Note: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve supplements for safety or effectiveness. Talk to a healthcare professional about whether a supplement is the right fit for your individual health, and about any potential drug interactions or safety concerns.
The immune system is a network of cells, tissues, and organs that help your body fight infections, illnesses, and diseases. It works to recognize and protect against these foreign invaders that can make you sick.
When your immune system is functioning properly, it’s able to stop or fight off germs or foreign cells that can cause you harm. So, it makes sense to want to know how to keep your immune system at peak function.
But is there anything you can do to boost your immune system, or is boosting the immune system just a concept created to market wellness products such as packaged foods, drinks, and supplements?
The Claim About Boosting Your Immune System
You’ve probably seen ads for supplements claiming the ingredients will boost your immune system. And if you are currently battling or trying to avoid getting a cold, flu, or other common viruses, it can be tempting to buy into those types of claims — especially if the promise is you won’t get sick or you’ll recover from illness faster.
“The concept of boosting or strengthening the immune system is problematic because it highlights the idea that immunity is like a muscle we can strengthen and train with supplements,” says Christine Kingsley, advanced practice registered nurse and health and wellness director at the Lung Institute in Manchester, Connecticut.
Scientific Research on Healthy Immune Systems
This belief that you can strengthen the immune system is a key reason people use nutritional supplements, according to research, but some marketing claims can be misleading.
“The immune system is a highly complex, tightly regulated system, so it’s challenging for a particular supplement or food to have a significant effect in ‘boosting’ the immune system,” says Megan Meyer, PhD, a science communications consultant based in Durham, North Carolina. She also explains that an overactive immune system shouldn’t be a goal.
Your immune system is made up of several different elements, and each plays a role in defending the body against harmful invaders that can make you ill or cause damage. According to Cleveland Clinic, the main parts of the immune system include:
- White blood cells
- Lymph nodes
- Spleen
- Tonsils and adenoids
- Thymus
- Bone marrow
- Skin and mucus membranes
- Stomach and bowels
While you want this system to function well, you don’t necessarily need to “boost” it. And there isn’t really evidence to prove that certain actions or nutrients can boost the immune system. Kingsley says she prefers to use the term nurture the immune system, which is more in line with what we currently know about how nutrition and healthy habits impact the body’s various systems, including immunity.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Cleveland Clinic recommend these tips to help immune system function:
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