By Fred Pescatore, M.D.
There’s an epidemic sweeping across the aging population in this country right now. And if you don’t take steps to protect yourself from it today, you could wind up being a statistic, too.
It’s called immunosenescence — or as I call it, “immunity rot.” And it refers to the gradual erosion of your immune defenses with age. If you’re over the age of 55, chances are good that you’re suffering from it already…along with 40 million other adults in this country.
The first signs start creeping in around the age of 50. Unfortunately, most people dismiss them as simply “getting old.”
Symptoms of “aging” mask a much more serious threat
You may feel tired, sluggish…or just plain “worn out.” You might find that you get sick more easily, and don’t recover as quickly as you used to. But there’s a lot more on the line than a prolonged case of the sniffles.
Both the CDC and NIH have admitted immunosenescence is a real threat. And three separate international conferences have convened to try and understand it.
Yet most people haven’t even heard of it. In fact, researchers only discovered the condition over the last half century. And they still don’t know how to stop it.
But they do have a pretty clear idea of what immunosenesence does.
The single biggest threat you face as you age
It slowly and quietly breaks down your immune defenses, impacting everything from your sleep to your energy to your strength. It also significantly increases your risk for any number of serious health threats.
And if you live in America, you’re especially vulnerable to it.
There are three factors that research has shown make immunity rot worse. And these three factors run absolutely rampant in this country.
Modern living makes immunity rot worse
First, you’ve got stress. It’s one of the few things all the experts actually agree on. Stress negatively impacts almost every aspect of your health. Your immune system is no exception. And to make matters worse, a study conducted a few years ago at Carnegie Mellon University showed that stress levels in the U.S. have increased by 30 percent in the past three decades.
Second, there’s poor diet. By now, you’re well aware of the dangers of the sugar- and processed-food-laden standard American diet. Most notably, this diet has led to a nationwide obesity epidemic. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 1 in 3 Americans currently qualify as obese.
But even if you’re not obese — or even overweight — your food choices directly affect your immunity. In fact, the immune-suppressing power of sugar is absolutely shocking.
Research shows that consuming 100 grams of sugar — the amount you get in roughly two cans of soda — weakens your immune system by 40 percent. This immune-suppressing effect takes hold within half an hour of consuming sugar. And it lingers for up to five hours afterwards. Eat or drink something else containing sugar within that window, and you start the whole cycle over again.
Essentially, if you consume sugar on a daily basis, your immune system is perpetually suppressed. Add the effects of immunity rot, and you’re looking at critically impaired immune function.
And the third factor exacerbating immunity rot in the U.S. is lack of exercise. Studies show regular physical activity is one of the best ways to stay healthy. But the CDC reports as many as 80% of Americans aren’t getting the recommended amount of daily exercise.3 And unfortunately it’s wreaking even more havoc on your immune system.
So, obviously, the first steps to getting a handle on immunosenescence are:
Stress management. There are lots of great, effective ways to help cope with stress. Meditation is one great option. Yoga is another. (And as an added bonus, it also counts as physical activity. Two birds, one stone.)
Cut sugar(and packaged, processed carbs). If you haven’t already, now is the time. It’s a critical part of stopping immunosenescence. And it’s non-negotiable.
Get moving. Here it is again. That 15-minute, after-dinner walk I’m always urging you to take. It’s such a small part of your day, but the benefits it offers are truly staggering.
Once you’ve gotten these three factors under control, it’s time to tackle immunity rot head-on.
How? By directly supporting your immune defenses.
But let me make one thing absolutely clear: Supporting your immune system is NOT the same as boosting it.
Boosting your immune system may be one of the worst things you can do
Your immune system is made up of billons of cells. And they all need to be working in perfect harmony in order to keep you healthy. Blindly dumping “immune boosters” into the mix can tip this delicate balance dangerously off kilter. Plus, it doesn’t begin to cover the vast complexities of your immune system.
Which is why the best approach to stopping immunity rot is multi-tiered, offering targeted support for every aspect of immune health. But multi-tiered support doesn’t necessarily have to mean taking dozens of supplements. In fact, I designed my newest product ImmuneLogic to offer this sort of faceted support in a single formula.
Here’s what you’ll find in every capsule of ImmuneLogic:
Dimethylgycine This is a naturally occurring amino acid and antioxidant. Research suggests that it may help optimize both your humoral and your cell-mediated immune responses. This keeps your immune cells and your antibodies on guard — offering two layers of defense.
Larch tree extract.This powerful mushroom extract may help support all of your immune system’s key players — including macrophages, T-cells, natural killer cells, and interleukin-1 and -2. And these cells are your immune system’s first and most critical line of defense.
Maitake D-fraction.® Beta 1,3 glucan. These are sugars extracted from the cell walls of baker’s yeast. And clinical studies show that supplementing with beta 1,3 glucans offers crucial support to a stressed immune system.
Olive leaf extract.Extracts from olive leaf deliver a long list of phytochemicals that may help keep your immune system primed. That’s one reason why it’s been revered in the Mediterranean as the secret to good health since Biblical times.
Each ingredient performs a complex function to help keep your immune system healthy and defend against immunity rot. It’s one of the only products on the market I believe can fully defend you against this growing health concern. But I took it one step further.
I wanted to make sure all my patients and all my readers had everything they needed to stop immunity rot. But I also wanted it to be something they would stick with all year (which is absolutely critical when you’re fighting off immunity rot). So, I also made ImmuneLogic easier than any other immune support protocol out there…
One capsule a day is really all it takes
Just take one capsule of ImmuneLogic one to three times a day. That’s really all you need. But it’s especially effective in combination with my other core recommendations for immune health:
AHCC (500 mg, twice per day)
Vitamin D3 (at least 2,000-5,000 IUs — even in the summer — every single day)
Ohhira’s probiotics, one in the morning and evening, on an empty stomach
The bottom line: If you want to stay vibrant and healthy as you age, you have to reverse immunity rot. There simply isn’t any other way around it. Pair this protocol with regular exercise, quality sleep, and my New Hamptons Health Miracle. And you’ll reverse the effects of immunity rot before they have a chance to take hold.
Sources:
“Who’s Stressed? Distributions of Psychological Stress in the United States in Probability Samples from 1983, 2006, and 2009,” Journal of Applied Social Psychology 2012; 42(6): 1320–1334
“Role of sugars in human neutrophilic phagocytosis,” Am J Clin Nutr 1973; 26(11): 1,180-1,184
“Exercise and immunity,” MedLine Plus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus), accessed 4/17/14
J Infect Dis. 1981 Jan;143(1):101-5
Current Medical Research and Opinion 2013; 29(3): 251-258
Journal of Naturopathic Medicine 1996 (4);32-39
“Maitake Mushroom,” American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org), accessed 11/14/13
J Am Coll Nutr. 2012; 31(4): 295-300.
Br J Nutr. 2012 May 10:1-9. [Epub ahead of print]
Diet Suppl. 2013; 10(3): 171-183.
Alt Med Rev 2009; 14(1): 62-66.
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Dr. Fred Pescatore is the author of the New York Times best-selling book, The Hamptons Diet and the No. 1 best-selling children’s health book, Feed Your Kids Well, amongst others. He is the President of the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutritionists, a member of the American College for the Advancement of Medicine, and belongs to many other professional organizations. Earlier in his career, Dr. Pescatore served as the Associate Medical Director of The Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine, working as the right-hand-man to the late, great Dr. Robert C. Atkins. Today he sees patients at his own practice in Manhattan and writes a monthly newsletter called Logical Health Alternatives, as well as a free e-letter called The Reality Health Check.