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6 Best Ways To Boost Immune System When You Are Over 50

Best Ways To Boost Immune System When You Are Over 50

The immune system is our body`s defense against any diseases.

It is made up of special cells, tissues, and organs that defend our body against germs and any other microorganisms that can make our body sick and unhealthy. In other words, it keeps our body against any infections.

But as we grow older, our immune system gets weaker. This is because of the chemical, neurological, and hormonal changes in our body that take place as we get older.

That is why we try our best to keep fit and healthy as much as we can when we reached our prime, and also rely on different kinds of supplements to keep our body as healthy as possible.

But our environment also changes. There are even new kinds of breeds of diseases that even though we take care of ourselves, our body might not have that defense to get rid of it.

So, we always need to be careful and take precautions. We make sure that we know which strategies work best to strengthen our defenses when we reached that age.

I have gathered some ways to boost your immune system as you grow older, for 50 year-olds and beyond.

Best ways to boost the immune system when you are over 50:

1. Take zinc

Maybe you noticed that you`re sidelined more often with colds and flu now that you are older. It is not because you are around your nephew or nieces, or even your grandchildren more often. The culprit probably is a zinc deficiency.

Once we are nearing our menopausal age, our body`s ability to absorb zinc from food lessens, leaving the immune system less able to prevent these viruses from invading our body.

But it is easy to resolve that by taking supplements with zinc. The zinc reverses that effect of incapacitating our immune system making its response more vigorous and protective.

You may take Multivitamins daily with Zinc.

2. Take lots of green salad.

By the time we reach this prime age, our immune system naturally weakens, putting us at higher risk for upper respiratory infections and other illnesses. But when you eat more fruit and vegetables, it will rarely happen to you.

Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables slow age-related deterioration of your thymus, which produces the immune cells that ward off infection. This is according to the scientists at The Scripps Research Institute.

If you are not a fan of eating too many fruits and veggies, you may want to try a produce extract like the Green Foods Formulas Fruit and Vegetable Blends.

3. Eat blueberries.

By the time you are in your 50s, your body churns out fewer of the natural killer (NK) cells that stop viruses from replicating. But this can be reversed by eating blueberries.

The blueberry antioxidants nix the free-radical damage that spurs a drop in NK cells. This is shown in a recent study of middle-aged women who ate these blueberries and shown a 4% rise in NK cells within six weeks, while those who got a placebo had a decline.

In place of the real blueberries fruit, you can get the same results with a dried blueberry powder which you can put in your yogurt or smoothies.

4. Do resistance exercises.

Doing any type of moderate resistance exercise, such as using hand weights or tugging on oversize rubber bands for 30 minutes three times weekly helps your immune system prevents viruses.

As we`re in our 50`s and beyond, we see a steep decline in muscle tissue, which weakens your immune system. Muscle increase hormones that make your virus fighters more efficient. So, the more muscle you build, the healthier you will be.

Women in their 50`s who regularly do easy, stress-busting yoga stretches have more of the antibodies that stop viruses from grabbing hold. This is according to the Journal of Women and Aging.

5. Meditate.

Women in their who 50`s and older who practice mindfulness meditation – sitting still and focusing on slow, deep breathing- have stronger immune systems within eight weeks (according to UCLA research).

Inflammation, which impairs your immune system, is more common in your later years. Mindfulness meditation curbs unusual activity in inflammations-regulating genes, so your defenses stay strong.

6. Take added supplements of Vitamin E and Probiotics.

Adults in their 50s who take 200 IU of Vitamin E daily are less apt to have colds and the flu. Vitamin E reins in inflammatory compounds that block the production of virus-fighting T-cells.

At this age, also, gut microbes often get out of kilter, reducing the immune-bolstering cells formed there. Taking a mix of beneficial bacteria such as Probiotic fixes the problem

In Conclusion,

As we age, our immune system also weakens. This is due to a lot of factors and causes. To prevent those dreaded diseases around us, we might as well take precautionary measures.

We can definitely supercharge our immune system by taking simple natural steps. I have mentioned preventing viruses with zinc, revitalizing our immune system with eating lots of green salads, ramping up our defenses with eating blueberries, preserving our health with some resistance exercises, fending off illness by doing meditations, and taking some other supplements such as Vitamin E and probiotics.

These are only some of the best ways to boost our immune system when we are over 50. Most importantly, it will be most helpful if we consider talking to our doctor first before following any advice such as this article.

Lastly, take lots of rest, create a healthy and clean environment, and just live healthy and happy will also help us boost our immune system.

If you have any questions or thoughts about this article, please leave a comment.

16 thoughts on “6 Best Ways To Boost Immune System When You Are Over 50

  1. Hello,

    As I set a read on this I have learn a lot. As we get older, vitamins play a big part of are life, I also would like to send my mother in law. The link for your site.

    Thanks
    Tim

  2. I have found this to be very helpful!!! I haven’t reached that age but I will definitely follow your informative page!!!! Thank you!!!!

  3. Being over 50 myself, I’m aware of the importance of a healthy immune system. You’ve beautifully outlined many ways you can give your heath a boost. Blueberries are one of my favourite fruits and good to know they’re packed full of antioxidants! Being vegetarian I also eat a lot of green salads, but never thought of taking a supplement:)

    1. Hi Kathy, thank you for your comment.
      I am glad you find this article helpful to boost your immune system. It is always good to take care of our defense mechanism when we are already in our prime.
      All the best!

  4. I just turned 55 – hard to believe for me but true! I think I’m in pretty good health – I’m a fish-eating vegetarian and although I eat well I still do some of the things you have highlighted, including taking supplements of fruits, vegetable and berries, Evening Primose Oil (for menopause) and I’ve also just recently started mindfulness / meditation. I think when you reach 50 you start to have a different focus, and to see that perhaps the life that is awaiting is a lesser time than the life you have had! It’s never too late to make a positive change in our health and we all need to nurture our cells and ensure our immune system in in top shape to respond. Thanks for your post!

    1. Hi Lindsay, thank you for sharing your thoughts!
      Definitely, it is never too late to make better changes for our health!
      All the best!

  5. Hi Hanna,

    thank you for the good advices. I think the mixture of suppliments, meditation and training changes a lot and really helps when you grow older.
    Though honestly I must say that I prefer fresh fruits as long as my teeth are still ok.

    Anyway some suppliments in addition should be considered 🙂

    Thanks and all the best,
    Old George

  6. Thank you for this post. I have to say the super greens powder is an awesome product. My wife and I have tried it and it is great. We are both over 50 so this is a great way to stay healthy and fit. I also advocate vitamins and supplements for any age, but especially us older folks. Thanks for the informative post.

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