keano
07-31-2006, 09:16 PM
Taken from http://www.hsrmagazine.com/articles/681feat1.html
Posted on: 01/01/2075
Basic Instinct: Immunity
Protecting the body from harm is a natural instinct requiring natural solutions
by Steve Myers
"Immune" References
“Self-preservation is the first law of nature.” ~ British poet Samuel Butler Protecting the human body is an around the clock task. There are certain times and seasons of greater malcontent, but health and self-preservation are tested every second of every day of every month. Keeping the immune system in tip-top shape is no easy chore, given the complexities of the involuntary immune response; but, in addition to healthy diet changes, dietary supplements can help address general immune health, as well as target specific aspects of illness prevention and severity.
Learning about something as complex as the immune system can be daunting, but as with most high level education, repetition rules. Staying up-to-date on the mechanisms of the immune system and its many active parts is the best way for a retailer to both understand the actions of various supplements and, in turn, educate customers while making suggestions on possible natural remedies.
The basic outside threats to human health are either viruses or bacteria. These are called antigens. Other usually innocuous substances can trigger an autoimmune response, such as in the case of allergies.
The first line of defense against such antigens, whether pathogenic (harmful) or not, is the innate immune response, which is normally a birthright. At this level, the immune system uses various tools located or delivered to sites or membranes that interface with the outside world. The skin has a blood supply rich in immune cells and can secrete antimicrobial substances; membranes lining the eyes, nose, mouth, throat and other body openings contain immune cells and enzymes that help prevent antigens from reaching the inner body; mucus traps antigens, which are then carried by rhythmic cilia up the throat for expulsion; the eyes secrete tear drops, which contain the enzyme lysozyme to break down harmful bacteria; saliva in the throat is also laden with antibacterial substances; and stomach acid often halts antigens before they can be absorbed.
However, these innate protections are not impenetrable, and the immune system has developed tools to confront antigens that make it deeper into the body. Chief among these weapons are numerous different white blood cells, each with its own special power and assignment. It is important to have a decent understanding of these immune cells, as most research on supplements focuses on levels and activities of these cells.
White blood cells, also called leukocytes, are created in bone marrow from stem cells. Forming the frontline are monocytes, which move from blood to tissue and become macrophages, huge cells that seek and destroy pathogens. Langerhans cells in skin are an example of a monocyte.
The granulocyte group includes basophils and eisonophils, which handle parasites in the lungs and skin, and produce histamine, which stimulates inflammation. Also included are neutrophils, the most abundant white blood cell in the body and adept hunters and slayers of pathogens.
Perhaps the most known immune cells to followers of health research are lymphocytes, including T cells and B cells. T cells go from the marrow to the thymus, while B cells head to the blood. These cells are a formidable team. Each B cell identifies a specific virus or bacteria then releases swarms of antibodies for that specific threat. However, B cells cannot penetrate antigens; they only bind to them. T cells find cells infected with identified antigens and destroy the antigens with direct brute force. Certain T cells, including helper T cells, assist B cells by producing cytokines, including interferon, that activate antibody production. Interferon, which is also produced by macrophages, interferes with viruses, curbing virus replication.
Another key immune cell is the Natural Killer (NK) cell, which not only hunts cancer and tumor cells for the innate immune response, but also releases cytokines and other chemicals to trigger the antigen immune response.
Dietary supplement ingredients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, herbs and specialty substances, address the production and activity of these various immune cells, and have been shown to benefit certain areas of immune function, including specific maladies.
As a healthy immune system starts with a proper diet, basic nutritional components are key to self-preservation. Cornell University researchers reported nutritional deficiencies may weaken immune response, especially in younger years but possibly over an entire lifetime.1 They particularly noted the importance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and probiotics.
