Now that we’re in the heart of cold and flu season, your immune system needs all the help it can get. Each day it’s working hard to ward off invaders that want to infect your nose, throat, and lungs, and give you a miserable cold, or worse, the flu. Consider these ways of giving your immune system a hand. They may not only stop another bout with bronchitis, but they could prevent the growth of cancer cells or another serious illness.
1. Probiotics
You’re getting more than calcium when you enjoy a piece of cheese. Finnish scientists found that cheese can strengthen the immune system of elderly people by acting as a carrier for helpful probiotic bacteria that block changes in the immune system that come with aging. For the four-week study, volunteers between the ages of 72 and 103 who lived in the same nursing home ate a slice of either placebo or probiotic Gouda cheese with their breakfast. Blood tests to determine the effect of the probiotics showed a clear boost in the activation of blood cells involved in immunity, researchers reported.
