The innate immune system can prevent infections or reduce the severity of diseases. It fights the bad bacteria it encounters thanks to its immune system. In cases where this war is lost, the disease situation arises. The immune system is affected by many factors, such as the strength of the disease, the general state of health, and age. Having healthy living habits is essential for the development of the immune system throughout life.

Immune System

The immune system, which keeps our body healthy by fighting diseases, works in two ways as the natural immune system and the acquired immune system. The acquired immune system, which has a memory and the ability to recognize its own, works through lymphocytes. The innate immune system is the structure that recognizes various pathogen molecules and acts accordingly.

Every day we hear a new suggestion about strengthening the immune system, which keeps our bodies healthy by fighting diseases. Do these recommendations have any scientific validity? What is the way to strengthen the immune system? Do miracle products and foods really heal us?

Nutritional recommendations, food supplements and various products for the healthy functioning of the immune system are frequently encountered. It is necessary to pay attention to some important points for the correct functioning of this mechanism, which has a wide field of study from cancer, organ transplantation, allergies to autoimmune diseases known as rheumatic diseases, and which contains the code of a healthy life.


What is the importance of the immune system?

There are two systems in our body capable of learning, thinking and storing in memory. One of them is the brain and the other is the immune system. The immune system uses our genetically existing information transferred from our ancestors, processes this information against a microbe, then fights by focusing only on the area where the microbe is located, works tirelessly until it is destroyed, and keeps this experience in mind, using this experience for every new situation. It is a responsive system. As the hidden state of the information from the past, we have a number of reflex responses. The immune system, like the brain, evaluates and synthesizes this information against the existing situation and produces microbe-specific or cancer, disease, organ transplant-specific responses. In no system other than the brain and the immune system,


The task of the immune system is to protect the essence of the individual. For this reason, it knows himself first and does not harm the essence. In this context, it can be said that the immune system spends as much effort on self-knowledge as it does on fighting the enemy. Meanwhile, it does not care about every microbe. For example, microbes live in our bodies at least 30 times the total number of immune system cells, or even 100 times according to some studies. But they are not answered, even they are living together in a mutually beneficial balance. Just like the brain, our immune system has the ability to learn. It stores some of this learning in his memory as an experience and uses it when necessary. In other words, just as a person, who is a social being, hides his personal experiences, The immune system also stores information about its own experiences. For example, the memory feature of the immune system is used in vaccines. But not only with vaccines; The immune system also has more cellular, more molecular memory mechanisms. In other words, it can be said that it has the capacity to think and store multidimensionally. This is another feature that is similar to the brain.


Tolerance means tolerance both to oneself and to some strangers. For example, members of their own family are a part of the person, no matter what they do, and many of their traits and behavior are tolerated within reasonable limits. The immune system is similarly tolerant of what belongs to it, namely essence. This has the following benefit: Being tolerant of the essence means that the system is self-sustaining. In fact, immunology is the science of the self. That 'me' knowledge enables us to fight our own cells, to any organ within us, and not to harm ourselves. The purpose of this system is to protect itself by fighting against the harmful stranger. While fighting this war, it is programmed to end the war against itself completely harmless or with the least damage.


How does the immune system work?

Your immune system is highly complex and integrated into nearly every other organ system. It has a multitude of components that are alive with complex defenses, including the inner and outer coverings of our bodies. It also has a rapid response team known as the innate immune system. Finally, when these defenses are not sufficient, it has a highly refined and specialized set of defenses known as the adaptive immune system that can target distress signals with great precision and accuracy.

When does the immune system form?

The immune system consists of cells spread throughout the body, in addition to organs such as the spleen, liver, thymus, lymph nodes, and bone marrow. There are studies showing that the first immune system cells are in our largest artery, which we call the aorta. In other words, with the beginning of blood formation, it can be said that our immune system begins to form. Later, the earliest predecessors were shown in the liver. Showing the pre-hepatic is not very easy methodically. The most interesting point here is how a semi-alien baby can stay in the mother's womb in a system built on the basis of distinguishing between essence and non-essential, and more importantly, how a mother with a full immune system can hide and grow this semi-alien for nine months without rejecting it. The most fascinating of immunology, it is the most mysterious and has many questions waiting to be answered. New born babies are born with immature immunity. During intrauterine life, protective factors are passed from the mother to the baby. There are very few cellular and fluid mechanisms related to the immune system in the newborn, but they are not sufficient. During this period, some immune components from the mother protect the baby.


It takes 3 years before the protective antibodies called immunoglobulin can be made fully. Interestingly, it has been scientifically shown that in breastfed children up to 2 years of age, maternal immunoglobulins protect the baby until 3 years of age, that is, until the baby can do them fully. The full maturation of the immune system together with its cells occurs around the age of 6-7 and it never ends after that. He constantly wants to know and learn, to gain new experiences. But sometimes they make mistakes.


Our immune system is crucial to our survival. Without the immune system, our body would be vulnerable to attack from bacteria, viruses, parasites and more.


The immune system is spread throughout the body and includes many types of cells, organs, proteins and tissues. Most importantly, it can separate our tissue from foreign tissue. Dead and faulty cells are also recognized and cleared by the immune system. Let's introduce some of the main characters in the immune system


white blood cells

White blood cells are also called leukocytes. It circulates throughout the body in blood vessels and lymphatic vessels parallel to veins and arteries. White blood cells are constantly patrolling and looking for pathogens. Once they find a target, they begin to multiply and signal other cell types to do the same. Our white blood cells are stored in different places in the body called lymphoid organs. These include:

Thymus: A gland between the lungs and just below the neck.

