Constant stress or fear works against the human immune system, particularly in the face of a pandemic, a nutritionist and Africa Manager with the Nestle Nutrition Institute, Dr. Chioma Emma-Nwachukwu, has said.

Dr. Emma-Nwachukwu who spoke on 'The Role of Nutrition in Maintaining Immunity during Pandemic' at a training organised by Nestle Nigeria in partnership with the Lagos Business School Sustainability Centre; explained that the immune system consisted of various organs, tissues and cells located in various parts of the body. According to her, like police checkpoints, the immune system is constantly working to protect the body from infection, injury and diseases, but that once a person is afraid, cortisol is released, which reduces the white blood cells.

The immune system is composed of a variety of specialised white blood cells that collectively mount a response against foreign cells found in the human body and through a process called cell-mediated immunity, T-lymphocyte cells activate other white blood cells called phagocytes that directly eat foreign cells.

Cortisol also inhibits the secretion of histamine-an organic compound which recruits more white blood cells to ward off infection.

To remain healthy, therefore, she stressed the need to improve and strengthen the immune system, as well as practice positive stress management.

While saying that no particular food or nutrient alone was sufficient to boost the immune system, she pointed out that what nutrition did was to support the immune system. 'People must decide to choose a healthy lifestyle by eating right as late dinner must also be reduced. Let your food be your drug, let fruits and veggies take half of your plate daily; exercise regularly to maintain fitness and sustain the muscle mass of an individual,'

'Maintain healthy hydration because our kidneys are like sieve, so we need enough water to help the kidney function well. Also maintain personal hygiene to avoid infection, maintain a healthy weight,' she said, noting that overweight is linked to a number of health challenges.

Also, at the training, which held virtually, Prof. Matilda Steiner-Asiedu of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Ghana who spoke the topic: 'Iron Deficiency: A Public Health Challenge in Nigeria', affirmed that iron was needed to boost the immune system.

The professor stated that iron deficiency was a common cause of too few healthy red blood cells in the body known as anaemia, which she said was inherently associated with poverty.

© Pakistan Press International, source Asianet-Pakistan