Long-Term Immune Health Kick
It may seem like it’s today’s hot topic, but your immune system really is something worth looking after now and for the inevitable future. Your immune system does more than meets the eye, protecting you from outside “invaders”, such as bacteria, viruses, and toxins capable of bringing on illnesses and infections. It also works to regulate cell health in the body and resolve inflammation. Without a healthy immune system, your body struggles to function at its best, and you’re at risk of becoming unwell.
The immune system is complex, and involves a large network of organs, white blood cells, proteins and chemicals working in synergy to protect your body. This network is reliant on nutrients and can also be boosted by specific phytonutrients from plants. Without proper nourishment, you may experience symptoms such as an upset stomach, feeling run down, having slow-healing wounds or more frequent infections. These are all tell-tale signs that your immune system is compromised and in need of a health kick. Simple ways you can improve your immune health include:
- Eating a balanced diet
- Getting enough sleep
- Exercise regularly
- Wash your hands
- Keeping up with your vaccines
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Avoiding smoking
- Minimizing stress levels
- Taking an immune supplement
Nutrients For Immune Health
Eating a varied and balanced diet, including whole grains, fruits and vegetables provides your body with the nutrients it needs to maintain a functioning immune system. Some nutrients are more important than others when it comes to keeping the immune system functioning at its best. One of these is vitamin D. However, what’s unusual about this nutrient is our ability to synthesise it when we’re exposed to sunlight and how it tends to be unavailable through the diet alone. Because of our limited sun exposure and the lack of vitamin D in our diet, Public Health England recommends daily supplementation of vitamin D, especially throughout the winter months. Vitamin D plays a role in both your innate and adaptive immune responses, helping to protect your body from foreign pathogens. elénzia IMMUNITY™ contains 250% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin D3, from a plant-based source, contributing to daily immune function. Why 250%? How well the body absorbs vitamin D varies. To ensure it does so efficiently you’ll notice supplements containing Vitamin D can vary from 100% to 1000% RDI. – And why vitamin D3 and how is this possible from plants? There are two types of Vitamin D. D2 and D3. D2 is often the plant-sourced version and less well absorbed by the body. Whereas D3 is more active and easily absorbed by the body, but usually only available from animal sources. elénzia IMMUNITY™ contains an incredibly unique, clinically studied Vitamin D3 produced from plant algae proven to be bioavailable at a daily intake of 20mcg. However, just to be sure we deliver on science, efficacy, and wellness, elénzia IMMUNITY™ contains 25mcg.
An optimally functioning immune system improves your ability to detect and react to infection or illness, so you can enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning your body stores levels of this and releases them when needed and we should all be topping up this vital nutrient daily.
The Relationship Between the Gut and Immunity
You might be questioning what the link between the gut and the immune system is. What often surprises people is how integral the gut is for immune health when in fact 70-80% of the immune system resides in the gut. The immune system is particularly interconnected with the gut microflora, that being the trillions of bacteria that live in our digestive system. These live microorganisms promote healthy gut function, regulate metabolism, and comprise more than 75% of the immune system. The gut microflora and immune system have evolved together and developed a symbiotic relationship, working together to prevent harmful pathogens from taking hold. This is achieved when the gut sends signals that modulate healthy immune responses and in exchange, the immune system helps to populate the microbiome with health-promoting microbes.
Maintaining a high balance of health-promoting microbes is essential to the efficiency of this relationship. Health-promoting microbes are live organisms that require specific conditions for their growth and survival. Diet and lifestyle play a role in this as they influence the conditions in the gut and nourish the bacteria that live there. Fibre is particularly important for gut health and plays a major role in digestive health, and gut function and supports the growth of healthy microbes. Our gut bacteria thrive on fibre and can break it down into helpful by-products. UK government guidelines published in July 2015 say our dietary fibre intake should be at least 30g a day. elénzia IMMUNITY™ provides 4.5g of fibre per sachet, helping you to meet your daily fibre intake.
Beta Glucans and Immune Health
Beta-glucans. Have you heard of them? Many people haven’t, although more recently they have been getting more attention due to the health benefits they have. They are soluble fibres that come from the cell walls of bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and some plants. They have been linked to lowering disease risk and boosting immune function. More technically, beta-glucans can activate the complement system, enhancing the specific immune cells to function, and helping to get rid of microbes and damaged cells. elénzia IMMUNITY™ contains 375mg of beta-glucans 1 and 3 fermented from algae (Euglena gracilis), clinically proven to reduce the ability of the unwanted bacteria or viral infection to develop and spread, reduce the length of sickness, and improve the body’s immune response.
Stress, Immunity and Saffron
Stress is a feeling many of us experience, some, unfortunately, more often than others. And while we know it’s not a good feeling at the time, it can have longer-term impacts on our health and wellbeing than we may have first realised. The stress hormone corticosteroid can suppress how well the immune system functions, making you more susceptible to infections.
Sometimes feeling stressed can seem unavoidable, especially when life is throwing a hundred things at you at once. But there are natural ingredients that can help support your body during times of stress. One of these is Saffron. Saffron contains active substances that have been proven to improve the mood of healthy people who experience occasional stress, tension, and associated anxieties. These actives can improve the reuptake of feel-good hormones, helping the body to combat stress which in turn enhances the body’s immune system. elénzia IMMUNITY contains Lepticrosides, a patented combination of the active substances of saffron: crocin, safranal and picrocrocin, clinically proven to improve how the body responds to stress.
Try elénzia IMMUNITY™
elénzia IMMUNITY™ is an innovative new nutritional supplement using pioneering ingredients to provide enhanced daily support for long-term immune health. Active plant-based extracts essential to immune health work in synergy to protect and strengthen the immune system, allowing the body to proactively defend itself when the time is right. The ingredients have clinically proven results for enhancing how the body responds to daily stressors, detecting viral and bacterial infections, and reducing recovery time.
Be in control of your natural reactions by supporting a calm and controlled state and improved immune resilience when the time is right. Feel protected, supported and ready to defend.