{"id":193006,"date":"2025-10-11T14:54:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T14:54:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/193006\/"},"modified":"2025-10-11T14:54:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T14:54:07","slug":"heres-how-to-boost-your-immune-system-naturally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/193006\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s How To Boost Your Immune System, Naturally"},"content":{"rendered":"

Though the NHS recommends most adults consider taking vitamin D until around March<\/a> as daylight hours shrink, the service also noted<\/a>: \u201cThere\u2019s little evidence that supplements such as vitamin C, echinacea or garlic prevent colds or help you get better more quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say that eating a balanced diet, including getting enough vitamin C<\/a>, isn\u2019t key to supporting your immune system: it is.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just unlikely to provide the short-term \u201cboost\u201d<\/a> many people who begin taking the supplement in autumn hope it will.<\/p>\n

So what does help to build a strong immune system? I asked two doctors whose answers had a surprising amount in common.<\/p>\n

Ditch the idea of short-term immune \u201cboosts\u201d <\/p>\n

Speaking to HuffPost UK, Dr Crystal Wyllie at Asda Online Doctor<\/a> said there\u2019s no one-stop, quick-fix way to \u201csupercharge\u201d your immune system. <\/p>\n

And Dr Hussain Ahmad<\/a>, a hospital doctor, said: \u201cI don\u2019t really like the word boost when we talk about the immune system. It gives the idea that you can switch it on or make it stronger with tablets or drinks, but that\u2019s not how it works… taking lots of vitamin C or other supplements doesn\u2019t make it work any better for most people.\u201d <\/p>\n

Instead, Dr Wyllie said: \u201cThe easiest way to help boost your immune system is to choose a healthy lifestyle. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet high in fruit and vegetables, and exercising regularly are all natural steps you can take to help your immune system function normally.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, though all doctors recommended doing what Dr Ahmad called \u201csimple stuff\u201d over a long period of time, Dr Wyllie said that some changes really can make a significant change.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuitting smoking is hugely beneficial for your overall health, but also helps the health of your immune system,\u201d she revealed.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s partly because \u201cyour adaptive immune system, the part responsible for remembering and responding to threats, can be negatively impacted by smoking,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can take years for your immune system to recover after quitting smoking, so the sooner you decide to stop, the better.\u201d <\/p>\n

Additionally, you might be surprised by how much changing your pace of life helps. \u201cStress and tiredness can make you more likely to catch things, so slowing down when you can really helps,\u201d Dr Ahmad advised.<\/p>\n

Are there any genuine \u201cimmune boosts\u201d?<\/p>\n

Yes(ish). There is one exception to the \u201cslow-burn, lifestyle change\u201d rule: vaccines.<\/p>\n

These \u201care the only proven ways to prepare your immune system for specific infections,\u201d Dr Ahmad advised.<\/p>\n

And Dr Wyllie shared \u201cIt is much safer and easier for your immune system to build its defences through vaccinations than by catching the disease\u201d. <\/p>\n

This is not to say that nobody should take supplements or that they\u2019re useless \u2013 this is not the case, especially if you have nutrient deficiencies.<\/p>\n

But, as Dr Ahmad put it, the best place for most of us to start is by trying our best to \u201ceat proper meals with some fruit and veg in there, move your body every day, and make sure you\u2019re getting enough rest\u201d.<\/p>\n

That, along with keeping up with any vaccines we\u2019re eligible for, is as close to an \u201cimmune system boost\u201d as we\u2019re likely to get.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Though the NHS recommends most adults consider taking vitamin D until around March as daylight hours shrink, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":193007,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[818,102,11340,6636,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-193006","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-doctors","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-immune-system","11":"tag-nutrition","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/193007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}