Matcha, a powdered form of ground-up green tea leaves, packs an antioxidant punch.
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Amp up antioxidants
In your 50s, your risk of disease rises fast. To pump up your immunity, add more antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies to your diet. Research from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that broccoli, cabbage, and kale offer the biggest immune system boost because they contain an important cancer-fighting compound. You hated kale the last time you tried it 10 years ago? Some evidence suggests that taste buds can “mature” in a way that can turn foods you’ve never liked into pleasurable adventures.
Another smart choice, according to pharmacist Suzy Cohen, RPh, author of Drug Muggers: How to Keep Your Medicine From Stealing the Life Out of You, is a cup of tea—but not just any cup. Her favorite is matcha, a powdered form of ground-up green tea leaves sold under many brand names and found in most health-food stores as well as online. One cup of matcha will net you the antioxidant protection found in 10 cups of brewed green tea and up to 100 times the antioxidant power of vitamins C and, she says. Dr. Moyad suggests adding a spoonful of honey to your tea for extra protection: “It has incredible antibacterial powers.”
Another reason to volunteer? It may help reduce your stress.
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Pay a little more attention to those long-lost goals that help define the meaning of life—and your immune system’s natural killer cells may multiply, according to a University of California, Los Angeles, study. While researchers aren’t sure why, one theory suggests that focusing on what you really want to do reduces the immunity-robbing impact of everyday stress. Dr. Moyad says volunteering in your community can pump up your germ-fighting powers even more. Studies show that those who volunteer not only are healthier but actually live longer than folks who don’t. Stress reduction may be the hidden link.
Sex can give your immune system a boost.
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Now that the kids may be out of the house for long periods, make more time for sex. A study from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., found that men and women who had one to two sexual encounters per week had a 30% increase in IgA, antibodies found in saliva and mucous membranes that are considered the first line of defense against cold and flu viruses. Exactly how or why sex causes the increase is not well understood—but sometimes science is just there to enjoy!
This article was first published in Health magazine, December 2008.
