*Nutrition and Immune System (3)*

Nutrition and Immune System (3)

Hi dearest! Beautiful Saturday morning to you. Trust the week was a fruitful one. I welcome you to today’s episode of Food, Nutrients & Health. It’s really another episode.

Last week, my communication with us was more centered on infants’ nutrition, even though I didn’t really plan that, I just felt I’ll do well to share with us a bit of information as touching it. And for those that followed the article so closely, they’ll remember a particular point I established, which is that, it is very vital and important to pay close attention to nutrition during the early life of a child. The impacts nutrition creates on the general state of health of a child at that stage is mostly permanent.

It bothers me even at this stage, that we still have a lot of people who undermine nutritional and health knowledge. Nothing in life happens by chance. It is true there are certain portions of life beyond the reach of human wisdom or capabilities. However, that doesn’t dispute the fact that knowledge is very powerful arsenal. It has saved quite a number from unexpected troubles. Anyway, that’s by the way, it isn’t the fact I want to establish for today.
Back to our article, the truth is even though the exact relationship between nutrition and immune system is actually so hard to determine, one of the reasons being that human can’t be placed on controlled experiment. And also, the factors that affect the human health are quite a number. Human beings are very complex beings. Yet, the role that nutrition plays in keeping us in good state cannot be overemphasized.

Picking it up from protein, we all know that protein is part of the body’s defense mechanism. We’ve been taught that right from elementary school. There is therefore need that we consume adequate protein, most especially milk dairy products and eggs which are biologically valuable proteins in order to keep our immune system strong. Vitamins and Minerals are also very vital elements to be included in our nutrition as they offer solid protection against free radicals which may be present in the body. Antioxidant prevents foods like fats from oxidation and spoilage. Malnutrition is known to have a bad effect on immune system, over 6million children die annually as a result of malnutrition.

 Lack or Insufficient energy intake, and also macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fat) generally, will always have a negative effect on health and a malfunction of the immune system.
After reading extensively through the subject, and going through journals and quite a number of researches performed around the topic, the conclusion that I could draw is that every element of nutrition which we refer to as ‘nutrients’ is vital in keeping the entire body fit and whole. No nutrient can really perform the function of another.

It is therefore important to include varieties in our diet, so as just to give the body access to all the nutrients as much as possible. This is what we call balanced diet. Truly, the factors that determine health are quite a number, but risk is surely reduced once nutrition is no more a part of the number.

 At this point I’ll like to bring the series to an end. Questions, opinions and clarifications are welcomed in the comment box.

Thanks so much for following the series.
Article By: Immanuel Rottex
Food, Nutrients & Health.