Does our immune system change throughout life?

To put it simply, the answer is yes. Unfortunately, it’s inevitable that as we age our immune system will gradually weaken. However, even if your immune system isn’t as effective as it was in your 20’s, it’s still a great asset that can’t be taken for granted. Thankfully, there are ways we can help support our immune system which will help keep us better protected! 

What is the Immune System?

The immune system is the key to keeping our bodies healthy and is our best defence against illness. It’s important to recognise just how essential our immune system is, as without it, harmful bacteria and viruses would be able to infiltrate our bodies and cause us to be constantly ill. The immune system is made up of different organs, cells and chemicals. This acts as our first line of defence against any microbes and also keeps a record of any previous infections it has defeated.

Our immune systems are constantly evolving. If you have kids, you’ll be aware that they constantly pickup colds from others! This isn’t necessarily bad however, because it allows them to build up their immune system to prevent them from getting ill in the future.

As we get older, our immune system changes and begins to weaken. It tends to become slower to respond and we are at a more increased risk of getting sick. As there are fewer immune cells in the body, we also heal more slowly. This is also why we are often encouraged to get regular flu-jabs and other vaccines as we get older, to increase our antibodies and help fight infections.

Of course, aging is inevitable, and because of the importance of the immune system, it’s essential that we support it as best we can.

How to Support the Immune System

If you are wondering how you can better support your immune system then don’t worry, there are various lifestyle changes we can make that will help. Good quality sleep is always important for our health, as this helps us to relieve stress and replenish our mind and body. Sleep also improves the impact of our T cells, which help our immune system fight off pathogens. In addition to sleep, getting more exercise can help support your immune system as exercise is one of the best ways of alleviating stress which impacts immunity.

Maintaining a good healthy diet is also essential when it comes to supporting your immune system. Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables is one of the best ways of getting all the essential vitamins and minerals into our diet that help to strengthen the immune system. Vitamins A, C and E are all antioxidants that help to fight off infections, so it is important to ensure we are consuming these daily. Maintaining a healthy gut is also really important when it comes to supporting our immune system, and this can be done by consuming foods that are rich in microbiotics. Yoghurts and fermented drinks are good sources of microbiotics, but many people choose to take supplements.

Microbiotic supplements such as Udo’s Choice Microbiotics are not only important for support friendly bacteria in the body. There are different Udo’s Choice Microbiotics for each age group as the optimal content of healthy bacteria depends on your age. For example, children need a smaller amount of bacterial strains when compared to an adult, so each microbiotic is designed to reflect what is needed for healthy microflora. Interestingly, the balance of friendly bacteria in the gut changes as we age.

The immune system plays such an important role in our health, so it is vital that we don’t neglect it and do all we can to support it.