants to get all stakeholders to play together nicely for smooth sailing. Importantly, IL-10 can BLOCK Nf-κB, a ringleader in immune activation as you have already read.
Research has shown that variants in the gene that impacts IL-10 is linked with intestinal inflammation and gut-related and auto-immune diseases. This is because IL-10 is integral to both the immune system and gut health lining. Both are connected. Failure to maintain a healthy gut creates seepage of molecules across this important barrier. Foreign molecules induce an immune response. IL-10 is pretty important!
“IL-10 helps to stop the immune system’s inflammatory response once its work is done. IL-10 is also important for gut health.”
IL-10 also helps the immune system. Activation of IL-10 is connected to short chain fatty acids (SCFA). Say what? SCFAs (butyrate, acetate) are produced when your gut bacteria feed on the specific fibers found in prebiotic-rich food.
What does this mean? It means, you have to have the right bacteria in your gut and the right food to produce the SCFAs to activate IL-10. When you have all these ducks in a row, you can not only improve the barrier of your gut, but you can activate a master peace maker in your immune system.
Supporting IL-10
When you eat probiotic-rich food, you SEED your gut with the right bacteria. Then you FEED your gut bacteria with the right kind of (prebiotic) food. This ensures you have the activator molecules for IL-10 to help your immune system.
Read about probiotics and prebiotics (I call these Enabler Ingredients) in my Genomic Kitchen book. These include asparagus, bananas, garlic, onions, and whole wheat.
Try some of our probiotic and prebiotic-rich recipes.
Help your gut microbes activate IL-10 by eating foods rich in prebiotic fibers such as asparagus, bananas, garlic, onions, and whole wheat. Strawberries, grapes and stone fruit also contain bioactives that can activate IL-10
Immune System Helper #5: VDR
We are all in a heightened state of alert about Vitamin D and how it is important for an effective and healthy immune system. Vitamin D’s principle role in nutrigenomics is as a communication molecule. VDR is the Vitamin D Receptor that allows Vitamin D to do its good work.
Vitamin D helps the immune system by playing a balancing role. It ensures an appropriate defense is mounted, while at the same time preventing over-stimulation of the immune system that can lead to auto-immune diseases.
Think of the VDR (Vitamin D Receptor) as a docking station that allows Vitamin D to communicate with the immune system. Variants in the gene that codes for the VDR can change its structure, therefore impacting Vitamin D’s ability to function.
“Vitamin D helps to balance the immune system by enabling an appropriate reaction and helping to prevent over-stimulation. It works via the Vitamin D Receptor which may not allow for optimal Vitamin D action if the VDR gene has certain errors.”
Supporting Vitamin D and its Receptor
The VDR functions along with another receptor called the RX Receptor (RXR). RXR needs Vitamin A. This is why you need both Vitamins D and A to help your immune system and why I recommend foods that are rich in both vitamins. Vitamin A comes in an active form, retinol, and a non active form, beta-carotene. You need the active retinol form for Vitamin D to function correctly
To be frank, foods that are the richest sources of both of these vitamins are often eschewed or thrown away. They include offal (animal organs) like liver. They also include animal proteins, some seafood and eggs.
This is why many kids were given a dose of cod liver oil a few decades ago to get their Vitamin D! Is it any wonder that many of us are walking around with low levels of Vitamin D? We are not eating foods that are traditional sources. And, relying on sunlight is NOT enough for many of us because we have those gene variants that prevent Vitamin D from being activated to the form that binds to the VDR.
You see, you have the potential to have lower levels of vitamin D simply because of your gene blueprint. This is the insight we get from DNA testing. Trust me, I review DNA information daily.
Immune System (and Digestive System) Helper #6: FUT2
As we’ve seen already with IL-10, immune health is linked with gut health. Specific to your gut health, the FUT2 gene encodes an enzyme that makes something called the “H antigen.” Think of the “H antigen” as a source of food for various gut bacteria in our microbiome ( a simplistic description!). By feeding the right bacteria, such as lactobacillus, these bacteria can crowd out or attack pathogenic bacteria and prevent them from sticking to the gut lining. The lining of your gut is perhaps the largest immune defense tool you have, so maintaining its health is essential.
It turns out that some of us have the ability to make this H antigen, and some of us do not. Those of us who make it are called secretors, and those that do not are called non-secretors, and all of this relates to the FUT2 gene. Does this mean that you are immune-compromised if you are a non-secretor? Not necessarily. When I see your secretor status on your DNA test results, it prompts me to ask about your gut health, and also to emphasize the role of probiotics and prebiotics in your diet.
And you now know that probiotics and prebiotics are critical to support your gut ecology and the immune system defenses you have in your gut.
Your immune health is linked to your gut health. Your gut microbes work in tandem with your immune system
Your Gene Blueprint is the Mirror of Who You Are
In this blog article, I have shed light on a tiny handful of genes that help your immune system. In truth, not only are there many more genes, but also many other vitamins and minerals that help your immune system. One I did not mention here, but have many times before is NrF2. If you have read my book, you know that is technically not a gene, rather a “Transcription Factor” - or aide to gene expression. Of all the powerhouse genes we have, this one in my mind has probably the most impact and is easy for you to put into action. I call it the fire extinguisher because it literally ignites genes that produce the most powerful extinguishers of those troublesome free radicals. Be sure to read about its powerful impact here.