Spleen:  Its job is to support the immune system by filtering the blood

Bone marrow:  Located in the center of bones and also produces red blood cells.

Lymph nodes:  small glands located throughout the body, connected by lymphatic vessels.

There are two main types of leukocytes:

1. Phagocytes

These cells surround, absorb and break down pathogens, effectively eating them.

Neutrophils:  Neutrophils are the most common type of phagocyte and tend to attack bacteria.

Monocytes:  Monocytes are the largest of all white blood cells and have several important roles in defending against germs and inflammation.

Macrophages:  These patrol for pathogens and also scavenge dead and dying cells.

Mast cells:  They have many jobs, including helping to heal wounds and defend against pathogens.

2. Lymphocytes

Lymphocytes help the body remember previous invaders and recognize them if they come back to attack again.

Lymphocytes begin their life in the bone marrow. Some stay in the bone marrow and turn into B lymphocytes (B cells), while others go to the thymus and become T lymphocytes (T cells). These two cell types have different roles:

B lymphocytes:  They produce antibodies and help stimulate T lymphocytes.

T lymphocytes:  They destroy risky cells in the body and help stimulate other leukocytes.


What happens if the immune system fails?

For example, the immune system can sometimes be less tolerant of itself. This inability to endure can damage one's own cells and autoimmune diseases occur. In simple terms, it can be said that autoimmune diseases occur in the form of the destruction of the tolerance of the immune system to its essence. Sometimes, he cannot adjust the dose of tolerance, and by being too tolerant, he may act as if it is itself against the cancer or tumor growing inside us. In other words, this mechanism, which is responsible for protecting us, can unfortunately sometimes work to our own detriment. Allergic conditions may occur or they may not accept the transplanted organ. All of these are undesirable and 'anyone can make mistakes'.


Are there specific reasons that can trigger these situations to occur?

Even if a genetically sound immune system makes mistakes from time to time, it does not repeat them. However, if there is a genetic predisposition, which includes many genes and their complex relationships, environmental factors may cause the disease to occur. If it is necessary to give an example of errors that can be considered 'normal'; After a very noisy infectious disease, it activates all its cells and components while attacking the enemy from multiple directions. In order to avoid damage to the core, this active offensive state should go out after a while. Autoimmune conditions may occur if he cannot take its speed and continues the war for a long time. There are many reasons for immune system errors, even for each disease. A system with such different mechanisms for defense and protection naturally has too many parts to break down.


What are the factors that cause weakening of the immune system?

In addition to factors that cannot be changed, such as congenital chronic diseases and infections that weaken the immune system, mistakes made in lifestyle and eating habits are also effective. The most common cause of immune system weakening is inadequate and unbalanced nutrition. A diet rich in carbohydrates, a diet low in protein, which is the building block of antibodies, overweight and underweight are immunosuppressive factors. Vitamins A, B, C, E, D, selenium, iron, zinc and carotenes catalyze the complex reactions of the immune system. Lack of any of these makes our body vulnerable to external factors. Alcohol use, smoking, radiation exposure, lack of probiotics, poor quality sleep, not listening well, excessive stress load,


Many deficiencies and disorders can damage or impair the immune system. Some medications also make it harder for your body to fight infection. Some health conditions cause your immune system to attack healthy cells or make it harder for your immune system to protect you from harmful germs.


Allergies:  When the body overreacts to a harmless substance (like food or pollen), the immune system initiates a response. Your body fights allergy triggers by releasing histamines that cause allergy symptoms. The allergic reaction can range from mild (sneezing or stuffy nose) to severe (breathing problems and death). Antihistamine medications help relieve symptoms.


Autoimmune disorders:  These disorders occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy cells. Lupus, diabetes, Hashimoto's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis are examples of common autoimmune diseases.


Primary immunodeficiency disorders:  These disorders are inherited (run in families). There are more than 100 primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDDs) that prevent the immune system from working as it should.


Infections:  HIV and mononucleosis (mono) are well-known infections that weaken the immune system. It causes serious diseases.


Cancer:  Certain types of cancer, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, directly affect the immune system.


Sepsis:  Sepsis is an overwhelming response of your body's immune system to an infection. Your body's response to the infection triggers widespread inflammation and causes a downward spiral of events that can result in organ damage, organ failure, and death.


Medications:  Some medications, such as corticosteroids, can weaken the immune system. After an organ transplant, people take drugs that suppress the immune system because such drugs help prevent a failed transplant (rejection). However, these drugs also increase the risk of infection and disease.


What affects the immune system in children?

It is not appropriate to say that a nutritional or behavioral suggestion on the immune system in children will have a direct positive or negative effect. The most important thing to pay attention to in children is the duration and quality of sleep. Growth hormone is secreted during sleep. Some fluid body components, such as growth hormone, allow the immune system to respond well. Stress (by the way, stress should not be taken only as psychological stress. It is an infectious disease, stress of the immune system), factors such as frequent infections at a young age, nutritional disorders affect the correct functioning of the immune system, but if there is no error in the genetic code, this situation can be compensated. But if a disorder is already present, one or more adverse environmental conditions, when combined, can affect the immune system. The most important point to note here is that the belief that consuming a food will improve the immune system is not true. This rule does not only apply to babies of suckling age. Breast milk is an indispensable point for the healthy development of the immune system. If there is no genetically significant disorder or a condition called immunodeficiency, breast milk is sufficient for a healthy immune system.