The Truth About...
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- Episode
- Boosting Your Immune System
- Broadcast Info
- 2021 (58 mins)
- Description
- We can’t see or feel it, but our immune system is in action 24/7, protecting us against everything from colds to Covid. But how much do we really know about what we can do to get our immune system working the best it can? Emergency medicine doctor Ronx Ikharia investigates the latest research and discovers how to keep our immune defences healthy. The immune system is highly complex, made up of hundreds of billions of cells, each with a particular role to play in fighting off the bacteria and viruses that can make us ill. First, Ronx sets out to test how easy it is for us to damage our immune system. They spend an evening in the pub, where they consume three glasses of wine. Blood tests before and after reveal that, even by the next morning, some types of immune cell are depleted by 20-30%, others by as much as half. If it’s so easy to damage your immune system, how do you strengthen it? Ronx meets Prof Michael Heinrich at UCL School of Pharmacy to find out whether over-the-counter supplements that claim to boost your immune system actually work. Vitamin D and echinacea have some beneficial effects - but for most supplements, there’s little evidence of any benefit. If supplements aren’t the answer, what can we do to improve our defences? Ronx teams up with Prof Sheena Cruickshank from the University of Manchester to put six volunteers through a 6-week ‘immune makeover’. They all switch to a high-fibre diet - and Ronx sees under the microscope the powerful effect this can have on our immune response. They also increase the amount of exercise and sleep they’re getting. After six weeks, the balance of their immune cells is significantly improved - giving us tips we can all use to improve our immune health. But food and exercise aren’t the only ways we can improve our immune system. Surprisingly, a quick hit of stress can give it a boost. Ronx tests this idea by facing their biggest fear - attempting to hold a tarantula. After just 20 minutes in the presence of the spider, the number of immune cells flowing through their blood has increased by over 20%. Ronx learns that turning your shower to cold for the last 30 seconds can have a similar effect. Another ‘quick fix’is rather more relaxing. Ronx has a massage - blood tests before and after also reveal an increase of 20% in certain immune cells. However, Ronx also reveals why the very notion of ‘boosting’our immune system is flawed. Over 40% of us live with a condition caused by an immune system that’s overactive - in other words, allergies. Ronx sees under the microscope exactly what’s happening when our immune cells are over-stimulated, and learns why avoiding junk food and getting out in nature more can make a difference.
- Genre
- Science; Biology
How to cite this record
The Open University, "The Truth About...". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/238116 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)