Nutrition - Immune System Boosters

Nutrition and Treatment | Nutrition and Chemotherapy | Protein Boosters | Nutrition and Advanced Cancer

Fighting cancer is difficult business.  Your system needs every ounce of energy it can muster to battle the disease itself as well as the negative effects of the therapies used to treat the disease. A strong immune system is essential to cancer patients and there are a number of ways that one can boost his/her own immune system, making it easier for the body to combat the disease.

Immune boosters work in a number of different ways.  Some increase the number of white cells in the immune system and train them to fight cancer cells more efficiently. Other boosters help to eliminate any substances that drag the body down.

Below is a partial list of food and vitamins that might help boost your immune system:

• Vitamin C – This vitamin has long been recognized as an important immune booster.  It increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies and increases levels of interferon, the antibody that coats cell surfaces, preventing the entry of viruses.  Vitamin C supplements are inexpensive and you can also find a number of products that are fortified with Vitamin C, such as orange juice.  This vitamin also occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables.
• Vitamin E – According to experts, Vitamin E stimulates the production of natural killer cells, those that seek out and destroy germs and cancer cells. Vitamin E enhances the production of B-cells, the immune cells that produce antibodies that destroy bacteria.  A diet rich in vegetable oils, grains, and seeds can provide enough daily vitamin E for most individuals.
• Zinc – Zinc is known to increase the production of white blood cells that fight infection and helps them fight more aggressively. It also helps white cells release more antibodies. Zinc supplements have reportedly been shown to slow the growth of certain types of cancer.  You can find zinc in beef, beans, crab, and dark meat turkey.  Zinc can also be taken in supplement form.
• Selenium – Researchers have noted that the mineral selenium stimulates cancer-fighting cells.  Several foods contain a fair amount of selenium and they’re easy to include in your diet.  They are tuna, red snapper, shrimp, lobster, brown rice, white meat chicken, lamb chops, egg yolks, cottage cheese, sunflower seeds, and garlic.
• Probiotics – Probiotics are supplements that contain “good” bacteria.  They assist the body’s naturally occurring flora in the digestive tract in re-establishing themselves.  One can purchase probiotics supplements or you can find naturally-occurring probiotics in foods like yogurt and sauerkraut. 

While some doctors will downplay the role of these vitamins, foods, and minerals in restoring the immune system, others will encourage you to include as much of them as possible in your diet, especially those medical professionals who take a more holistic approach to fighting cancer.