Deficiency of B vitamins, specifically B6, has been associated with decreased production of various lymphocytes and interleukin-2 (IL-2), a protein cytokine that promotes the proliferation of CD4 T cells.2 In fact, Oregon State University researchers found improved B6 status in women correlated to increased lymphocyte proliferation.3 Similarly, inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), considered a B vitamin, impacts secretion of IL-8, a chemokine that affects neutrophil activity.4 IP6 also promotes inflammatory response in macrophages, where IL-8 is produced,5 a mechanism that has shown promising anti-tumor effects.6
Equally important to immune cells is vitamin C, which is indicated in production of both interferon and antibodies. It also protects neutrophils from oxidation.7 Part of vitamin C’s protective benefit is due to its antioxidant action. Oxidative stress increases the antioxidant requirements of the white blood cell macrophages and lymphocytes.8 Vitamin C supplementation increases antioxidant glutathione concentration in lymphocytes,9 and normalizes monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells.10 Long used against the elusive common cold, vitamin C has shown mixed results in cold prevention, according to a major review.11 However, a 2002 study involving 180 British subjects found vitamin C supplementation (as Ester- C®, from Zila Nutraceuticals) could prevent the common cold, as well as limit severe symptoms and shorten the duration.12
Fellow antioxidant vitamin E is thought to protect the thymus and various immune cells from oxidative stress. In fact, research shows vitamin E plays an important role in the differentiation of immature T cells in the thymus, inducing higher differentiation that results in improved cellular immunity.13 And high-dose (1,500 mg/d) supplementation was shown to increase macrophage and lymphocyte chemotaxis, superoxide (SO) anion production and lympho-proliferative capacity.14 However, even low-dose vitamin E supplementation (200 IU/d) has shown the ability to protect the elderly from upper respiratory tract infections and reduced the rate of multiple infections.15 Researchers from Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., concluded vitamin E, along with vitamin A, exhibited an overall protective effect on acute toxicity and oxidative stress associated with thymus health.16
On its own, vitamin A contributes to production of T helper cells and other T cells destroyed by immunodeficiency.17 Canadian scientists linked vitamin A deficiency to immuno-incompetence,18 while a University of California, Davis, team reviewing trial literature found vitamin A deficiency impairs innate immunity by impeding normal regeneration of mucosal barriers damaged by infection, and by diminishing the function of neutrophils, macrophages and NK cells.19 They further noted vitamin A’s impact on T helper cells TH2 and TH1 activity.
The vitamin A precursor beta-carotene has shown benefit to the destructive abilities of NK cells, especially against tumors.20 German researchers found a diet low in vegetables rich in beta-carotene and other carotenoids contributes to depressed T cell functioning.21 They noted tomato juice administration restored T cell function, including secretion of TH2-like IL-2 and TH1- like IL-4. Dutch researchers studying plasma levels of six major carotenoids (lycopene, beta- and alpha-carotenes, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin) in elderly subjects monitored for upper respiratory infections found high plasma levels of carotenoids, especially beta-carotene, may lower the incidence of acute upper respiratory infections.22
As a group, carotenoids can support the immune system by addressing free radicals, but have also been found to lower occurrence of upper respiratory infections.23 Individual carotenoids have shown specific benefits to immune function as both antioxidants and immune stimulators. Found in high concentrations in tomatoes and tomato products, lycopene protects immune cells from oxidation.24 Researchers found supplementation increased plasma carotenoid concentrations and reduced lymphocyte DNA oxidative damage by half.
Astaxanthin
, typically derived from algae, is another immune stimulator, working to stimulate lymphocyte proliferation, increase T cell production and amplify NK cell cytotoxic activity. In separate trials, astaxanthin administration in mice curbed liver tissue damage and related NK cell activity,25 and also increased resistance to tumor growth and higher cytotoxic T-cell and interferon-gamma activity.26
Although best known for its role in eye health, lutein may stimulate both active and passive immune responses. Animal research shows lutein supplementation increases lymphocyte proliferation and production of immunoglobulin G (IgG).27 The most abundant immunoglobulin, IgG enters the placenta to protect fetuses’ pre-immune system development; it otherwise helps by binding to pathogens and activating the complement, the fluid of the lymph system. Similar animal study found lutein supplementation increased T cell CD4 and CD21 lymphocytes as well as IgG.28 More recently, risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) was inversely linked to not only greater intake of vegetables, but also to higher intake of lutein and zeaxanthin, as well as zinc.29
Zinc helps regulate various immune cells, including T cells, CD4, NK cells and IL-2. “Zinc is fundamentally one of the most important nutrients required for immune health—it is involved in over 60 enzyme systems in the body, many of which are part of the immune system,” said Paul Dijkstra, executive vice president of InterHealth Nutraceuticals. “Zinc may not grab the headline attention that newer discoveries do, but that doesn’t diminish its importance.”
