IN the last two decades, there has been a lot of attention on the body’s defence (immune) system as the foundation of health.
Researchers now know a lot more about how the immune system works and realise that it is the ultimate basis of how well we feel and how we respond to health challenges.
Just how important is the immune system?
For example, a patient with active tuberculosis (TB) gets on a flight to London.
Of the 300 passengers on that flight, 50 subsequently tested positive for TB. The others were also exposed but they were able to ward off the infection and this has something to do with their strong immune system.
The immune system, the body’s first line of defence, is composed of billions of white blood cells (macrophages, neutrophils and natural killer cells, etc) that constantly identify, engulf and destroy pathogens (organisms capable of causing disease; eg bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc) and cancer cells.
Beta-glucans found in baker’s yeast and certain fungi are thought to have anticancer properties. Each day, we breathe in millions of germs (bacteria and viruses) and there are millions more already in our body. If our immune system is strong, these are not a problem.
Occasionally, a germ or virus gets past the immune system and you catch a cold or the flu. Falling sick is a sign that your immune system has weakened.
Today, our immune system has to protect us from the new, “super” germs being created through antibiotic resistance. Commonly prescribed antibiotics no longer work.
Other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis – once thought to be under control – have resurfaced and the issue of bacterial resistance is just one of the many serious health concerns our immune system has to deal with.
Many beneficial health supplements are available in the market, like those which are beta glucan-based. Beta glucan are found in the bran of cereal grains, like barley and oats, certain types of fungi, and many kinds of mushrooms.
For instance, whole glucan particle (WGP), a special form of beta glucan derived from a patented strain of yeast, is the purest form of beta-glucan available and is effective in strengthening the immune system.
Here’s how beta glucan works:
* Speeds up immune response by stimulating the neutrophils, the most abundant of the innate/inborn immune cells, to move quickly to the site of infection, resulting in faster healing;
* Increases the killing capacity of the neutrophils, macrophages and natural killer cells to destroy foreign intruders like infections and cancer cells.
* Activates other immune cells (T- and B-Cells) and stimulate the production of antibodies. The antibodies can completely deactivate the intruders or at least delay them long enough for other immune cells to arrive and kill them.
Various types of immune cells are constantly watching out for the intruders and if our immune system is compromised in any way, it increases the risk of infections and cancer cells developing into tumours.
So keeping our immune system healthy and strong should be our first priority for optimum health. How we age and the quality of our life depend largely on the health of our immune system.
This advertorial is courtesy of Stay-well to Live-well by Pahang Pharmacy Sdn Bhd. For more information, consult your pharmacist or call Stay-well to Live-well at 1-800-88-1450 (Monday to Friday, 9am- 5pm) or email [email protected]
(c) 2008 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
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