Strong immunity isn’t just for the young. The truth is, you can build immunity in patients of any age.
It’s all about supporting the immune system.
When you see ads for various products for the immune system, you often hear the term immune boosting. It’s an odd concept. To me, “boosting” the immune system means to develop allergies or autoimmune disease. You really just want to support it — to give it the tools it needs to function properly. Also, you want to mitigate the damage done by the activity of the immune system.
Age often matters when considering how to support the immune system. COVID was much more dangerous for older people than it was for younger people. That is pretty much true for most illnesses.
Thirty-five percent of Americans are in a state of inflammation. Because life is a downhill ride, older people are more likely to be inflamed than younger people. It’s not just about fighting a “bug,” oxidative stress is a factor.
Fighting a microbial invader is chemical warfare. Lots of free radicals are formed, creating inflammation and oxidative stress. In 2020, during the pandemic, an estimated 3 million people died. The COVID virus did not kill these people; they died from inflammation created by their own immune system fighting the virus.
During the pandemic, German researchers found that vitamin D status (which ideally should be 50 or higher) was a good predictor of whether a patient would survive COVID.1 T regulatory lymphocytes (Tregs) can be increased by vitamin D supplementation.2,3 Low vitamin D levels have been associated with an increase in inflammatory cytokines and a significantly increased risk of pneumonia and viral upper respiratory tract infections.4,5
Of course, giving a patient vitamin D (if they need it) is a good band-aid. A better strategy is to address inflammation in general, and the best way to address inflammation is with diet. Have patients avoid foods that cause inflammation, such as sugar, refined carbohydrates, chemical additives and “funny” fats. Make sure you recommend a diet of foods high in fiber, carotenes and bioflavonoids (such as fresh fruits and vegetables).
Different approaches for different ages
Over the years, a person eating in the U.S. enjoys growing degeneration of their health. A person in their 20s may respond to basic immune support and cleaning up the diet and regain strong immunity. A person in their 50s may need to have issues like insulin insensitivity, biliary stasis, metabolic syndrome, liver dysfunction, digestion concerns or other inflammatory problems addressed. If the patient is obese, realize that fat cells are also a source of inflammation.
Since about 70% of the immune system is associated with the GI, it is critically important to ensure your patients have a healthy microbiome.
If an individual has intestinal permeability, inflammation is more of a problem. Older people have more core health issues. Insulin insensitivity is a source of inflammation. Having diabetes greatly increases the chances of being hospitalized or even dying of COVID.
It can be argued that supporting blood sugar handling with things like berberine and magnesium is just as important as using some of the supplements mentioned in part two of this article.
Absorption of nutrients becomes a bigger deal as you get older — especially oil-soluble nutrients. Vitamin A is a great antiviral and antioxidant. An older individual with dry skin will probably need it more than a younger person.
Why you need a healthy microbiome to have strong immunity
The makeup of the microbiome can affect your resistance to viral and bacterial infection. Several studies show probiotic supplementation (good flora) can support the immune system.6-8 The important takeaway here is not that probiotics can be used as a supplement. If you have to keep taking them for a good result, it means they are not surviving. You need to change the environment for the probiotics to survive.
Also, intestinal permeability is a major source of inflammation. If this is true of your patient, anti-inflammatory nutrition may help, but you will need to take steps to improve gut health. The older the patient, the more important this becomes.
Final thoughts
When formulating a plan for the patient to build strong immunity, it is important to address any underlying issues that may be affecting their health, such as poor blood sugar control, chronic inflammation or any of the many other problems that may develop as we age. Once you’ve identified these issues, you can begin to counteract them via diet and supplementation, which we’ll discuss in part two of this article.
References
All accessed October 29, 2024.
- Borsche L, et al. COVID-19 Mortality Risk Correlates Inversely with Vitamin D3 Status, and a Mortality Rate Close to Zero Could Theoretically Be Achieved at 50 ng/mL 25(OH)D3: Results of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2021;13(10):3596. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34684596/.
- Fisher S, et al. The role of vitamin D in increasing circulating T regulatory cell numbers and modulating T regulatory cell phenotypes in patients with inflammatory disease or in healthy volunteers: A systematic review. PLoS One. 2019;14(9):e0222313. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31550254/.
- Prietl B, et al. High-dose cholecalciferol supplementation significantly increases peripheral CD4+ Tregs in healthy adults without negatively affecting the frequency of other immune cells. Eur J Nutrition. 2014;53:751–759. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23999998/.
- Lu D, et al. Link between community-acquired pneumonia and vitamin D levels in older patients. Z Gerontol Geriatr. 2018; 51(4):435-439. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28477055/.
- Science M, et al. Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and risk of upper respiratory tract infection in children and adolescents. Clin Infect Dis. 2013;57(3):392-397. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23677871/.
- Kinross J, et al. A meta-analysis of probiotic and synbiotic use in elective surgery: does nutrition modulation of the gut microbiome improve clinical outcome? JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2013;37(2):243-253. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22750803/.
- Li K, et al. Alterations of intestinal flora and the effects of probiotics in children with recurrent respiratory tract infection. World J Pediatr. 2019;15(3):255-261. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31020541/.
- Miller L, et al. Short-term probiotic supplementation enhances cellular immune function in healthy elderly: Systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled studies. Nutr Res. 2019;64:1-8. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30802719/.
