Recently, the new crown variant XBB.1.16 has attracted attention. WHO reminds countries to remain highly vigilant against new variants of the virus, and many people are worried and have begun to check their medicine boxes to fill in the gaps.
In fact, the real "capital" of the human body against the virus is good immunity.
Experts interviewed
Zhang Zhuoli, Director of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of Peking University First Hospital
Liu Ding, Director of the Infection Control Center of Chongqing Municipal Hospital
Professor of Clinical Nutrition at Peking Union Medical College Hospital Yu Kang
The immune system has two fronts
What we often call "immunity" refers to the body's immune system's defense against pathogens. The immune system is specifically divided into two categories:
Intrinsic immunity (also known as nonspecific immunity)
That is, the natural immune defense functions formed by the body during development and evolution, such as skin, mucous membranes, etc.
Adaptive immunity (also known as specific immunity)
Indicates a range of defensive functions generated after birth through contact with antigenic substances, such as acquiring antibodies through vaccination.
If innate immunity fails to stop the virus, after the human body is infected, the immune system will automatically carry out an immune response to recognize and eliminate the foreign invasion virus.
1. Produce neutralizing antibodies against the virus, inactivating the virus and unable to continue infecting human cells.
2. Produce killer T cells, kill cells infected by the virus, and make the virus lose its breeding ground.
Too strong immunity VS too weak, what happens respectively?
When the immune system is in balance, the parts cooperate and restrict each other according to the mechanism, and step by step remove most of the "bad molecules".
Once the balance is broken and the immune system goes out of order, this firewall fails. At this time, two phenomena generally occur.
Immunity is too weak
The security system that should have been working rests, and the intruders that should be eliminated are left unmanaged, and they will continue to gather and destroy even more.
At this time, the body will appear a variety of diseases caused by viruses or bacteria, such as frequent colds and illnesses, and small injuries are easy to infect.
Tumors form under a similar mechanism: tumor cells are so smart that they generate substances that put the "police" who monitor them to sleep. When left unattended, it grows without scruples.
Excessive immunity
The immune system may appear "friend or foe", accidentally injuring normal cells of the human body, prone to allergies, systemic lupus erythematosus and other autoimmune system diseases.
In the case of new coronavirus infection, the body may also form a "cytokine storm" due to too strong an immune response, resulting in serious damage to tissues and organs.
There are many factors that affect immune balance, and it is currently believed that heredity is a major factor, and age, mood, stress, sleep, diet, environment, etc. are also influencing factors.
Keep immunity in balance
The immune system is not indestructible, and the initial decline in immunity is often not easy to detect, so it is more important to pay attention to self-protection.
Exercise do not hold Buddha's feet temporarily
Many studies have found that adherence to long-term moderate exercise can adjust immune function, and regular exercise of 20~40 minutes a day can fully mobilize human immunity and maintain a good state for a long time.
It is recommended to exercise at least 3 times a week, 30~60 minutes each time; Brisk walking, cycling, badminton, swimming, yoga, etc. are all good choices.
Do not temporarily hold the Buddha's feet for high-intensity exercise, so as not to disrupt the immune system.
Get regular and adequate sleep
Human immune factors are mostly formed during sleep, and lack of sleep seriously affects the function of immune system T cells and prevents B cells from producing antibodies; Staying up late for a long time can also lead to reduced immunity.
Studies have shown that people who sleep less than 5 hours per night are 82% more likely to be infected by influenza virus than people who sleep 7~8 hours per night.
Eat a balanced diet and control oil and salt
The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2021)" recommends that food diversity should be ensured, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as milk, soybeans and other high-quality protein, and drink at least 1500~1700ml of water per day.
It should be noted that excessive salt intake in the diet will reduce the secretion of saliva into the oral cavity lysozyme, providing viruses and bacteria with the opportunity to invade the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract.
A diet high in oil, fat and sugar can lead to overweight and obesity, stimulate inflammatory responses in the body, and interfere with the regulation of immune responses.
Adjust psychological immunity
The human immune system is dominated by the brain, good psychological factors can enhance immunity, bad psychological factors can reduce immunity.
If you have troubles that are difficult to solve, you can communicate with family and friends, or you can focus on your work or favorite things to divert attention.
Finally, remind everyone that enhancing immunity is not to ensure that you are absolutely not sick and not infected, but the greater significance is that it can prevent infection to the greatest extent, so that the body can bear it after infection and recover as soon as possible. ▲
Editor of this issue: Xu Menglian