[LifeStyle] Tips to have a strong immune system against the coronavirus

[#Steeven.™]

Preventive measures against the coronavirus are important but so is having a strong immune system so, in case of infection, to be able to defeat the virus more strongly.

"The practice of regular physical exercise and having a healthy and balanced diet are two measures that can be adopted and that positively affect the immune system", explains to CuídatePlus, Ángel Durántez, pioneer in Spain of Age Management Medicine, graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the Autonomous University of Madrid and which he has just published in La Esfera de los Libros Joven al 100.

Specifically, with regard to physical activity, “a single exercise session produces a temporary immunosuppression and strengthens the immune system.” Regarding a healthy diet, the expert advises an increase in vitamin D and Omega 3 acids, which , he assures, have a positive impact. "The idea is that the stronger we are, the better prepared we will be to defeat any type of infection", explains the expert.

In his book, Durántez aims to publicize and introduce in society "a new medical concept that transcends reactive medicine to cure sick people and that focuses on prevention medicine." According to this new concept, the patient is not a patient but a healthy user, and not only the doctor participates in their care, but many other professionals such as sports coaches, nutritionists or psychologists, all of them with the ultimate aim of promoting health. .

Among the advice Durántez offers to improve general health and live to be 100 years young, there are three fundamental ones: Have a positive attitude, exercise and improve your diet. “A positive attitude towards life is fundamental, although today it is one of the most difficult things to achieve. Having a positive attitude to withdraw from worries or things that afflict us is difficult but it can be achieved and it is key that people stop, reflect and see life positively ”. His advice is "to abstract from fears and value that we live in a great country."

Physical activity is the second of the pillars highlighted by the expert. "We have to move much more than we do," he warns. The expert recalls that there are minimums established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and that would be the basis: "Five weekly walks of at least 30 minutes each, at a speed that allows us to speak but with shortness of breath , that is, at a brisk pace ”.

In the book, Durántez insists on the idea that “physical exercise is the cheapest polypill in the world” and insists that “if people exercised, the use of medications as frequent as antidepressants, cholesterol-lowering, antihypertensive, anxiolytic, hypnotic or hypoglycemic drugs would be significantly reduced ”. The problem, he regrets, is that "currently people prefer to take a pill rather than move and that must be changed."

For this reason, he proposes to start with the minimums of the WHO and to increase this activity to the rest of the actions that we do daily and include, in addition, two toning sessions a week, whenever possible.

Another tip is "be more active at work." If he is sedentary, he advises getting up half an hour before to do an exercise table or doing it every so often if we are sitting for a long time at work. He also advises "stretching or joining a group class, to compensate for the hours of sedentary lifestyle at work." They are small changes that improve a lot.

Necessary micronutrients
The next factor that he considers key is diet.

Durántez is aware that achieving a healthy and balanced diet in these times is "very difficult because it is hardly cooked and we no longer go to the markets to buy fresh products, but we buy everything in large supermarkets and packaging".

According to him, "we tend to choose a lot of ultra-processed products, which are the first to avoid." In addition to this, and still eating a balanced diet, Durántez says that "we do not reach the optimal levels of certain fundamental micronutrients for the body and in many of them we do not even reach the minimum requirements." Such is the case of omega 3s, vitamin D and some types of vitamin B.

As Durántez details, "omega 3 levels are low, something that especially affects people's attitudes," he reports. "There are studies done in po[CENSORED]tions confined in the Netherlands in which it has been seen that an insufficient intake of omega 3 in the diet translates into an increase in aggressiveness."

This is just one example of the importance of these micronutrients for the po[CENSORED]tion but that, on many occasions, such as vitamin D, cannot be obtained through the diet, so it would be advisable to use food supplements depending on the deficiencies of each one of the users.

All these tips serve to improve the immune system and also for the prevention of diseases as frequent as diabetes or hypertension, in fact, these are two of the pathologies that increase the risk of complications in case of infection by the new coronavirus.

Of the five major diseases related to aging (cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, those of the locomotor system, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases), ”these last two pose a high risk against COVD-19. ”, He assures.

These diseases, according to the expert, do not appear from one day to the next and can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle. "If smoking disappeared and we returned to the cholesterol levels of primitive man, which are the great deficiencies of modern life, we would be able to increase our healthy life in 20-30 years." His recommendation in these times is: "Be healthy to be less vulnerable."