We know that tumor patients’ own immunity is relatively weak, so cancer friends are very concerned about how to improve their immunity.
A healthy diet and good nutritional status play an important role in maintaining immunity. So what should I do specifically?
is not conducive to maintaining immune function dietary habits [1][2]
over-salty
oversalty
oversalty means high-salty diet. A high-salt diet generally refers to a diet where the total daily salt intake exceeds 6 grams.
The harms of a high-salt diet as we all know in the past are mostly concentrated on the fact that high-salt diet can lead to High blood pressure and . In fact, in addition to high blood pressure, high-salt diet will also cause many adverse effects.
For example, some studies have found that a high-salt diet can reduce the antibacterial ability of human neutrophils (a type of immune cell , belonging to the leukocyte category), which may lead to some adverse consequences, such as increasing the risk of nephritis caused by pathogenic bacteria, that is, "more salt damage to the kidneys."
In addition to the above, a high-salt diet is also a risk factor for the occurrence of diseases such as heart disease and cerebral hemorrhage. It also has obvious immunosuppressive effects and reduces the body's immunity.
oversweet diet
oversweet diet means high-sugar diet. What we are talking about here is mainly artificial addition of sugar.
Studies have found that a high-sugar diet will reduce the body's ability to resist harmful microorganisms, and will also disrupt the intestinal microbial population , and the balance of intestinal microorganisms is closely related to normal immune function.
Eating imbalance
Eating imbalance refers to the unbalanced combination of various nutrients in the diet.
We know that healthy diet emphasizes balanced nutrition and reasonable combination. If you only eat vegetables and fruits, instead of meat, eggs, milk, soy products, starch staple foods, etc., it will lead to excessive intake of protein or consume too much, and the body's ability to resist infection will decrease. Conversely, if you consume excessive protein or only intake of animal protein, it will also have adverse effects on the body's immune function.
Eating disorder
Eating disorder here mainly refers to the lack of regularity of eating, that is, not eating at the right time, and one meal is hungry and full.
Studies have found that the human body's intestinal immune function is rhythmic, and this pattern is related to the time of eating. In other words, if you eat in time at meal time, it will help enhance immune function and prevent possible intestinal infections.
Eat this way to enhance the body's immunity
Change bad eating habits [1][3]
- Control the intake of salt
Daily recommended intake of salt shall not exceed 6g. The salt mentioned here also includes "invisible salt", such as salt in condiments such as bean paste, oil-consuming, and soy sauce.
If you don’t know how to control the amount of salt, you can use the tools that can use it accurately. If you think the taste is light, you can add some spices, chopped green onions and ginger to enhance the flavor, but do not add too much salt and other salty condiments.
- control sugar intake
, especially refined sugar intake. You can eat a little occasionally, but don’t indulge yourself in achieving “milk tea freedom” or “cake freedom”, etc.
- Eat on time, and the meal time should not be delayed too much
Balanced diet, and reasonably match the nutrients obtained from food by
, play a crucial role in maintaining the normal immune system. Therefore, based on a balanced diet, you can do this:
- Appropriately increase foods rich in high-quality protein [3][4]
Protein is of great significance to maintaining the body's immune function.
Foods rich in high-quality protein
Eggs: protein content is about 13%;
fish meat: protein content is 15%-22%;
shrimp meat: protein content is 16%-23%;
chicken meat: protein content is about 20%;
chicken meat: protein content is about 20%;
0
duck meat: the protein content is about 16%;
lean beef: the protein is generally above 20%;
lean lamb: the protein content is about 20%;
lean pork: the protein content is about 20%;
soybean: the plant source protein , the protein content is 30%-40%.
The above foods are all high-quality protein sources that we can choose in daily life. It is worth mentioning that some studies have shown that in terms of enhancing immunity, animal whey protein is better than plant protein .
daily recommended intake
meat is 100g lean meat per day; 50g of fish and shrimp per day; 2 eggs per day; appropriate amount of beans and products, 25g of soybeans/100g of tofu/50g of dried tofu/400g of soy milk.
