WITH THE ARRIVAL OF WINTER COMES THE COOLER WEATHER, WHICH CAN PUT YOUR BODY UNDER STRAIN. A GOOD DIET IS YOUR BEST DEFENCE BUT IF THAT’S LACKING, THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO TOP UP YOUR TANK
Health-wise, there are few more significant challenges than when your get up and go has got up and gone. And it's obvious that Winter is a prime season for this to occur.
Rebekah Russell, a degree-qualified naturopath with health company Blackmores, says the bad news for most Australians is that it’s also one of the more feared seasons of the year because it is usually when our defences are down and our immune system becomes more susceptible to bacterial and viral infection.
“The cooler months also herald the beginning of the cold and flu season. It appears there are some viruses and bacteria which thrive in the colder temperatures. Researchers have also suggested cold air passes up through our nasal passages, which can challenge, and often compromise, our body’s own immune mechanisms, which are located in the lining of our nasal passages.”
But the arrival of Winter need not simultaneously signal a period of ill health.
Russell – whose company’s natural health products are sold in 17 markets across the world – says there are a number of specific vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that can help strengthen your body’s natural resilience during these changes.
Ideally your diet should be balanced and full of nutrients, but either through lifestyle or poor eating choices, not everyone manages this. While it’s not for everyone, supplementation may help to support that less-than-perfect diet. And astonishingly, Australians are now spending more on complementary medicines than they do on prescription drugs.
Russell says one key to surviving this period unscathed is to ensure that you get adequate access to sunlight. Important for good overall health, exposure to vitamin D aids bone mineralisation, muscle contraction, nerve conduction and helps to regulate cell growth. Your body uses it to manage the amount of calcium in the blood, bones and gut and to help cells all over your body to communicate.
While there is a lot of awareness about the role vitamin D plays in maintaining bone health, it is also an important nutrient for helping to enhance the immune system’s response to bacterial and viral infections, and a deficiency may increase the risk of the common cold Emma Boscheinen from Sanofi, whose brands are sold under the Nature’s Own and Cenovis brands, says while it is readily available as a supplement in tablet, capsule and liquid form, vitamin D can also be sourced from certain foods including fatty fish (sardines, herring, mackerel, tuna and salmon), milk and vitamin D-fortified soy drinks, margarines and dairy-blend spreads.
“Red meat and eggs contain very small amounts of vitamin D,” she says. “(However), it is important to know that dietary sources alone rarely provide enough vitamin D to meet daily requirements.”
In addition, fat-soluble vitamin A is important for healthy immune function, as is the water-soluble vitamin C – a classic immunity-boosting ingredient – which can help to reduce the severity and duration of colds.
Katie Bieshaar, a wellness expert from Melbourne’s global health and wellness company Swisse, says zinc is one of the most important minerals for maintaining a healthy immune system during Winter. In addition to helping activate the immune system by boosting the number of infection-fighting white blood cells, it can also reduce the incidence of acute lower respiratory tract infections and can help curtail the lingering misery of
the common cold.
But it’s not just vitamins and nutrients that can help in your bid to keep yourself healthy during the cooler months.
Traditionally used as a key herb in American Indian medicine, Echinacea has proven to have many benefits for immune function and in assisting the body to fight infection, as it helps stimulate the specific white blood cells, which ingest foreign substances – such as bacteria – in the body.
Best taken at the first sign of infection, Andrographis (a plant native to South Asia) and garlic have been shown to reduce the severity of the common cold and help strengthen the immune system.
“Recent research into the role of probiotics has also shown the importance of gut health for supporting a healthy immune system. In fact, a large proportion of our immune system (the Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue or GALT) resides in our digestive system and specific strains of probiotics have shown to help improve immune function,” Russell says.
The experts insist those who are medically vulnerable – such as women who are pregnant or the elderly – or others whose health is already compromised, need to adhere even more strictly to what their body is trying to tell them during Winter.
Bieshaar says it is normal to get sick as the weather gets colder, however those who are getting sick more often, and taking a long time to recover may want to investigate the cause with a doctor.
Low iron status, due to increased age, poor dietary intake or pregnancy may be a cause, but needs to be diagnosed by a healthcare practitioner, she says.
“Increased age, a diet high in fat and sugar and low in fibre, stress, alcohol and smoking can also disrupt the balance between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria. If you’re often getting sick during the winter months you may want to restore the balance with a probiotic, and probiotic foods such as sauerkraut and yoghurt.”
Naturopaths believe each person needs to be treated individually, requiring personalised and tailored advice to suit their specific needs, particularly with regard to optimising immune function.
But, as Russell points out, each stage of life also has differing requirements in terms of nutrients, citing that pregnant women have an increased need for minerals such as iron, iodine and calcium, as well as vitamins such as folate to meet the demands of the growing baby.
“Low iron can lead to an increased risk of infection and lowered vitality,” says Russell. “Furthermore, women who are pregnant need to seek professional advice around immune-boosting supplementation as many herbs are not recommended during pregnancy, however vitamin C is an excellent choice for immune health support when pregnant.”
The elderly can also be at risk of becoming run down if there are insufficient funds to buy healthy fresh food, or if there is a chronic medical condition such as diabetes or a mobility issue that impacts energy levels and the ability to look after themselves properly.
Even something like having dental issues prevents optimal chewing and means an older person can tend to choose softer foods that are often more processed and less nutrient-dense than eating fruit and vegetables that have been minimally cooked and therefore contain a higher vitamin and mineral content, she says.
While the ways in which each of us invests in our own health and wellbeing is different, Russell recommends taking vitamin C daily to prepare for the winter months to reduce the severity of the cold and using Echinacea, zinc, cod liver oil and some probiotics at the first sign of symptoms.
“There are formulations that combine herbs, vitamins and minerals together, which would be a good way to get a broad range of immune- boosting benefits,” she says.
Bieshaar says it is best to start preparing in March in order to prime the immune system for optimal health during Winter. “Taking immune support at the start of Winter can help increase nutrient levels before it gets to cold and flu season – ensuring your immune system is well ‘fed’ and ready to fight.”