How omega-3 can boost your natural defences

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Omega-3 is a supplement that may boost your immune system and help you get through flu season.

Now that the clocks are back to wintertime and it is getting colder, flu season is just around the corner. Together with everything else that has been going on over the past couple of years, it is important to not neglect your health and immune system over the colder months.

Having a strong immune system is important so you are able to fight off diseases and illness and in this article we want to talk about how you can support your body and immune system with some simple steps.

 

Omega-3 to Boost Your Natural Defences

 

There are a few dietary and lifestyle changes that might have a positive impact on your body and strengthen your body’s natural defence system: your immune system.

What’s Your Immune System

It is the first line of defence between your body and the outside world. It is a big network of cells and tissues within our body that are constantly on the lookout for any pathogens like viruses or bacteria, which might be a danger to our health. Once they have been recognised, the immune system and its components launch an “attack” on the invader to get rid of it and protect our body.

The immune system is a very complex mechanism and a healthy and balanced diet is essential for the proper functioning of it. Together with other lifestyle factors like adequate sleep and exercise and low stress, a balanced diet can contribute to keeping your immune system in top shape.

Some dietary factors have been found to have immune-regulatory properties. This means that those foods or supplements can influence the functioning of our immune system or the immune cells in particular. Such substances can be micronutrients like Vitamin D or macronutrients like fatty acids.

In this article we want to focus on the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as omega-3 fatty acids and look at their possible impact on the immune system. And we are by far no the first ones to do so! The impact of dietary PUFAs on the immune system has been studied and investigated for a long time, where especially omega-3 fatty acids like ALA, EPA and DHA have taken the centre stage.

 

Tips to Strengthen Your Immune System

Here are some suggestions of dietary and lifestyle changes that may have a positive impact on your immune system.

  1. Get Enough Sleep and Manage Your Stress Levels

Adequate rest seems to improve the natural immunity in adults and children and as a grown up you should get at least 7h of sleep at night.

Long-term stress that goes unmanaged can promote inflammation in your body, imbalances in your immune cell function and has many other negative side effects on your health.

 

  1. Take A Look At Your Diet:

Our diet can have a considerable impact on our immune system so here are some things you should eat more off, to support your natural defences:

  • Whole plant foods: vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes that are rich in nutrients and antioxidants, which help to decrease inflammation and reduce free radicals.
  • Healthy fats: are found in salmon, olive oil and omega-3 for example. They may boost your immune system response and decrease inflammation levels.
  • Probiotic supplements and fermented foods: these foods are rich in beneficial bacteria called “probiotics” that live in your digestive track. Your so-called gut bacteria are essential for a healthy digestive system and your overall well-being. They also help your immune system to differentiate between normal, healthy cells and harmful invaders.

 

  1. Move – Exercise and Hydration

Moderate exercise should be part of your weekly lifestyle choices and studies have shown that regular, moderate exercise may reduce inflammation and help your immune cells to regenerate on a regular basis.
Together with including exercise into your routine, don’t forget to stay hydrated and drink loads of fluids. The best is just plain water, but for the cold season some un-sweetened tea or veggie broth is also a nice addition.

 

 

  1. The Magic Touch – Proper Supplementation

You can help your body to be in tip-top shape by making sure you get all the necessary minerals, vitamins and nutrients on a regular basis. Using food supplements like the products from Omega 3 Norway can be an easy way to keep on top of your body’s daily needs without the headache of planning balanced and wholesome meals every day of the week.

Other supplements that can help to support your immune system are Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Zinc.

 

Benefits of Omega-3 for Your Immune System

Omega-3s are a great supplement for your whole body and mind, and today we want to look in more detail into how these specific fatty acids can benefit your immune system.

 

Omega-3: a Powerful Anti-Inflammatory

Inflammations are a natural response to an invading pathogen from our immune system. They are essential for our survival and a physiological response to injury or infection.

So why are we saying that anti-inflammatory omega-3s are good for you? Well, the problem is that chronic inflammation can have negative impacts on our body.

When the immune system detects a threat, it sends out immune cells that then create a defence reaction such as an inflammation, to rid your body of the dangerous invader. Normally, the inflammation then goes away again and things return to normal.

The recovery and healing from the inflammation are an active process, which is also done by the immune system, a process where omega-3s supposedly are involved.

But when this process does not happen and the inflammation stays active so to speak, it can turn into a chronic inflammation which can have negative impacts on your body and overall well-being. Fish oil, which is a supplement that contains omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help the immune system by reducing inflammation and improving our blood chemistry.

Newer research now also suggests, that omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA and their derivatives

 

Allergies

Another important area where omega-3 fatty acids can support your immune system are: allergies.

Supplementing with omega-3 may help to reduce your allergy symptoms and may even help your unborn child to reduce allergies later in live.

This is thought to be because of the anti-inflammatory properties of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. These fats therefore are through to have a protective effect on inflammatory diseases such as asthma or allergies!

 

Conclusion

Supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA may help to boost your natural defences and keep your immune system in top shape to protect you from viruses and other pathogens this winter.

Here are some other tips, to keep your immune system as strong as possible.

  • Get Enough Sleep and Manage Your Stress Levels
  • Take A Look At Your Diet and Improve It
  • Move – Get More Exercise and Hydration
  • The Magic Touch – Proper Supplementation

 

If you want to learn more about omega-3 supplements and all their health benefits, check out our blog  or browse our shop to see our selection of high-quality fish oil and krill oil supplements full of EPA and DHA.