Understanding how your immune system and your human operating system functions is where genomics and DNA test information is so powerful. With one test, I can scan your gene blueprint and identify not only the strengths and influence of your genes, but also see where the potential weaknesses are.
From here, I create a roadmap in which I prioritize the areas of your health we want to examine further. Maybe you have a number of genes that suggest you may be immune compromised. Or I can see where you may absolutely be experiencing lack of energy, brain fog, mood swings or more. Sometimes I can see areas we might want to investigate and you have no symptoms at all. DNA information tells us where to look to decide if there is an issue to support through specific nutrients, exercise, lifestyle modification or not. It removes the guesswork so that you can lead a fully informed and healthy life in unison with the genes you were born with.
To Learn More About The Power And Potential Of Your Genes
Health-Seeking Individuals
Read my book The Genomic Kitchen
If you’re interested in exploring how genes influence your health, take my free mini-course: You. Your Genes. Your Health.
Or dive deeper with my Genomic Kitchen Express Course
Talk to me about our work in DNA Testing
Health Professionals/Clinicians
Download the clinicians copy of this article that contains more detail on how these immune system compounds and genes interact with nutrients.
Take one of my courses for health professionals
Talk to me about personalized mentoring in Genomics, Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics
References and Further Reading
Bischoff, S.C. (2008). Quercetin: potentials in the prevention and therapy of disease. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 11, 733-740. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18827577/
Blue Zones. (n.d.). Hara Hachi Bu: Enjoy Food and Lose Weight With This Simple Japanese Phrase. Retrieved from https://www.bluezones.com/2017/12/hara-hachi-bu-enjoy-food-and-lose-weight-with-this-simple-phrase/
Esposito, K., Marfella, R., Ciotola, M., et al. (2004). Effect of a Mediterranean-style diet on endothelial dysfunction and markers of vascular inflammation in the metabolic syndrome: a randomized trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 292(12), 1440‐1446. doi:10.1001/jama.292.12.1440
Hewison, M. (2011). Vitamin D and innate and adaptive immunity. Vitamins and Hormones. 86, 23‐62. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-386960-9.00002-2
Hsu, A., Bray, T. M., & Ho, E. (2010). Anti-inflammatory activity of soy and tea in prostate cancer prevention. Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.), 235(6), 659–667. https://doi.org/10.1258/ebm.2010.009335
Karunaweera, N., Raju, R., Gyengesi, E., & Münch, G. (2015). Plant polyphenols as inhibitors of NF-κB induced cytokine production-a potential anti-inflammatory treatment for Alzheimer's disease? Frontiers in molecular neuroscience, 8, 24. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2015.00024
Maggio, M., Guralnik, J. M., Longo, D. L., & Ferrucci, L. (2006). Interleukin-6 in aging and chronic disease: a magnificent pathway. Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 61(6), 575‐584. doi:10.1093/gerona/61.6.575
Maharaj Institute. (n.d.) What is the Immune System? Retrieved from https://www.stemcellimmuneregenerative.com/what-is-the-immune-system
Parada, V. D., De la Fuente, M. K., Landskron, G., González, M. J., Quera, R., Dijkstra, G., Harmsen, H. J. M., Faber, K. N., Hermoso, M. A. (2019). Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs)-Mediated Gut Epithelial and Immune Regulation and Its Relevance for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Frontiers in Immunology, 10. DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2019.00277
Pawlak, M., Lefebvre, P., & Staels, B. (2015). Molecular mechanism of PPARα action and its impact on lipid metabolism, inflammation and fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Journal of Hepatology, 62(3), 720-733. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2014.10.039
Sun, M., Wu, W., Chen, L., et al. (2018). Microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids promote Th1 cell IL-10 production to maintain intestinal homeostasis. Nat Commun, 9(1), 3555. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-05901-2.
Wacklin, P., Mäkivuokko, H., Alakulppi, N., Nikkilä, J., Tenkanen, H., Räbinä, J., Partanen, J., Aranko, K., & Mättö, J. (2011). Secretor genotype (FUT2 gene) is strongly associated with the composition of Bifidobacteria in the human intestine. PloS one, 6(5), e20113. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0020113
Wu, D., Lewis, E. D., Pae, M., Meydani, S. N. (2019). Nutritional Modulation of Immune Function: Analysis of Evidence, Mechanisms, and Clinical Relevance. Frontiers in Immunology, 9, 3160. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.03160
Yahfoufi, N., Alsadi, N., Jambi, M., & Matar, C. (2018). The Immunomodulatory and Anti-Inflammatory Role of Polyphenols. Nutrients, 10(11), 1618. doi:10.3390/nu10111618
Yen, G. C., Chen, Y. C., Chang, W. T., & Hsu, C. L. (2011). Effects of polyphenolic compounds on tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced changes of adipokines and oxidative stress in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, 59(2), 546‐551. doi:10.1021/jf1036992
