Ask Dr Sears
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Ask Dr Sears is the trusted resource for parents
MENUMENU
  • Pregnancy & Childbirth
    • Pregnancy And Childbirth
      • Healthy Pregnancy
      • How Your Baby Grows
      • Prenatal Checkups
    • Pregnancy Concerns
      • Nutrition
      • Vaginal Birth After Cesarean
      • Managing Pain During Childbirth
      • Creating a Healthy Womb Enviroment
      • Gaining Weight
      • Headaches
      • Medications & Pregnancy
      • First Month
      • Second Month
        • 11 Most Common Physical Changes
        • Morning Sickness
      • Third Month
      • Fourth Month
      • Fifth Month
      • Sixth Month
      • Seventh Month
        • Growing Concerns
      • Eighth Month
      • Ninth Month
      • Tenth Month: Postpartum
        • Bonding With Your Newborn
  • Feeding & Eating
    • Feeding And Eating
    • Breastfeeding
      • Common Problems
      • FAQs
      • Rightstart Techniques
      • Special Situations
      • While Taking Medication
      • While Working
      • Helpful Products
      • Why Breast Is Best
      • Bottle-Feeding
      • Digestive Health
      • Feeding Infants & Toddlers
        • Food Allergies
        • Starting Solids
        • Obesity
        • Milk
    • Family Nutrition
      • The L.E.A.N. Program
      • AntiCancer
      • Brain Foods
      • Calcium
      • Cholesterol
      • DHA and Omega-3s
      • Facts About Fats
      • Fiber
      • Fish
      • Food Digestion
      • Food Labels
      • Foods For Sleep
      • Foods to Boost Immunity
      • Fruits
      • Grains
      • Iron
      • Nuts
      • Oils
      • Phytonutrients
      • Proteins
      • Recipes
      • Soy
      • Sports Nutrition
      • Sugar
      • Vegetables
      • Vegetarian Diets
      • Water Wise
      • Yogurt
  • Parenting & Behavior
    • Parenting And Behavior
      • Attachment Parenting
      • Discipline & Behavior
        • Bothersome Behaviors
        • Morals & Manners
        • Spanking
      • Mom-to-Mom Moments
    • Child Rearing & Development
      • Bringing Baby Home
      • Smart From The Start
      • Toys
      • Caring For Little Teeth
      • Walking
      • Toilet-Training
      • Sexuality
      • Fathering
      • Traveling with Tots
      • Down Syndrome
      • Virtual Office Visits
      • Bright Starts - Baby's Development Through Interactive Play
  • Health Concerns
    • Health Concerns
    • Childhood Illnesses
      • A.D.D.
      • Asthma
      • G.E.R.
      • Coughs, Colds & Sinus Infections
      • Medicine Cabinet
      • Baby Product Recalls
      • Aches, Pains, & Injuries
      • Vaccines
    • Sleep Problems
      • SIDS
      • Sleep Safety
      • Bedwetting
      • FAQs About Sleep Problems
    • Fussy Baby
      • Baby Wearing
      • Coping with Colic
      • High Needs Baby
    • Skin Care
      • Allergies
      • Insect Bites & Stings
  • A to Z Topics
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Wellness Institute
  • Home
  • Topics
  • Feeding & Eating
  • Family Nutrition
  • Foods to Boost Immunity
  • 4 Habits that Weaken the Immune System

4 Habits that Weaken the Immune System

Certain foods and environmental influences can keep the immune system army from doing a good job. Watch out for these threats to your body’s defenses.

  1.  Overdosing on sugar. Eating or drinking 100 grams (8 tbsp.) of sugar, the equivalent of about two cans of soda, can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by forty percent. The immune-suppressing effect of sugar starts less than thirty minutes after ingestion and may last for five hours. In contrast, the ingestion of complex carbohydrates, or starches, has no effect on the immune system.
  2.  Excess alcohol. Excessive alcohol intake can harm the body’s immune system in two ways. First, it produces an overall nutritional deficiency, depriving the body of valuable immune- boosting nutrients. Second, alcohol, like sugar, consumed in excess can reduce the ability of white cells to kill germs. High doses of alcohol suppress the ability of the white blood cells to multiply, inhibit the action of killer white cells on cancer cells, and lessen the ability of macrophages to produce tumor necrosis factors. One drink (the equivalent of 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1 ounces of hard liquor) does not appear to bother the immune system, but three or more drinks do. Damage to the immune system increases in proportion to the quantity of alcohol consumed. Amounts of alcohol that are enough to cause intoxication are also enough to suppress immunity.
  3.  Food allergens. Due to a genetic quirk, some divisions of the immune army recognize an otherwise harmless substance (such as milk) as a foreign invader and attack it, causing an allergic reaction. Before the battle, the intestinal lining was like a wall impenetrable to foreign invaders. After many encounters with food allergens, the wall is damaged, enabling invaders and other potentially toxic substances in the food to get into the bloodstream and make the body feel miserable. This condition is known as the leaky gut syndrome.
  4.  Too much fat. Obesity can lead to a depressed immune system. It can affect the ability of white blood cells to multiply, produce antibodies, and rush to the site of an infection.
August 9, 2013 January 9, 2017 Dr. Bill Sears
Become a Dr. Sears Certified Health Coach
regular girl prebiotic fiber and probiotic blend for healthy natural balance

Juice Plus+ - The next best thing to fruits and vegetables.

hyperbiotics probiotics for the whole family

Vital Choice

About Ask Dr. Sears

AskDrSears.com is intended to help parents become better informed consumers of health care. The information presented in this site gives general advice on parenting and health care. Always consult your doctor for your individual needs.

Recent Articles

  • Baby Sleeping Too Much: What is Normal?
    Baby Sleeping Too Much: What is Normal?February 20, 20190
  • Balancing Time Between Older Children and Newborn
    Balancing Time Between Older Children and NewbornFebruary 12, 20190
  • Babywearing Dads
    Babywearing DadsFebruary 5, 20190

Resources

  • Sears Parenting Library
  • Dr. Sears Family Newsletter
  • Dr. Sears Wellness Institute
  • Prime-Time Health

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • support@askdrsears.com
  • Contact Ask Dr Sears
  • About Ask Dr Sears
  • Dr. Sears Wellness Institute
  • Media Relations Information

© 2018 AskDrSears.com All Rights Reserved.