The Doctor’s Kitchen - Eat to Beat Illness. Dr Rupy Aujla

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      + Vitamin D More than a vitamin, vitamin D acts as a master hormone that regulates a multitude of genes involved in a huge number of processes. Beyond its well-recognised involvement in bone health and calcium regulation, vitamin D has a very important role in immune health.^{159, 160} In both the initial ‘innate’ response to infections and the more specific ‘adaptive’ responses, scientists are researching the role of vitamin D and its importance to auto-immune conditions. There are very few sources of vitamin D in the diet and thus medical practitioners in the UK have taken to recommending vitamin D for the whole population during winter months and for those with darker skin colours. The best advice is to get adequate sun exposure outdoors, have regular tests by your GP if you’re at risk and take a supplement during the darker months of September to March in the UK.

      + Sleep deprivation It will come as no surprise to many people that sleep deprivation drastically lowers a person’s immunity. Your immune system is very likely to be regulated by routine and the sleep–wake cycles which influence all other cells in your body operating on a rough 24-hour cycle.¹⁶¹ This is why sleep is integral to a healthy immune system. As a GP, I’ve lost count of the number of people turning up on a Monday suffering acute tonsillitis directly attributable to late nights at the weekend or travel. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Persistent sleep loss significantly disrupts your immune system, increasing inflammation which drastically raises the risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and even cancer. As you can probably appreciate by now, these are all conditions related to an ill-performing immune system. Achieving 7–9 hours of sleep a night could be considered one of the most potent therapies for improving ones’ immune system and it’s definitely on my prescription pad.

      To sum up diet and lifestyle strategies to improve immune health we simply need to remember a few facts: gut health is exceptionally important; there are well-recognised detrimental effects of a western diet on immune health¹⁶² (high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, low in fibre and lacking in micronutrients); certain micronutrients are critical for the adequate functioning of our immune cells; and the importance of supporting our mitochondria cannot be underestimated. Although this may sound complicated, the reality is that these additions to your diet and routine are accessible and straightforward. I’m confident that it is achievable for you as it is for many of my patients and my recipes will set you on the right path.