Michigan State University scientists reported the “immunological hallmarks” of zinc deficiency are thymus atrophy and compromised cell- and antibody-mediated response,30 while University of California, Berkeley, researchers noted even mild zinc deficiency may impact immune function by decreasing lymphocyte proliferation and the in vitro secretion of IL-2.31
Researchers studying the mineral’s effects on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which uses CD4 for binding, reported zinc status is essential for T cell division, maturation and differentiation, as well as lymphocyte response and other immune functions.32 On other illness, zinc gluconate lozenges (as COLD-EEZE®, from Quigley) lowered the incidence of the common cold in school children and also reduced use of antibiotics among the young subjects.33
On zinc’s antioxidant contribution to immunity, researchers have found zinc bound to either L-methionine (as L-OptiZinc®, from InterHealth) or dl-methionine (as OptiZinc®, from InterHealth) provided greater antioxidant protection against brain and liver DNA damage than other forms of zinc tested, including zinc gluconate and zinc sulfate.34
And unpublished animal research out of North Carolina State University in Raleigh showed zinc-methionine (as OptiZinc) enhanced mononuclear-phagocytic function, which is important for disease resistance and increased cellular immunity.
The presence of minerals, including zinc and copper, is also important to production of superoxide dismutase (SOD), an endogenous enzyme that provides various antioxidant protections to cells. SOD coated in a wheat gliadin layer (as GliSODin™, from P.L. Thomas [PLT]) has been found to stimulate production of nitric oxide and control production of superoxide anion by macrophages, helping to modulate immune function by controlling expression of cytokines and other antioxidant enzymes.35
“Antioxidants, particularly those produced by our bodies—such as SOD—are vitally important to immunity,” said Eric Anderson, brand manager for PLT. He cited research showing GliSODin as effective in immune stimulation in HIV patients is based on protection of T cells. “Apoptosis of T cells is characteristic of HIV and AIDS, and free radicals contribute to this event,” he said, adding consumers not immune compromised can also benefit from SOD antioxidant protection of T cells and other immune cells.
Also common in HIV patients, deficiency of the mineral selenium wreaks havoc on immune function. University of Miami scientists studying the effects of selenium deficiency on HIV associated selenium levels to T cell function and apoptosis, noting selenium may enhance resistance to infection by modulating IL production and Th1 and Th2 response.36 Selenium deficiency may allow invading viruses to mutate and remain for a longer period in the host, according to research from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.37 They found selenium-deficient animals exposed to human influenza virus (flu) experienced more severe and longer lasting flu, including lung inflammation, than the non-deficient mice.
Scientists have also logged success with selenium supplementation on immune response, especially combined with vitamin E, which results in interactive effects as oxygen radical scavengers, thereby promoting human lymphocyte response to antigens. 38 Additional research on this combination therapy showed it enhances the body’s response to bacterial39 and parasitic infections.40
As many of the immune-boosting vitamins and minerals contribute antioxidant protection, research has focused on the immune benefits of various other antioxidants, including phytochemicals. Flavonoids are water-soluble phytochemicals found in plants and noted for antioxidant benefits and promotion of various immune cells.
