Health
Eat These 10 Foods For A Healthy Immune System
Your immune system helps protect you from various infections and conditions, such as colds and cough including other minor ailments, and is an important part of preventing allergies and cancers. In order to function properly, your immune system requires several nutrients that you can get from your diet every day. These nutrients include protein, vitamins A, C, and E, plus the minerals zinc and iron.
Probiotics are friendly bacteria found in some foods and can help balance the flora in your digestive system. They’re not nutrients, but they are also helpful.
A balanced diet should provide all the nutrients and probiotics you need, but to be on the safe side, you can add these ten foods to your weekly meal plan. Each one is high in two or more of the nutrients needed to keep your immune system healthy.
Almonds: Almonds are easy to find in any grocery store. They’re perfect as a healthy snack and can be added to salads and yogurt. Almonds are high in vitamin E that acts as an antioxidant in your body and helps immune system function.
Almonds are also high in iron and protein that are also essential for your immune system.
Avocado: Avocado is best known for being a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids, similar to olive oil, but it’s also a good source of vitamin E, vitamin C, iron, and zinc. Add avocado slices to a sandwich, make guacamole, or top a healthy salad with cubes of avocado.
Broccoli: One cup raw chopped broccoli almost a full day’s worth of vitamin C, which is essential for immune system function because it helps stimulate the formation of antibodies. Broccoli is also an excellent source of vitamin A and is a good source of plant-based iron, which is also good for your immune system.
Kale: Kale is a cruciferous vegetable that’s related to cauliflower, arugula, and broccoli. It’s rich in so many nutrients including vitamin A, which is important for healthy skin and mucous membranes.
Kale also has plenty of vitamins C and E, iron, and zinc.
Mango: Mangoes used to be a bit on the exotic side and weren’t always easy to find in grocery stores. But, that’s changed and today they’re available in both the produce and freezer sections of most grocery stores. That’s good because mangoes are loaded with both vitamins A and C, plus they offer vitamin E.
Oysters: Oysters are good for your immune system because they’re very high in zinc and an excellent source of protein and iron. Oysters also have a bit of vitamin A. Try oyster stew for dinner or have raw oysters as an appetizer. You’ll find canned or fresh raw oysters in most grocery stores.
Red Sweet Peppers: Red sweet peppers are good for your immune system because they’re high in both vitamins C and A. They also offer vitamin E.
Red sweet peppers are also low in calories, so they make a great addition to any meal – add them to omelets or saute them as a side dish.
Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, and they also offer quite a bit of vitamin C, vitamin E, and a bit of plant-based iron. Sweet potatoes can be baked in the microwave or conventional oven and served with a bit of butter or maple syrup.
Tuna:Tuna is best known as a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, but it’s also high in zinc, selenium, and protein that are all essential for immune system function. Tuna is quite a versatile fish. It can be eaten raw, seared, or grilled, or you can keep a few cans of tuna on hand for sandwiches and salads.
Yogurt: Yogurt is probably the best-known dietary source of probiotics that can give your immune system a boost, but it’s also high in protein. You’ll also get a bit of vitamin A and zinc.
Keep your yogurt nutritious by choosing plain yogurt and adding nuts, berries, and just a little honey.
On a final word, eating a healthy balanced diet is a great way to ensure you get all the nutrients you need for good general health, but it also helps to boost your intake of these nutritious foods to make sure your immune system has the nutrients it needs to work properly.
Adapted from very well. com
Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.
“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”
In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.
In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.