How to Support Immunity This Winter
Key takeaways:
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Cold, dry weather makes the immune system more susceptible to contagious viruses like the common cold, influenza, and Covid-19.
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Rich holiday foods, increased travel, social stressors, disrupted sleep patterns, and reduced hours of sunlight in winter can also weaken immunity.
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Prolon’s products are scientifically designed to support overall health, and offer specific benefits for the immune system too.
As the year winds down, many of us may naturally find ourselves musing over holiday gifts, big family gatherings, and menus for traditional feasts. After all, winter is a wonderful time to get cozy at home and celebrate the ones we love. There’s one thing, however, that doesn’t always make the seasonal to-do list, and that’s planning ahead to protect and support your immune system. Colder months can be an especially challenging time for immunity. From drops in the outdoor temperature and fewer hours of daily sunlight, to year-end stressors, disrupted sleep, holiday travel, and the tendency to overindulge in rich holiday foods, winter can pack a powerful punch that makes it harder than usual to fight off illness.
The best way to avoid getting sick is to give your immune system all the support it needs to perform well and protect you, and Prolon’s science-backed nutrition programs and products are designed to help you do just that. Here’s how Prolon can give you the best shot at staving off sickness, during the holidays and beyond.
The seasonal immunity challenge
Viruses like seasonal colds, influenza, and Covid-19 are more resilient in cold, dry weather, since colder temperatures tend to harden the lipid layer that envelopes the virus, and protects it from being attacked by your immune system. This hardening acts as a kind of additional fortification that allows the virus to stay alive and stable for longer. The drier air that often results when indoor heating systems are used more frequently makes virus transmission easier too. That’s because less humidity causes respiration moisture to reduce into smaller droplets that can travel faster and farther to infect others. Pair these factors with more time spent indoors in close proximity to one another, and it’s no wonder that wintertime makes us more susceptible to contagious respiratory viruses.
This is where having a strong immune system can really make a difference. Solid immune support is all about resilience– keeping the body nourished, balanced, and well-rested so it can respond quickly and effectively to protect you, even in times of greater immunity threat. While we may not be able to control the effects of cold, dry weather on viruses, we can take certain seasonal precautions now to minimize the impact these viruses can have on our bodies.
How to support immunity all season (and year) long
While no single product or practice on its own can “boost” your immune system, nutrition plays an important role in helping it stay strong, balanced, and resilient. A large portion of immune function depends on things like nutrient density, gut health, and the body’s ability to renew and repair its own cells. Here are a few ways you can help support these things for better immunity this winter, and all year long.
Fortify your overall immune system: Strong immunity relies heavily on making sure you get an adequate amount of essential vitamins and minerals despite seasonal changes like shorter days and colder temperatures. Prolon offers several scientifically formulated programs and products that support your body’s processes, including the immune system.
The Prolon 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) has been clinically shown to not only support immune health, but also healthy cardiometabolic markers, energy levels, and cellular renewal. Additionally, the nutrient-dense meals and supplements included in the FMD include vitamins and minerals like zinc, selenium, and vitamin E, which are known to support immune health. After an initial onboarding cycle of three monthly cycles, use the FMD quarterly to support overall immune health and well-being.
Support cellular health: Healthy cells are essential for an effective immune response. The Prolon L-Pill contains antioxidants that help protect your cells from oxidative stress, which supports not only overall wellness and longevity, but also immune resilience. Each dual-cap pill includes known longevity ingredient algal oil for brain health and anti-inflammatory properties, in addition to ProJUVN3 Wasabi for antimicrobial, digestive, respiratory, and bone health properties. Pure green tea extract is also added to help with blood sugar control, weight loss, and heart health. Together, these benefits can serve to give your immune system the added seasonal support it needs. Take L-Pill daily in-between your FMD cycles.
Get the right amount of high-quality protein: The body uses protein to build and repair tissues, create new immune cells, and support the gut barrier, all of which become especially important during times of seasonal stress. Ensuring you get enough protein in your diet, especially during the colder months, gives your body the nutritional foundation it needs to stay strong.
Prolon’s L-Protein has 25 grams of clean, plant-based protein per serving and a complete amino acid profile. Not only is it an easy way to support muscle recovery and muscle maintenance, L-Protein also helps fulfill our bodies’ increased nutrient needs during colder months. Its unique formula incorporates prebiotic fiber too, which can nourish healthy gut bacteria to help strengthen the immune system. Incorporate L-Protein daily as a protein-rich meal replacement, pre or post workout, or snack between FMD cycles.
Follow a seasonal circadian rhythm: Our bodies have an internal clock called our circadian rhythm that determines everything from sleep cycles and digestion to hormone release and body temperature. Even in our modern times of artificial light sources and temperature-controlled interior spaces, our bodies’ circadian rhythm is still affected by seasonal changes that occur in the natural world, including reduced hours of sunlight in wintertime and shifts in outdoor temperatures. By making a few adjustments in your everyday routine, you can help your body acclimate to seasonal changes more easily. You can try time-restricted eating (TRE), a form of intermittent fasting whereby you consume all meals within a predetermined time window in the daytime (between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., for example) and leave an extended period of fasting time for your evening and sleep hours. This gives your immune system a well-deserved break each day, and allows it to perform cellular repair tasks while you rest.
Practicing good sleep hygiene is another way to support your body's natural rhythms. Limit the amount of screen time, artificial light exposure, and loud noise in your environment for at least an hour before you go to sleep. Sticking to a regular bedtime and wakeup time can also help biological processes like hormone production, metabolism, and immune response stay regulated and strong. Spending more time outside during daylight hours can also reinforce your seasonal circadian rhythm. By striving for at least 20-30 minutes of natural sunlight when you first wake up, you can also help prevent seasonal mood disorders.
Prioritize regular exercise: Ensuring you regularly move your body can help promote better quality sleep and healthy weight management, both of which can contribute to a stronger immune system. Try to choose exercise you enjoy, whether it’s briskly walking, resistance training, weight-lifting, or high-intensity interval training (HIIT); this will help increase your odds of incorporating it more often into your weekly routine.
Manage daily stress levels: Chronically high levels of stress can keep our bodies’ natural “fight or flight” response in an activated state, which, overtime, can lead to increased inflammation, reduced insulin sensitivity, and a buildup of dangerous visceral fat that accumulates around vital organs and contribute to metabolic dysfunction. By managing any daily stressors in your life with things like regular meditation and relaxing breathing techniques, you can avoid chronic levels of harmful stress that hinder effective immune system performance.
Staying well this season is about more than just avoiding illness; it’s about supporting your body from the inside out. While each of the products and tips laid out here offer their own targeted benefits, incorporating all of them into a seasonal immunity plan can have a powerful effect on your immune system and your overall well-being.
Sources:
National Library Of Medicine. National Center For Biotechnology Information. “A Review of the Physiology and Nutrition in Cold and in High-Altitude Environments by the Committee on Military Nutrition Research.”
PLOS One. “The impact of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) design features on the transmission of viruses, including the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19): A systematic review of humidity.”
PNAS. “Temperature-dependent innate defense against the common cold virus limits viral replication at warm temperature in mouse airway cells.”
Science Direct. “The association of COVID-19 incidence with temperature, humidity, and UV radiation – A global multi-city analysis.”