Grape seed extract
(GSE) contains numerous flavonoids including proanthocyanidins, which contribute anti-inflammatory actions and protect mast cells, which produce histamine. In animal research, GSE proanthocyanidins reduced UVB-induced increases in immunosuppressive cytokines in the skin, while enhancing production of immunostimulatory cytokines.41 Additional animal study revealed GSE can reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines in an experimental inflammation model.42
Another GSE compound, resveratrol, has been found to modulate several human immune cell functions related to its effects on cytokine production by both CD4 and CD8 cells.43 In alveolar (lung) macrophages, treatment with resveratrol inhibited the release of inflammatory cytokines in response to outside stimuli.44
Other berries are also rich in immune boosting flavonoids. Cranberry flavonoids contain anthocyanins and flavonols, and have been found useful in the immune response to oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and its uptake by endothelial macrophages.45 Cranberries and blueberries have also demonstrated antibacterial properties, especially in the urinary tract. Cranberry juice has been particularly effective at preventing E. coli bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract’s endothelial wall,46 a benefit also credited to wild blueberry proanthocyanidins.47 Cranberry inhibits similar adhesion of Helicobacter pylori in the gastric wall, a precursor of gastric ulcer.48 However, a multiple berry extract (as OptiBerry®, from InterHealth)— cranberry, elderberry, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and bilberry—inhibited H. pylori better than individual extracts of the berries.49
In addition to vitamin C and other nutrients, citrus fruits contain a wealth of bioflavonoids that are helpful to immune function. Polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs) are found in the peels of citrus fruits and are more stable and bioactive, according to SourceOne Global, supplier of Sytrinol™, a combination of PMFs and tocotrienol (vitamin E) developed by KGK Synergize. PMFs have shown promise against inflammatory parameters of immune function. In fact, PMF extract (as Citri-Z™, from Next Pharmaceuticals) was shown to modulate TNF-alpha and natural killer cell activity.50
Retailers might find a boost to immune sales by considering popular antioxidant and flavonoid rich exotic fruits. Açai pulp, from the berries of an Amazon palm tree, contains a high amount of antioxidants, as well as beneficial lipids. Research has shown bioactive açai polyphenols (including anthocyanins) in glycated and aglycone forms significantly inhibited proliferation of cancer cells (HL-60 leukemia cells) while promoting apoptosis.51 Lead researcher Steve Talcott, Ph.D., assistant professor, Food Science and Nutrition, University of Florida, Gainesville, cautioned these results do not show açai prevents cancer, but instead show the activity of açai against a cancerous system. “Compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model system may also have beneficial properties in our bodies,” he stated. “Seven different concentrations were tested reflecting varying levels of anthocyanins absorbed in the bloodstream ... each group of polyphenolics (glycosides and aglycones) had a significant impact on reducing the number of live cancer cells ...higher concentrations killed more cancer cells than lower concentrations.”
Posted on: 01/01/2075
Basic Instinct: Immunity
Protecting the body from harm is a natural instinct requiring natural solutions
by Steve Myers
"Immune" References
“Self-preservation is the first law of nature.” ~ British poet Samuel Butler Protecting the human body is an around the clock task. There are certain times and seasons of greater malcontent, but health and self-preservation are tested every second of every day of every month. Keeping the immune system in tip-top shape is no easy chore, given the complexities of the involuntary immune response; but, in addition to healthy diet changes, dietary supplements can help address general immune health, as well as target specific aspects of illness prevention and severity.
Learning about something as complex as the immune system can be daunting, but as with most high level education, repetition rules. Staying up-to-date on the mechanisms of the immune system and its many active parts is the best way for a retailer to both understand the actions of various supplements and, in turn, educate customers while making suggestions on possible natural remedies.
The basic outside threats to human health are either viruses or bacteria. These are called antigens. Other usually innocuous substances can trigger an autoimmune response, such as in the case of allergies.
The first line of defense against such antigens, whether pathogenic (harmful) or not, is the innate immune response, which is normally a birthright. At this level, the immune system uses various tools located or delivered to sites or membranes that interface with the outside world. The skin has a blood supply rich in immune cells and can secrete antimicrobial substances; membranes lining the eyes, nose, mouth, throat and other body openings contain immune cells and enzymes that help prevent antigens from reaching the inner body; mucus traps antigens, which are then carried by rhythmic cilia up the throat for expulsion; the eyes secrete tear drops, which contain the enzyme lysozyme to break down harmful bacteria; saliva in the throat is also laden with antibacterial substances; and stomach acid often halts antigens before they can be absorbed.
However, these innate protections are not impenetrable, and the immune system has developed tools to confront antigens that make it deeper into the body. Chief among these weapons are numerous different white blood cells, each with its own special power and assignment. It is important to have a decent understanding of these immune cells, as most research on supplements focuses on levels and activities of these cells.
