Over 80 percent of 200 COVID-19 patients in a hospital in Spain have vitamin D deficiency, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Vitamin D is a hormone the kidneys produce that controls blood calcium concentration and impacts the immune system. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked […]
Zinc helps against infection by tapping brakes in immune response
New research suggests that zinc helps control infections by gently tapping the brakes on the immune response in a way that prevents out-of-control inflammation that can be damaging and even deadly. Scientists determined in human cell culture and animal studies that a protein lures zinc into key cells that are first-responders against infection. The zinc […]
Vitamin D crucial to activating immune defenses
Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have discovered that Vitamin D is crucial to activating our immune defenses and that without sufficient intake of the vitamin, the killer cells of the immune system — T cells — will not be able to react to and fight off serious infections in the body. For T cells […]
Selenium Supplements May Contribute To Reduced HIV Viral Load
Taking daily selenium supplements appears to increase the level of the essential mineral in the blood and may suppress the progression of viral load in patients with HIV infection, according to an article in the January 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART) have given […]
Flu virus’ best friend: Low humidity
Yale researchers have pinpointed a key reason why people are more likely to get sick and even die from flu during winter months: low humidity. While experts know that cold temperatures and low humidity promote transmission of the flu virus, less is understood about the effect of decreased humidity on the immune system’s defenses against […]
Dental research shows that smoking weakens immune systems
As if lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease weren’t enough, there’s more bad news for cigarette smokers. Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine found that smoking also weakens the ability for pulp in teeth to fight illness and disease. In other words, smokers have fewer defense mechanisms on the inside […]
Drinking Baking Soda Could Be An Inexpensive, Safe Way To Combat Autoimmune Disease
A daily dose of baking soda may help reduce the destructive inflammation of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, scientists say. They have some of the first evidence of how the cheap, over-the-counter antacid can encourage our spleen to promote instead an anti-inflammatory environment that could be therapeutic in the face of inflammatory disease, Medical College […]
Fast Food Makes The Immune System More Aggressive In The Long Term
The immune system reacts similarly to a high fat and high calorie diet as to a bacterial infection. Unhealthy food seems to make the body’s defenses more aggressive in the long term. Even long after switching to a healthy diet, inflammation towards innate immune stimulation is more pronounced. These changes may be involved in the […]
Toxoplasmosis: How A Cat Parasite Exploits Immune Cells To Reach The Brain
Scientists have previously shown that a parasite from cats can infect people’s brain and affect our behavior. Now, researchers at Stockholm University have discovered how the parasite takes control of our cells. “We have decoded how the parasite takes control of immune cells, converting them into moving “zombies” which spread the parasite in the body,” […]
Antibiotics May Reduce The Ability Of Immune Cells To Kill Bacteria
Antibiotics normally act in concert with an organism’s immune system to eliminate an infection. However, the drugs can have broad side effects, including eliminating “good” bacteria in the course of fighting off a pathogen. A new study led by researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, MIT, and the Wyss Institute for Biologically […]