• Here’s a press release from something called HealthBeauty4U. While it does slightly touch on some immune health support factors such as sleep and diet, any release that is so poorly written with tons of grammar errors, no focus and no scientific citations or references should raise red flags about even looking any further at this product or company.
• Here’s a coffee that, on its Twitter account, claims to boost your immune system. Hmmm. I’ve seen research on benefits of coffee for cognitive health and overall antioxidant benefits, but nothing directly related to supporting immune health.
• Here’s something called Immuno Gum. It has several ingredients, each, by themselves have shown some impact on immune response, but the science is very sketchy, even on Vitamin C. And the product web content contains no links to studies involving the product directly. No human clinical trials. And, there’s no hint of where it is made, whether it is GRAS, or what kind of shelf life it has.
• Ever heard of colostrum?  It’s the thick fluid from human and animals that precedes newly produced breast milk. Colostrum has huge nutrient value for newborns, and plays a big role in developing a strong immune system through infancy and into the growth years. A product called CapraColostrum, collected from goats, is featured here.  There is good research on colostrum, however this product is making wild claims, saying it is “effective in treatment of the following disorders, but not limited to: Thrombocytopenia Anemia, Myasthenia Gravis, Guillain Barre Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Systemic Lupus,  Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease.” Whenever a supplement claims it can treat a disease or multiple diseases, run, don’t walk, away from it. Such claims are most likely not FDA authorized. If those claims are not accompanied by quality clinical trials showing  ”treatment” efficacy and safety, that’s even more proof that the product marketer is not doing business appropriately.

Apparently, a comprehensive review of medical literature showed zinc generally effective in reducing duration of cold symptoms if zinc is consumed within a day after symptoms begin to appear.  The reviewers also said that proper dosage is still not agreed upon, and that the many delivery systems of zinc on the market provide for wide variability in efficacy.

Zinc is, of course, a metal mineral used by the body. Side effects are a necessary consideration when taking zinc. Web MD says taking anything over 40 mg a day may cause problems. Long term regular consumption of zinc (10 years and over) may increase prostate cancer risk.

I know I’ve taken zinc in the past when I felt a cold coming on. It may have helped some, as I recall. I sucked on Cold-Eze lozenges all day and night for two days, hoping to stave it off. I can’t recall a dramatic result, but I do recall maybe not getting quite as sick as I normally would.

Of course, after being on EpiCor year round immune balancing, I’ve not even looked at zinc…or vitamin C loading…for several years. Maybe some chicken soup, yes, but that’s about it.

Antioxidant-loaded blueberries

We hear so much about antioxidants these days.  They are important for the body in so many ways. Antioxidants, found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and quality vitamin and mineral supplements, may reduce cancer risk (although the science is still not settled or conclusive yet), may reduce risk for cardiovascular disease.

Antioxidant nutrients such as selenium, vitamins C and E, plant nutrients such as lycopene, lutein and many classes of miconutrients such as flavenols and catechins, help to stabilize unstable ROS (reactive oxygen species, or “oxidant”) molecules that can form in the body through exposure to pollution, chemicals, bad diet, or other environmental factors. The bad ROS molecules have unmatched pairs of electrons, and are constantly looking for more electrons to “scavenge” or steal from healthy cells. As this scavenging occurs and snowballs, if left unchecked, the result is cell death to healthy cells who lent their electrons to the ROS, and cell proliferation of the unhealthy ROS molecules.

Antioxidants are able to lend their electrons to ROS, thereby stabilizing the ROS while preserving healthy cells. For the immune system this is important.  We don’t want ROS, commonly termed as “free radicals,” stealing electrons from immune system killer cells or suppressor cells, thereby rendering them dysfunctional and disrupting the communication pathways so crucial to immune cells coordinating their battle plan against pathogen invaders.

EpiCor is antioxidant rich, as are the good fruits, vegetables and whole grains we all need.

1. Immune-related problems like cold or flu are something you can’t avoid.
2. You just have to give it time to get over a cold or flu. A week to 10 days. Maybe take some over-the-counter remedy to help with fever, congestion, etc.
3. If you want to try some kind of supplement, just pound down a lot of Vitamin C or zinc to boost your immune system. That’ll help get you over the crud a little quicker, or may help you avoid it altogether.

These all have some level of credence, but I think science has now shown there is a forth leg of this stool, one that may outweigh the others in terms of scientific validity and actual experience:

4.  Balance of immune function through natural, nutrition-based modulation of the spectrum of the classes of the body’s immune cells; the aggressive cells and the passive/suppressor cells. This includes the influence of gut microbiota in a wide swath of immune-related conditions, influenced by probiotic and prebiotic effects of nutrition intervention and long-term regimens.

A very good overview of the immune system and natural approaches to immune health management and balance vs. symptom treatment was recently published this month. It’s a little lengthy but worth the read.

We sent a short survey form to the email subscribers last month, asking them to answer 8 questions. We also offered the first 50 respondents a 3-month sample of EpiCor. We got our first 50 within a matter of a few hours. Some of the survey data we gathered is pretty interesting:

• Over half of the readers take EpiCor. Nearly half take Vitamin C, while one-third take another immune health supplement.
• 65% say they take immune supplements to help mitigate cold and flu during the winter, while nearly 60% say they take them for general immune support needed for life’s stresses.
• 62% buy their supplements online; 50% buy them at a retail store.
• 67% take their immune supplements every day without fail. Yay!! 13% take them once or twice a week.
• As for other things these people do for immune health, 79% say they eat a healthy diet, 71% say they get 7 or more hours of sleep each night, and 52% say they exercise regularly. 24% say they do stress-relieving activities such as yoga.

