These 5 Foods And Drinks Can Secretly Weaken Immune

Illustration of sick food (Freepik)

JAKARTA - Maintaining the immune system is very important so that conditions stay healthy and fight various viruses. Although there is no specific food or supplement that guarantees you will never get sick, overall diet can play an important role in supporting the work of the immune system.

Consumption of high-fiber, healthy fat foods and providing essential nutrients in sufficient quantities, such as vitamins A, E, C, D, zinc, and iron, can optimally support the immune system. However, a diet that lacks nutrients and is high in sugar and saturated fat can weaken the immune system.

To provide the immune system and all the support it needs so that it doesn't get sick easily.

Here are 5 drinks and food that can lower the body's immune system, as reported by the Eating Well page.

While mild to moderate alcohol intake has some health benefits, excessive alcohol intake has the potential to have negative consequences, including in the intestines, which play an important role in immunity.

A 2021 review of Toxicology Reports notes alcohol can affect the diversity of healthy bacteria in the intestines and contribute to less functioning intestinal barriers. This means pathogens can sneak through it.

Excessive alcohol intake can inhibit the ability of the immune system to make the antibodies needed to ward off foreign attackers, such as the flu virus.

Alcohol also interferes with sleep, which is important for the immune system to stay prime. If you like drinking alcohol can be done occasionally, do it moderately, two standard or less drinks per day for men and one or less per day for women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

We know that too much additional sugar is not good for the health of the body. Excessive sugar intake, especially through sweet drinks, can have a negative impact on the body and contribute to the weakening of the immune system.

According to 2022 reviews in Human Immunology, excessive intake of fructose (garfic sugar) changes the composition of the gut microbiota, so that beneficial bacterial strains are more difficult to breed.

High blood sugar levels can also change gut permeability, which contributes to chronic inflammation. Although inflammation is a normal step in the body's innate immune response, chronic inflammation can make the immune system work too hard and weak to ward off new infections.

Fried foods, such as tempeh, bakwan, tofu content, and fried bananas contain higher final glycacy products (AGE). These compounds naturally appear during cooking, especially at high temperatures such as frying.

Research, such as the 2020 article in Nutrients, found that AGE can be associated with an underoptimal intestinal microbiome, an increase in inflammation, and a weaker intestinal barrier, all of which can have a negative impact on the immune system.

Eating excessive processed meat, such as sausages and hot dogs, can have a negative impact on the immune system. When digested, intestinal bacteria produce substances called trimethylamine (TMA) which are later converted into N-oxide trimethylamine (TMAO) by the liver.

A little TMAO is nothing to worry about, but higher levels of TMAO are often associated with unhealthy gut bacteria, chronic inflammation, and weakened immune systems, as mentioned in the 2020 review of Frontiers in Immunology.

Coffee and tea contain high antioxidants that support the immune system can reduce inflammation. However, if it contains caffeine, both have the potential to interfere with sleep quality. As mentioned in the 2021 review at Communications Biology, many studies have attributed sleep to the immune function. If you like drinking caffeinated drinks, limit the consumption to only a few cups every day and try to consume it at least 6-8 hours before bed.