Immune System

Immunity is the natural ability of an organism to recognize germs and resist them. Germs are referred to in technical jargon as antigens (= antibody generator). These are substances that originate from the external environment, or those that arise directly in the body. Most often, these include viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi, and cancer cells. These cause the so-called immune response (= response), which is the processes by which the body reacts to encounters with these pathogens.
If the antigen is of external origin and is able to induce an inappropriate immune (= allergic) reaction in a sensitive individual, it is called an allergen.
The immune system can therefore be simply referred to as the body's defense capability. It is called a system because it consists of a network of cells (white blood cells), tissues (bone marrow), and organs (thymus, spleen, lymph nodes), which cooperate (in defending the body against attacks from "intruders"). Under normal circumstances (= in a healthy person), the immune system is so intelligent that it recognizes what could harm our health as harmful and does everything in its power to eliminate the harmful factor. At the same time, it can recognize what is harmless and leave it alone. Two basic immune mechanisms are commonly presented:

1. Innate immunity.
Also referred to as non-adaptive or non-specific. It responds very quickly to pathogens. The main tools of non-specific immunity are primarily:
- Phagocytosis,
- The function of the "natural killers" (NK cells),
- The effect of the complement.

2. Acquired immunity.
Also referred to as adaptive or specific. These are mechanisms that arise through the process of development (i.e., as the immune system learns to distinguish and specifically respond to antigens). In this process, immunological memory develops, which is a state where, after encountering an unknown antigen, a memory trace is formed in the cells. Thanks to this phenomenon, the immune system learns to work more efficiently. The initiation process of the adaptive immune response takes much longer than the innate response, averaging 3-7 days. Specific immunity is further divided into antibody-mediated (white blood cells are capable of producing large amounts of specific antibodies after activation by an antigen) and cell-mediated (lymphocytes intensively destroy fungi, parasites, viruses, cancer cells, and foreign tissues).

The immune capabilities of the organism are influenced by many factors. Among those we should be most concerned with (largely due to the fact that we can continuously influence most of them) are:
- Overall health status,
- Quality of nutrition,
- Physical and psychological stress,
- Sleep pattern,
- Quality of the environment,
- Season,
- Age.

Effects of Diet on Immunity

Diet has a direct impact on the functioning of the immune system. The role is played by:
- Quantity,
- Energy content,
- Nutrient content,
- Presence of antinutritional factors,
- Food preparation methods,
- Quality of the food used.

The concept of diet, including the use of suitable and quality dietary supplements, has the potential to enhance the efficiency of the immune system. Diet contains substances that can support, but also suppress, the activity of white blood cells or directly affect the functioning of organs and tissues that form the immune system as a whole. In the population, the number of people with weakened immunity due to an unsuitable lifestyle is growing. A well-structured diet can significantly help restore balance. However, the number of individuals directly suffering from some immune dysfunction—most commonly allergies and food intolerances, including HIT (histamine intolerance)—is also increasing.