Wow! I’m impressed. All in all, that’s a pretty healthy crowd.

So I brought up its site and signed on to a live chat with an Abbott nutritionist, Christy.  By the way, good job, Abbott, with your chat tool. It was fast and ready to go as advertised.

I asked about the new “ImmunBalance” label splash on the package. What’s behind it? Christy said it reflects the antioxidant benefit delivered through selenium and vitamin C (which were already in the product) plus newly added probiotics for balancing good and bad gut bacteria. According to many health experts, the gut microflora composition comprises up to 70% of the body’s immune system defense.   

Christy also said she’d check on whether any additional research using Ensure to measure blood or saliva immune cell changes exists and could be shared. I also told her it was interesting that Ensure was choosing to use the phrase “balance” instead of “boost,” which still seems to be the most common immune tag on packaging.

I’m glad Ensure is taking the enlightened, science-driven approach and promoting immune balance.  For sure.

The product we both worked on was an antioxidant carotenoid, a plant-based phytochemical.  Many people tout the ORAC value of antioxidants. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. In overly simplistic terms, it is a technique for measuring the ability of a given compound to quench free-radicals, the oxidating process that can damage cells. My scientist colleague pointed out that ORAC value is something that shouldn’t be relied upon as the holy grail of antioxidant content; different antioxidants perform in different ways in the body. When I started seeing Cherry 7-Up soda bottles touting “antioxidant” on its label and Rice Krispies promoting “immunity support”  on cereal  boxes by adding 25% more of certain vitamins (and ceased using that new label last month), I started really wondering about all this antioxidant hoopla.

As one credible treatise put it several years ago, “with competitive use of ORAC values comes misconceptions and misuse.”  It goes on: “Many companies are comparing ORAC values of their products to equal antioxidant activity of servings of fruits and vegetables, but which fruits or vegetables and what is the serving size? For example, one company’s website claimed its product contained equal antioxidant activity as compared to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables, then further defines the equivalence by listing a head of lettuce and other low ORAC vegetables as part of the 10 servings.”

A more recent paper cites confusing applications of ORAC values in food products. Does a single raw ingredient, when combined with other ingredients and consumed in humans deliver the same ORAC function as when it was analyzed in laboratory assays?  Some products may add a small bit of vitamin C to pump up the ORAC value of a product, when the primary product ingredient may be low in ORAC value. And, a product touting great antioxidant benefits via vitamin E or D may work much differently in the body than a product touting great antioxidant benefit through the presence of  flavenols or catechins. We know a lot about plant-based micronutrients, but there’s a heck of a lot we still don’t know.

Bottom line:  A diveristy of fresh fruits and vegetables will always do you good in the antioxidant department. Natural supplementation with accurately labeled ingredients, quality manufacturing and some science-backed efficacy behind them can be a useful antoxidant addition to the diet as well. (As someone told me, that’s why they’re called “supplements” not “replacements.”)

So, now its on to the holiday food season. And there’s plenty you can do to give your immune health a fighting chance in helping you survive the aftermath of Black Friday and head into December ready to take on those crud-inducing pathogens. One great immune support asset is food. And fresh from the site Truestar Health is a list of nutrients that can help with immune support. I’ve added a little commentary on how you might work them into your  holiday meals.

Vitamin C. Yes, it’s a good immune nutrient, but science shows overloading with C doesn’t fend off colds and flu. So don’t add two dozen orange slices to every glass of punch. But, some citrus or apples added to salads and deserts wouldn’t be a bad bet.

Vitamin E. The Alpha- (or α-) tocopherol form of Vitamin E is the best for human dietary absorption.  Nuts, seeds and vegetable oils are good food sources of E. So load up the Chex Mix with almonds, cashews, and pecans. And don’t be afraid of olive oil or cannola oil when making those Hanukkah matzo balls.

Omega 3s.  This is the essential fatty acid found in fatty fishes, flax and nuts. Break out that smoked salmon.  Albacore tuna with a little Christmas ginger glaze would also do the job.

And, if you consume alcohol over the holidays (naaahhh, never) red wine might be the better bet. A lof of research shows that alcohol intake hampers immune response. Red wine, however, has been shown to not suppress immune response, at least in mouse studies. It doesn’t necessarily help, but a Univ. of Florida study showed red wine did not suppress production of white blood cells in mice, compared to the same amount of alcohol consumed as ethanol.

According to Elaine Moore, medical technologist and medical author, “In the body selenium combines with protein molecules to form selenoproteins. Selenoproteins are important antioxidant enzymes that are essential for proper immune system function. Selenium’s role in thyroid health is also well known. In addition, selenoproteins help prevent cellular damage caused by free radical molecules. Free radicals are produced as natural byproducts of oxygen metabolism that are suspected of contributing to many chronic inflammatory diseases.”

The body doesn’t need a whole bunch of selnium; 70 micrograms per day is the daily value, and 55 mcg/day is the reference dietary intake.  The Ensure label shows each serving has 25% of the daily value for selenium.

What’s next in the immune balance pipeline?

My other daughter, who with me, takes a daily EpiCor supplement, is in good shape, though may be showing a couple mild symptoms herself (a little throat scratch that started yesterday).  Meanwhile, at school, at least 4 of their friends have mononucleosis! What the heck is up with that? And they said strep is starting to make the rounds.

So far for me, nothing at all.  All quiet on the western front. My last discernible hint of any cold/flu-like episode was early last spring, when I was a little congested in the head and slept in until mid-morning one day.  That was the last of anything I experienced. My nutritional supplement regimen right now: EpiCor (500 mg); chromium picolinate (200 mcg); Vitamin D3 (1000 mg), lutein ( 6 mg).  No massive Vitamin C or zinc intake.