White blood cells, also called leukocytes, are created in bone marrow from stem cells. Forming the frontline are monocytes, which move from blood to tissue and become macrophages, huge cells that seek and destroy pathogens. Langerhans cells in skin are an example of a monocyte.
The granulocyte group includes basophils and eisonophils, which handle parasites in the lungs and skin, and produce histamine, which stimulates inflammation. Also included are neutrophils, the most abundant white blood cell in the body and adept hunters and slayers of pathogens.
Perhaps the most known immune cells to followers of health research are lymphocytes, including T cells and B cells. T cells go from the marrow to the thymus, while B cells head to the blood. These cells are a formidable team. Each B cell identifies a specific virus or bacteria then releases swarms of antibodies for that specific threat. However, B cells cannot penetrate antigens; they only bind to them. T cells find cells infected with identified antigens and destroy the antigens with direct brute force. Certain T cells, including helper T cells, assist B cells by producing cytokines, including interferon, that activate antibody production. Interferon, which is also produced by macrophages, interferes with viruses, curbing virus replication.
Another key immune cell is the Natural Killer (NK) cell, which not only hunts cancer and tumor cells for the innate immune response, but also releases cytokines and other chemicals to trigger the antigen immune response.
Dietary supplement ingredients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, herbs and specialty substances, address the production and activity of these various immune cells, and have been shown to benefit certain areas of immune function, including specific maladies.
As a healthy immune system starts with a proper diet, basic nutritional components are key to self-preservation. Cornell University researchers reported nutritional deficiencies may weaken immune response, especially in younger years but possibly over an entire lifetime.1 They particularly noted the importance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and probiotics.
Deficiency of B vitamins, specifically B6, has been associated with decreased production of various lymphocytes and interleukin-2 (IL-2), a protein cytokine that promotes the proliferation of CD4 T cells.2 In fact, Oregon State University researchers found improved B6 status in women correlated to increased lymphocyte proliferation.3 Similarly, inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), considered a B vitamin, impacts secretion of IL-8, a chemokine that affects neutrophil activity.4 IP6 also promotes inflammatory response in macrophages, where IL-8 is produced,5 a mechanism that has shown promising anti-tumor effects.6
Equally important to immune cells is vitamin C, which is indicated in production of both interferon and antibodies. It also protects neutrophils from oxidation.7 Part of vitamin C’s protective benefit is due to its antioxidant action. Oxidative stress increases the antioxidant requirements of the white blood cell macrophages and lymphocytes.8 Vitamin C supplementation increases antioxidant glutathione concentration in lymphocytes,9 and normalizes monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells.10 Long used against the elusive common cold, vitamin C has shown mixed results in cold prevention, according to a major review.11 However, a 2002 study involving 180 British subjects found vitamin C supplementation (as Ester- C®, from Zila Nutraceuticals) could prevent the common cold, as well as limit severe symptoms and shorten the duration.12
Fellow antioxidant vitamin E is thought to protect the thymus and various immune cells from oxidative stress. In fact, research shows vitamin E plays an important role in the differentiation of immature T cells in the thymus, inducing higher differentiation that results in improved cellular immunity.13 And high-dose (1,500 mg/d) supplementation was shown to increase macrophage and lymphocyte chemotaxis, superoxide (SO) anion production and lympho-proliferative capacity.14 However, even low-dose vitamin E supplementation (200 IU/d) has shown the ability to protect the elderly from upper respiratory tract infections and reduced the rate of multiple infections.15 Researchers from Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., concluded vitamin E, along with vitamin A, exhibited an overall protective effect on acute toxicity and oxidative stress associated with thymus health.16
On its own, vitamin A contributes to production of T helper cells and other T cells destroyed by immunodeficiency.17 Canadian scientists linked vitamin A deficiency to immuno-incompetence,18 while a University of California, Davis, team reviewing trial literature found vitamin A deficiency impairs innate immunity by impeding normal regeneration of mucosal barriers damaged by infection, and by diminishing the function of neutrophils, macrophages and NK cells.19 They further noted vitamin A’s impact on T helper cells TH2 and TH1 activity.
