10 Foods That Weaken Immunity System

The body’s ability to defend itself against potentially hazardous germs is known as immunity. Although many microbes come into contact with our bodies on a daily basis, only few of them are disease-causing. The justification for this is that our bodies have the ability to manufacture antibodies that fend off dangerous viruses and protect the body from disease. Immunity is the name given to this defence strategy.

Types of Immunity

There are two major types of immunity:

1. Innate Immunity.
2. Acquired Immunity

Innate Immunity

This kind of immunity is present at birth. This get turn on as soon as the pathogen gets there. Innate immunity includes defences and barriers that stop external chemicals from entering the body. We are born with innate defensive mechanisms that help us fend off diseases before being expose to pathogens or antigens, such as salivary enzymes, natural killer cells, intact skin, neutrophils, etc. When our body produces the required antibodies on its own, we develop long-lasting immunity.

Acquired Immunity

Acquired immunity or adaptive immunity refer to the immunity that our bodies gradually build. To produce pathogen-specific immunity and adapt to illness, the immune system must have acquired immunity. A person’s immunity is something they build after birth. The main goal of acquired immunity is to treat the infected person and protect others from contracting the illness in the future.

10 Foods that weaken the immune system

1. Foods Sweetened Artificially

Your immune system can be harmed by more than simply sugar. When we strive to avoid sugar, the sweeteners we use can be just as bad, if not worse. They have links to altered gut flora, increased inflammation, and sluggish immunological responses.

2. Fried foods

When it comes to AGE content, fried foods compete with processed meats and fast food, keep in mind that these by-products raised the possibility of cell damage and inflammation. Additionally, they interfere with intestinal flora, deplete your body’s antioxidant defences, and cause cell malfunction.

3. Foods Containing Additives

A food has additives to enhance texture, flavour, preservation, and other factors the more processed it is. These additives, especially emulsifiers and carrageenan, might alter gut flora and worsen inflammation, which can lead to immunological dysregulation.

4. Food prepared quickly

Although everyone is aware of how unhealthy fast food is, sometimes the convenience and deliciousness outweigh the negative health effects. Fast food can affect your immune system in addition to making you gain weight. It can worsen inflammation and is unhealthy for your gut biome.

5. Caffeine and Alcohol

Your immune system won’t be harmed by caffeine in and of itself, but a lack of sleep will, and if you ingest caffeine any time before going to bed, you can find yourself up in the early hours. Not simply coffee is being discussed. The substance can be found in some types of tea, chocolate, and even protein bars. Alcohol reduces the number of cells that fight infection, hence suppressing immunological response. This increases your risk of developing sepsis, poor wound healing, pneumonia, and lung inflammation.

6. Fatty Foods

While some fats are beneficial to us, saturated fats are detrimental to the immune system. They can trigger immune response-inhibiting inflammatory pathways, and they can reduce white blood cell activity, which raises the risk of infection. A high-fat diet may even harm the gut lining, which increases vulnerability to disease, according to studies in animals.

7. Foods high in omega-6 fats

Your body needs both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to function properly. Omega-6 fats are frequently more prevalent in Western diets than omega-3 fats. This imbalance is associate with a higher risk of disease and possibly immunological malfunction.

8. Salty foods

Since a high salt diet may cause tissue inflammation and raise your risk of autoimmune illnesses, salty items like chips, frozen dinners and fast food may hinder your body’s immune response. In addition, salt may reduce anti-inflammatory responses, disrupt gut flora, and prevent the production of immune cells that are thought to be involved in the aetiology of autoimmune illnesses. Salt may also impede healthy immunological function. Additionally, it has been demonstrate that eating too much salt makes autoimmune conditions including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease worse.

9. Foods high in refined carbohydrates

Processed, high-refine-carbohydrate foods, such as white flour and refined sugar, are link to an increase in inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which can compromise the immune system. White rice and white bread are a few examples of foods that contain refined carbs.

10. Red meat

Due to their high levels of saturated fat, beef, pig, and lamb, all cause blood cholesterol to increase. When eaten repeatedly and in high quantities, the immune system suffers grave damage. Furthermore, it deteriorates cardiac health. Its common knowledge that eating red meat might lead to adverse effects that weaken the immune system.