Which Foods and Supplements Boost the Immune System?

When cold and flu season rolls around and germs start spreading like wildfire, we start thinking about the best ways to avoid getting sick and how to mitigate our symptoms if we do. Of course, there are some obvious measures to take, including frequent handwashing and getting ample sleep, but we can also improve our immunity naturally through the foods we eat. Certain foods or dietary supplements may prevent, shorten the duration, or reduce the severity of both acute and chronic illnesses. Take a look at the resources below for more information. 

Which foods should we eat to boost immunity?
Informational Articles:

• Best Vitamins And Foods To Boost Your Immune System (Forbes Health – January 5, 2024)
• 15 Foods That Boost Your Immune System (WebMD – October 8, 2023)
• 7 Foods That Fight Back: Immune System Boosters (Everyday Health – September 22, 2023)
• Top 12 immune-supportive foods (BBC Good Food – September 7, 2023)
• 15 Foods That Boost the Immune System (Healthline – June 19, 2023)
• 30 Everyday Foods That Boost Your Immune System (Prevention – May 22, 2023)
• 6 Exceptional Superfoods to Eat for a Strong, Healthy Immune System (Real Simple – February 21, 2023)
• 5 foods to boost your immune system (UT Health San Antonio – January 17, 2023)
• Strengthen Your Immune System This Winter With These Foods (CNET – January 11, 2023)
• 11 Foods That Boost Your Immune System (Cleveland Clinic – December 29, 2022)
• 5 Vitamins That Are Best for Boosting Your Immunity (Cleveland Clinic – November 16, 2022)
• Fight off the flu with immune-boosting nutrients (Mayo Clinic – November 16, 2022)
• What should I eat to boost my immunity? (British Heart Foundation – October 2022)
• Are There Foods That Can Help Boost Your Immunity? Here’s What a Dietitian Says (EatingWell – June 13, 2022)
• How to Keep Your Immune System Healthy (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics – January 21, 2022)
• 8 Superfoods for Your Immune System (AARP – September 7, 2021)
• Support your immune function with good nutrition (Mayo Clinic Health System – June 24, 2021) 
• You Are What You Eat: Choose Foods that Boost Immunity and Fight Infection (UC Health – April 8, 2020)
• The best foods for boosting your immune system (MedicalNewsToday – July 10, 2018)
• What foods boost your immune system? (UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center – November 9, 2016)
• Nutrition and Immunity (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
• 8 Foods To Help Boost Your Immune System (Guadalupe Regional Medical Center)

Peer-reviewed Articles:

• Common foods for boosting human immunity: A review (Food Science and Nutrition – August 2023)
• Bioactive metabolites in functional and fermented foods and their role as immunity booster and anti-viral innate mechanisms (Journal of Food Science and Technology – June 2022)
• Exploring the Immune-Boosting Functions of Vitamins and Minerals as Nutritional Food Bioactive Compounds: A Comprehensive Review (Molecules – January 16, 2022)
• Immunomodulatory potential of phytochemicals and other bioactive compounds of fruits: A review (Food Frontiers – January 2022)
• Physical Activity and Nutritional Influence on Immune Function: An Important Strategy to Improve Immunity and Health Status (Frontiers in Physiology – October 2021)
• Role of food nutrients and supplementation in fighting against viral infections and boosting immunity: A review (Trends in Food Science & Technology – April 2021)
• Immune-boosting role of vitamins D, C, E, zinc, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids: Could they help against COVID-19? (Maturitas – January 2021)
• COVID-19: human immune response and the influence of food ingredients and active compounds (Bioactive Compounds in Health and Disease – 2021)
• Effects of diets, foods and nutrients on immunity: Implications for COVID-19? (Nutrition Bulletin – December 11, 2020)
• Immunomodulatory Effects of Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms and Their Bioactive Immunoregulatory Products (Journal of Fungi – November 2020)
• Immune boosting functional foods and their mechanisms: A critical evaluation of probiotics and prebiotics (Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy – October 2020)
• Immune-Boosting, Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Food Supplements Targeting Pathogenesis of COVID-19 (Frontiers in Immunology – October 2020)
• Dietary therapy and herbal medicine for COVID-19 prevention: A review and perspective (Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine – July 2020)
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and immunity booster green foods: A mini review (Food Science and Nutrition – May 2020)
• Food as medicine: A possible preventive measure against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (Phytotherapy Research – May 2020)
• Gut microbiota modulation and immune boosting properties of prebiotic dragon fruit oligosaccharides (International Journal of Food Science and Technology – June 2019)
• Immunomodulation by food: impact on gut immunity and immune cell function (Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry – April 2018)
• Potential role of nutrients on immunity (International Food Research Journal – August 2015)

Can nutritional supplements boost immunity? 
Informational Articles

• Best Immunity Supplements for Fall 2024 (CNET – January 1, 2024)
• 4 Supplements You Shouldn’t Take for Immune Health, According to Dietitians (EatingWell – December 26, 2023)
• The 6 Best Immune Supporting Supplements, According to a Dietitian (Verywell Fit – July 25, 2023)
• Dietary Supplements for Immune Function and Infectious Diseases (National Institutes of Health – June 27, 2023)
• The 15 Best Supplements to Boost Your Immune System Right Now (Healthline – February 1, 2023)
• The truth about immune-boosting supplements (National Geographic – November 17, 2022)
• The 9 Best Vitamins For Strengthening Your Immune System And Warding Off Sickness (Women’s Health – September 29, 2022)
• Do supplements really benefit the immune system? (MedicalNewsToday – February 2, 2022)
• The 4 vitamins and supplements this immunologist takes every day to strengthen her immune system: ‘Your body will thank you’ (CNBC – January 30, 2022)
• Natural Supplements to Support the Immune System (Verywell Health – March 27, 2020)
• Can supplements help boost your immune system? (Harvard Health Publishing – January 1, 2020)

Peer-reviewed Articles

• Role of dietary supplements in the continuous battle against COVID-19 (Phytotherapy Research – January 2, 2024)
• Select Dietary Supplement Ingredients for Preserving and Protecting the Immune System in Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review (Nutrients – November 1, 2022)
• Analysis of Select Dietary Supplement Products Marketed to Support or Boost the Immune System (JAMA Network – August 10, 2022)
• Therapeutic Potential of Nutraceuticals and Dietary Supplements in the Prevention of Viral Diseases: A Review (Frontiers in Nutrition – September 17, 2021)
• Dietary Supplements for COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease – COVID 19 – May 11, 2021)
• Effects of select dietary supplements on the prevention and treatment of viral respiratory tract infections: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine – April 26, 2021)
• Potential Immunomodulatory Effects from Consumption of Nutrients in Whole Foods and Supplements on the Frequency and Course of Infection: Preliminary Results (Nutrients – April 1, 2021)
• Botanical drugs and supplements affecting the immune response in the time of COVID-19: Implications for research and clinical practice (Phytotherapy Research – December 29, 2020)
• Enhancing immunity in viral infections, with special emphasis on COVID-19: A review (Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews – July-August 2020)
• Ginseng: A dietary supplement as immune-modulator in various diseases (Trends in Food Science and Technology – January 2019)