- Appropriately intake of foods rich in vitamin A
You can obtain vitamin A from some animal foods in daily life, such as sheep liver, beef liver, chicken liver, pork liver, poultry and eggs.
Vitamin A can not only enhance immune function, but also reduce the risk of cancer, maintain normal vision, and maintain epithelial tissue structural integrity.
- Appropriately consume foods rich in vitamin E [5]
such as nuts such as almonds, cereals, beans, vegetable oils (such as corn oil, sunflower seed oil , peanut oil, etc.), etc. These foods are rich in vitamin E we need, and foods such as eggs, meat, fish, etc. also contain vitamin E, but the content is relatively low.
- Appropriately intake of foods rich in vitamin C
Fresh vegetables (such as broccoli , bitter gourd, cauliflower, chili peppers, cabbage , colored pepper , etc.) and fresh fruits (oranges, lemons, kumquats, grapefruit , strawberry , kiwi , etc.) are good sources of vitamin C.
In addition to enhancing immunity, vitamin C also has the effects of inhibiting the growth of tumor cells, accelerating tumor cell death, and enhancing the sensitivity of tumors to treatment.
- Appropriately consume foods rich in omega-3PUFA
such as: Flax seed , deep-sea fish, etc.
ω-3PUFA is one of the commonly used immunonutrients. In addition to improving immunity, ω-3PUFA also has clear anti-tumor activity, and helps to slow down weight loss in tumor patients and improve the quality of life of tumor patients.
- Appropriately consume zinc-rich foods [5]
Animal foods such as shellfish seafood, red meat, and animal offal have a high zinc content and a higher absorption rate.
- Drinking more water
Drinking water looks ordinary, but it is very important for cancer patients. Adequate water can ensure stable vital signs, accelerate the body's metabolic circulation, and improve immunity; it is also conducive to drug metabolism and reduce the risk of deep venous thrombosis.
According to the recommendation of " Chinese Resident Dietary Guidelines ", you should drink 1500-1700ml of water every day. Of course, the specific amount of water drinking needs to be adjusted according to the specific situation.
Finally, it should be emphasized that in addition to good eating habits, developing good living habits, persisting in moderate exercise, maintaining a good mentality, etc. are also very important to strengthening the body's immunity. Cancer friends should also pay attention to it~
Reference:
[1] Fan Zhihong. Are you still doing these dietary behaviors that reduce immunity? [J]. Chinese Food, 2020(11):140-141. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1000-1085.2020.11.082.
[2] Hou Yujia, Zheng Ruimao. High-salt diet and immunity[J]. Advances in Physiological Science, 2020, 51(3):228. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.0559-7765.2020.03.018.
[3] Li Zengning, Chen Wei, Qi Yumei, Hu Wen, Ge Sheng, Zhou Chunling, Yang Xuefeng, Zhang Bainhong, Yu Renwen, Lai Jianqiang, Jiao Guangyu, Hu Huaidong, Gao Shuqing, Zhang Yongsheng, Hu Xiaocui, Zhou Li, Zhou Lan, Feng Ying, Xin Bao, Liu Xiaojun, Li Li, Shi Wanying, Yang Qinbing, Zheng Jinfeng, Han Lei, Xia Yuhan, Liu Qingchun, Fang Yu, Hu Huanyu, Luo Bin, Xie Ying, Du Hongzhen, Li Wei, Wang Kunhua, Miao Mingyong, Xu Hongxia, Li Suyi, Li Yong, Jiang Bo, Ba Yi, Sun Mingxia, Cao Weixin, Shi Hanping. Expert consensus on dietary nutrition prescriptions for patients with malignant tumors [J]. Journal of Tumor Metabolism and Nutrition, 2017, 4(4):397-408
[4] Expert Group of the National Nutrition Week of the Chinese Nutrition Society. High-quality protein foods have a ranking list [J]. I wish you good health (Grassage), 2021, (5)
[5] Xu Meiyan. A diet that improves immunity [J]. Window of Anti-cancer, 2013(9): 53-55.
Cover and illustrations: Visual China
Warm reminder: This article is only a popular science article and does not provide professional diagnosis and treatment opinions. Please do it under the guidance of a professional doctor.
