Immune cells that are overactive or underactive can both lead to disease.
The immune system functions best, like a thermostat, when it's not set "too high" or "too low." (Photo courtesy of Flickr/NIAID; CC BY-SA)
Some influencers appear to believe that the Goldilocks principle of "just right" is overrated when it comes to immune health. When you can have more immunity, why settle for less? Supplements and other "boost your immune system" advice is frequently promoted on social media in an effort to keep you well and prevent disease.
But these assertions are not supported by scientific research or current understanding of immune function. Immune systems in good health don't require "boosting." Rather, when the immune system is perfectly balanced, it functions at its best. Immunologists, who study the immune system scientifically, are aware that an excessive immune response can cause allergies, autoimmune diseases, or persistent inflammation. Conversely, disease or infection may arise from insufficient immune response.
For your immune system to function as it should, there must be a careful balance. Disease can arise from an imbalance in your immune system.
Cellular balance
Your body's mobile defence system is called the immune system. It is an intricate system of organs and cells that cooperate to keep your body free from illness and infection. Your immune system's cells are constantly scouring your body for pathogens and damage, sending out patrols.
The bone marrow produces new immune cells. The immune system's "special forces" are certain immune cells known as B and T cells, which are crucial in removing infectious invaders. Due to their function, these cells go through a rigorous boot camp during development to make sure they won't accidentally destroy healthy body cells.
During training, any B cell or T cell displaying autoreactivity, or activity against the self, is eliminated. Because they are unable to pass this training process, millions of freshly formed B and T cells are eliminated every day. These self-reactive cells have the potential to rebel against the body and launch an unwarranted autoimmune attack if they manage to avoid being destroyed.
My research aims to understand how B cells manage to evade the immune system's defences against autoreactivity. These tolerance checkpoints make sure autoreactive immune cells are either permanently locked down or eliminated from the body so they cannot respond inappropriately and harm healthy tissue.
More isn't necessarily better
It's likely that you have seen ads for nutritional supplements that claim to "boost immune function." Though this may sound good, remember that the immune system works best when it is in perfect balance.
If the immune system were like a thermostat, too high of a setting would cause overactivation and uncontrollable inflammation, while too low of a setting would cause the body to become unresponsive to illness and infection.
Because maintaining immune balance is so important, using supplements to manipulate the immune system is not recommended unless you have a documented clinical deficiency in one or more essential nutrients. Taking supplements may give people who already have healthy levels of nutrients a false sense of security, especially since the fine print on the back of supplements typically contains the following disclaimer about the benefits they list: "The FDA has not reviewed this statement. Not meant to identify, address, heal, or stop any illness."
But, maintaining a strong and healthy immune system can be facilitated by eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, managing stress, and getting enough sleep. While not infallible, these lifestyle choices support general well-being, which in turn supports a stronger immune system.
In actuality, aside from leading a healthy lifestyle, vaccinations are the only safe and efficient way to boost your immune system. Innocent pathogens are included in vaccines to help teach your immune system how to identify and combat them. These fully trained immune memory cells will start to fight and destroy the pathogen as soon as you come into contact with the real and harmful version of it later on, whether it's at a grocery store, social gathering, or school. In some cases, they will do so so quickly that you won't even realise you've been infected.
You can be confident that keeping the immune system in perfect balance is the right course of action, even in a world where people are constantly exposed to the marketing slogan that "more is better."