The vitamin A precursor beta-carotene has shown benefit to the destructive abilities of NK cells, especially against tumors.20 German researchers found a diet low in vegetables rich in beta-carotene and other carotenoids contributes to depressed T cell functioning.21 They noted tomato juice administration restored T cell function, including secretion of TH2-like IL-2 and TH1- like IL-4. Dutch researchers studying plasma levels of six major carotenoids (lycopene, beta- and alpha-carotenes, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin) in elderly subjects monitored for upper respiratory infections found high plasma levels of carotenoids, especially beta-carotene, may lower the incidence of acute upper respiratory infections.22
As a group, carotenoids can support the immune system by addressing free radicals, but have also been found to lower occurrence of upper respiratory infections.23 Individual carotenoids have shown specific benefits to immune function as both antioxidants and immune stimulators. Found in high concentrations in tomatoes and tomato products, lycopene protects immune cells from oxidation.24 Researchers found supplementation increased plasma carotenoid concentrations and reduced lymphocyte DNA oxidative damage by half.
Astaxanthin
, typically derived from algae, is another immune stimulator, working to stimulate lymphocyte proliferation, increase T cell production and amplify NK cell cytotoxic activity. In separate trials, astaxanthin administration in mice curbed liver tissue damage and related NK cell activity,25 and also increased resistance to tumor growth and higher cytotoxic T-cell and interferon-gamma activity.26
Although best known for its role in eye health, lutein may stimulate both active and passive immune responses. Animal research shows lutein supplementation increases lymphocyte proliferation and production of immunoglobulin G (IgG).27 The most abundant immunoglobulin, IgG enters the placenta to protect fetuses’ pre-immune system development; it otherwise helps by binding to pathogens and activating the complement, the fluid of the lymph system. Similar animal study found lutein supplementation increased T cell CD4 and CD21 lymphocytes as well as IgG.28 More recently, risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) was inversely linked to not only greater intake of vegetables, but also to higher intake of lutein and zeaxanthin, as well as zinc.29
Zinc helps regulate various immune cells, including T cells, CD4, NK cells and IL-2. “Zinc is fundamentally one of the most important nutrients required for immune health—it is involved in over 60 enzyme systems in the body, many of which are part of the immune system,” said Paul Dijkstra, executive vice president of InterHealth Nutraceuticals. “Zinc may not grab the headline attention that newer discoveries do, but that doesn’t diminish its importance.”
Michigan State University scientists reported the “immunological hallmarks” of zinc deficiency are thymus atrophy and compromised cell- and antibody-mediated response,30 while University of California, Berkeley, researchers noted even mild zinc deficiency may impact immune function by decreasing lymphocyte proliferation and the in vitro secretion of IL-2.31
Researchers studying the mineral’s effects on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which uses CD4 for binding, reported zinc status is essential for T cell division, maturation and differentiation, as well as lymphocyte response and other immune functions.32 On other illness, zinc gluconate lozenges (as COLD-EEZE®, from Quigley) lowered the incidence of the common cold in school children and also reduced use of antibiotics among the young subjects.33
On zinc’s antioxidant contribution to immunity, researchers have found zinc bound to either L-methionine (as L-OptiZinc®, from InterHealth) or dl-methionine (as OptiZinc®, from InterHealth) provided greater antioxidant protection against brain and liver DNA damage than other forms of zinc tested, including zinc gluconate and zinc sulfate.34
And unpublished animal research out of North Carolina State University in Raleigh showed zinc-methionine (as OptiZinc) enhanced mononuclear-phagocytic function, which is important for disease resistance and increased cellular immunity.
The presence of minerals, including zinc and copper, is also important to production of superoxide dismutase (SOD), an endogenous enzyme that provides various antioxidant protections to cells. SOD coated in a wheat gliadin layer (as GliSODin™, from P.L. Thomas [PLT]) has been found to stimulate production of nitric oxide and control production of superoxide anion by macrophages, helping to modulate immune function by controlling expression of cytokines and other antioxidant enzymes.35
“Antioxidants, particularly those produced by our bodies—such as SOD—are vitally important to immunity,” said Eric Anderson, brand manager for PLT. He cited research showing GliSODin as effective in immune stimulation in HIV patients is based on protection of T cells. “Apoptosis of T cells is characteristic of HIV and AIDS, and free radicals contribute to this event,” he said, adding consumers not immune compromised can also benefit from SOD antioxidant protection of T cells and other immune cells.
