How can I actually boost my immune system?
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS
The unglamorous truth: the immune system is boosted by sleep, not products. Seven-plus hours, regular exercise, a varied fiber-rich diet, healthy weight, managed stress, no smoking, moderate alcohol and staying vaccinated outperform every capsule sold with the word immunity on it.
Correcting a real vitamin D deficiency helps; megadosing without deficiency does not, and vitamin C after a cold starts changes little.
Frequent genuine infections, ones needing antibiotics or hospitalization repeatedly, are a medical question about the immune system, not a supplement question. Everything else is lifestyle compounding quietly.
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