Experts emphasize the importance of lifestyle in protecting the immune system, which has a very important role in the fight against infections, and point out that there is no magic formula. Stating that regular and balanced nutrition, regular sleep and exercise have important effects on the immune system, experts emphasize that the most important food that strengthens the innate immune system is breast milk.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Specialist Dr. Songül Özer pointed out the importance of a strong immune system, one of the most important weapons in the fight against infections.
The foundation of strong immunity is laid in infancy
Emphasizing that breast milk is the most important food that improves the innate immune system, Dr. Songül Özer stated that a regular life in later years also strengthens the immune system. Dr. Songül Özer said the following:
"The longer a baby breastfeeds, the stronger its innate immune system becomes. The first way to strengthen the immune system starts from infancy. The cells we have are sufficient to protect us against many foreign objects even without the use of supplements, vitamins and medicines. However, in some cases we weaken our own immune system by consuming too much tea, coffee and cola drinks.
Packaged foods, sedentary life weaken the immune system
We reduce our immunity by eating fast food, consuming packaged foods that we do not know what is in them, not exercising, not paying attention to our sleep, sleeping at 3-4 am and waking up at noon, disrupting the whole biological rhythm. If we are not so affected by external factors, our own immune system is actually enough to fight against many microorganisms alone, unless we have cancer."
There is no immune-boosting drug
Pointing out that there is no drug or syrup that will strengthen the immune system when used, Dr. Songül Özer said, "Turning back from the mistakes made in nutrition and sleep patterns will normalize the functioning of the immune system. The biological rhythm of a normal person is to sleep at 23:00-23:30 in the evening and wake up at 08:00 in the morning. It is essential to follow this rhythm. 30 - 60 minutes of walking at a normal pace on a flat road, that is, the body, muscles and joints should be exercised. We need to consume foods we know the source of. Of course, we should not turn this into an obsession. There is also a group that tries to consume everything organic. This approach is also wrong because we do not know how organic those foods are. Above all, we need to eat a balanced diet. In other words, we should consume a certain amount of fat, meat, vegetables and sugar from each food. For those living in Istanbul, stress is a factor that destroys the immune system."