Also common in HIV patients, deficiency of the mineral selenium wreaks havoc on immune function. University of Miami scientists studying the effects of selenium deficiency on HIV associated selenium levels to T cell function and apoptosis, noting selenium may enhance resistance to infection by modulating IL production and Th1 and Th2 response.36 Selenium deficiency may allow invading viruses to mutate and remain for a longer period in the host, according to research from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.37 They found selenium-deficient animals exposed to human influenza virus (flu) experienced more severe and longer lasting flu, including lung inflammation, than the non-deficient mice.
Scientists have also logged success with selenium supplementation on immune response, especially combined with vitamin E, which results in interactive effects as oxygen radical scavengers, thereby promoting human lymphocyte response to antigens. 38 Additional research on this combination therapy showed it enhances the body’s response to bacterial39 and parasitic infections.40
As many of the immune-boosting vitamins and minerals contribute antioxidant protection, research has focused on the immune benefits of various other antioxidants, including phytochemicals. Flavonoids are water-soluble phytochemicals found in plants and noted for antioxidant benefits and promotion of various immune cells.
Grape seed extract
(GSE) contains numerous flavonoids including proanthocyanidins, which contribute anti-inflammatory actions and protect mast cells, which produce histamine. In animal research, GSE proanthocyanidins reduced UVB-induced increases in immunosuppressive cytokines in the skin, while enhancing production of immunostimulatory cytokines.41 Additional animal study revealed GSE can reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines in an experimental inflammation model.42
Another GSE compound, resveratrol, has been found to modulate several human immune cell functions related to its effects on cytokine production by both CD4 and CD8 cells.43 In alveolar (lung) macrophages, treatment with resveratrol inhibited the release of inflammatory cytokines in response to outside stimuli.44
Other berries are also rich in immune boosting flavonoids. Cranberry flavonoids contain anthocyanins and flavonols, and have been found useful in the immune response to oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and its uptake by endothelial macrophages.45 Cranberries and blueberries have also demonstrated antibacterial properties, especially in the urinary tract. Cranberry juice has been particularly effective at preventing E. coli bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract’s endothelial wall,46 a benefit also credited to wild blueberry proanthocyanidins.47 Cranberry inhibits similar adhesion of Helicobacter pylori in the gastric wall, a precursor of gastric ulcer.48 However, a multiple berry extract (as OptiBerry®, from InterHealth)— cranberry, elderberry, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and bilberry—inhibited H. pylori better than individual extracts of the berries.49
In addition to vitamin C and other nutrients, citrus fruits contain a wealth of bioflavonoids that are helpful to immune function. Polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs) are found in the peels of citrus fruits and are more stable and bioactive, according to SourceOne Global, supplier of Sytrinol™, a combination of PMFs and tocotrienol (vitamin E) developed by KGK Synergize. PMFs have shown promise against inflammatory parameters of immune function. In fact, PMF extract (as Citri-Z™, from Next Pharmaceuticals) was shown to modulate TNF-alpha and natural killer cell activity.50
Retailers might find a boost to immune sales by considering popular antioxidant and flavonoid rich exotic fruits. Açai pulp, from the berries of an Amazon palm tree, contains a high amount of antioxidants, as well as beneficial lipids. Research has shown bioactive açai polyphenols (including anthocyanins) in glycated and aglycone forms significantly inhibited proliferation of cancer cells (HL-60 leukemia cells) while promoting apoptosis.51 Lead researcher Steve Talcott, Ph.D., assistant professor, Food Science and Nutrition, University of Florida, Gainesville, cautioned these results do not show açai prevents cancer, but instead show the activity of açai against a cancerous system. “Compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model system may also have beneficial properties in our bodies,” he stated. “Seven different concentrations were tested reflecting varying levels of anthocyanins absorbed in the bloodstream ... each group of polyphenolics (glycosides and aglycones) had a significant impact on reducing the number of live cancer cells ...higher concentrations killed more cancer cells than lower concentrations.”