Pubblicato il 24 October 2023
Seasonal changes are periods of the year when our
immune system is more
vulnerable. There isn't a single cause for coughs, flu, sore throats, and other autumnal illnesses, but a combination of factors to take into account.
Cold weather and the decrease in natural daylight hours during the day, which promotes more sedentary behavior, while not directly responsible for seasonal illnesses, can undoubtedly contribute to weakening the body's natural defense in addition to coping, from October to March, with numerous challenges.
In fact, the rhythms of work and study schedules with consequent stress, along with habitual indoor settings with limited air exchange, and the diffusion of infectious diseases are all aspects that can make us more susceptible.
Let's discover together how a varied and balanced diet and botanicals can be valuable allies for facing autumn and winter.
The role of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle
A
balanced and complete daily diet, with at least 5 portions a day of steamed or raw seasonal fruit and vegetables, whole-grain foods, legumes and fish, can
naturally support the body's defenses on its own, even more effective when accompanied by a lifestyle that includes regular and adequate rest, outdoor physical activity and the limitation of substances that promote inflammatory processes, such as alcohol and caffeine.
In fact, the most recent
research on immune support confirms that
multiple specific micronutrients, including vitamins A, C, D, E, B6 and B12, folic acid, zinc, iron, copper and selenium, play a vital role in the proper functioning of the immune system.
Vitamins and micronutrients are abundant in fruits and vegetables. For example,
vitamin C abounds not only in
citrus fruits and
kiwis but also in green vegetables, some of which, like
broccoli, are typical of the autumn season;
vitamin A can be found in yellow-orange vegetables (such as
carrots and
squash), while
vitamin E is present in
nuts,
cereals and
olives.
Vitamin D mainly comes from
animal sources, such as fish, eggs, and milk.
For this reason, the
diet should be varied. However, when it becomes difficult to follow the golden rules of a healthy lifestyle and if you believe your immune system is weakening, it's advisable to consult your doctor or nutritionist, who may recommend the use of dietary supplements.
Can botanicals help?
Even before Covid-19,
there was evidence of the potential of natural plant-derived products in dealing with various viral infections. More recently, some plant-derived nutraceuticals
have been studied as
possible immunomodulating agents, often with the advantage of greater tolerability than pharmacological treatments.
Botanicals, in fact, usually
act indirectly on the immune system through their
antioxidant properties, allowing cells to trigger a
booster effect and increase natural defense mechanisms; at other times, they may have a more specific antimicrobial and/or anti-inflammatory actions.
But which
plant extracts can help improve the body's natural defenses and which
classes of phytochemical molecules are useful for this purpose?
The list of
herbs and spices with these properties is very long. For example, we can mention plants from the
Lamiaceae family (e.g., thyme) for their content of
essential oils, which have
antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, but also commonly used spices like ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, etc., also possess these properties.
The
polyphenols in
Sambucus nigra L. and
Humulus lupulus L. seem to be responsible for the
antioxidant and antiviral cytoprotective properties of
immunHopE®: our high-quality dry extract can indeed produce a potent effect compared to individual extracts in reducing the mRNA levels of all tested viral proteins.
Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench, found in our
EKINact®, is known for its action on the
body's natural defenses: in addition to being
rich in polyphenols that protect cells from oxidative damage, the plant
contains polysaccharides with recognized immune-stimulating properties. Another species of Echinacea,
Echinacea Angustifolia DC, has similar properties; both are used to prevent upper respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold.
Rosa Canina L., whose fruits, called rosehips, contain flavonoids, tannins and carotenoids, is a
natural source of vitamin C, with tonic and antioxidant functions.
Adaptogenic plants can also be beneficial, as they help the body respond to
endogenous and exogenous stress. An example is
Panax Ginseng C. A. Meyer, a Chinese plant that can increase both humoral and cellular responses, thanks to the contribution of
ginsenosides and polysaccharides.
Finally,
Eleutherococcus senticosus Maxim, also known as
Siberian Ginseng or
taiga root, which improves the body's adaptability to seasonal changes thanks to its richness in
eleutherosides and polysaccharides, preventing infectious diseases during cold periods.
Discover all the extracts Made in EPO in the
dedicated section of our website.
