Your immune system is nothing short of amazing. It works around the clock to protect our body, including our vital organs and it essential for our survival.

It refers to an army of cells and molecules that work together to protect your body from pathogens(1, 2). This is crucial as it can help to stop infections and diseases from making you sick(1). 

There are two different types of immunity which support each other, so that your body gets comprehensive protection. They are called the innate and the adaptive immune system(3).

Innate immunity is the first line of defense that is used immediately or within the first critical hours of tracking a pathogen and doing its best to prevent the danger from spreading(4, 5). The innate immune support works by imposing barriers like skin or mucus membrane or using such weapons like a fever response, low pH of stomach juices, fast-acting cells like neutrophils and macrophages or special molecules, all with anti-germ power(4).

If innate immunity can’t fight off infection, it then calls for help from the adaptive immune system(6).

This is where things get interesting!  Enraged real professionals - T and B lymphocytes step in to protect us by stopping the pathogen in its tracks(6). In the reality, this fight takes longer but it is much more effective in killing harmful germs than innate immune response and maintains “self” army unharmed(5). It is a real masterpiece!

The immune system is one of the most complex systems in our body, which protects us from various types of germs(2). Such an intricate and powerful system undoubtedly needs a mighty network to help it run in a smooth and efficient manner.

Support your body and its immune system by living a healthy, balanced lifestyle, taking regular physical activity and making sure that you get enough rest and sleep(7-9). 

References

1. Parkin J, Cohen B. An overview of the immune system. Lancet. 2001;357(9270):1777-89.
2. Poon MML, Farber DL. The Whole Body as the System in Systems Immunology. iScience. 2020;23(9):101509.
3. Baxter D. Active and passive immunity, vaccine types, excipients and licensing. Occupational Medicine. 2007;57(8):552-6.
4. Marshall JS, Warrington R, Watson W, Kim HL. An introduction to immunology and immunopathology. Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology. 2018;14(2):49.
5. Riddell NE. Immune Responses: Primary and Secondary.  eLS. p. 316-26.
6. Bonilla FA, Oettgen HC. Adaptive immunity. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2010;125(2):S33-S40.
7. Shao T, Verma HK, Pande B, Costanzo V, Ye W, Cai Y, et al. Physical Activity and Nutritional Influence on Immune Function: An Important Strategy to Improve Immunity and Health Status. Front Physiol. 2021;12:751374.
8. Besedovsky L, Lange T, Born J. Sleep and immune function. Pflugers Arch. 2012;463(1):121-37.
9. Irwin MR, Opp MR. Sleep Health: Reciprocal Regulation of Sleep and Innate Immunity. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017;42(1):129-55.