Ask Gerda: Tips for Healthy Immunity and Inflammation?

Gerda

Gerda Endemann, our senior director of science and research, has a BS in nutrition from UC
Berkeley, a PhD in nutritional biochemistry from MIT, and a passion for cherry-picking from our wellness shop. She
spends a lot of her time interpreting research—established and emerging. And our wellness routines thank her for
this. (Yours will, too. Send us your own questions for Gerda: [email protected].)

Dear goop, I want to do everything I can to support my immune system. Are there nutrients and herbs that can
support a healthy immune response in a balanced way? —Katie C.

Hi, Katie. Great question, because we want a strong, healthy immune response, but we don’t want it to go overboard.
We want to support our innate immunity: the physical barriers and white blood cells that are always guarding us. We
want to support our acquired immunity: the antibodies and T cells that are generated in response to an infection or
a vaccine. And the topic here: We want to support a balanced inflammatory response.

In order to do their job, white blood cells become activated, exit blood vessels, and enter tissues. When white
blood cells are activated and found in tissues, this is called inflammation. It is a natural part of a healthy
immune response. We want just the right amount of inflammation, not too little and not too much. Our bodies up- and
downregulate this response as needed by making more or less of the white-blood-cell-activating cytokines.

Here are three ways to be supportive. But please note: This information is not intended to treat excessive
inflammation or any disease. Always consult your doctor about any medical condition.

ONE: BOTANICALS

Turmeric and ginger are the botanicals most associated with a healthy inflammatory response. Buy fresh turmeric
and ginger roots, and try this goop recipe for an unusually delicious
spiced latte
. Or use dried, powdered turmeric root as a spice in savory dishes. It adds a pretty golden
color in this goop recipe for turmeric cashews.


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Turmeric contains many bioactive compounds, and the one we know the most about is curcumin. Curcumin is an
antioxidant that has multiple desirable effects on immune activation. In extensive cell culture research
and some clinical studies, curcumin has been shown to help reduce the production of cytokines, like TNF-α and
interleukins.

Turmeric and curcumin are available in multiple kinds of supplements, including special curcumin formulations,
turmeric extracts, and turmeric root products. It can be difficult trying to figure out which one to choose.

Gaia makes a high-quality supplement that contains three turmeric root extracts and a standardized amount of
curcumin. I like supporting Gaia—it’s a certified B Corporation, so we know it cares about sustainability, its
employees, the environment, and transparency. Gaia is certified by the Living
Wage Coalition of Transylvania County
, part of Just Economics, an advocacy group for the fair-wage movement.
Check out its gorgeous farm in North Carolina where it grows many of its herbs.

Curcumin is not very well absorbed by the GI tract. Gaia has added black pepper extract to increase curcumin’s
bioavailability.

TWO: PROBIOTICS


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Probiotic bacteria, in many cases various species of lactobacilli, have been shown to reduce levels of CRP (a
marker of inflammation), TNF-α, and interleukins in preclinical research, and even in people. Many
different species, strains, and amounts of probiotics have been used in this research, and we aren’t yet sure
which formulations are best. Seed makes a probiotic supplement with over 50 billion live cells from
twenty-four strains to cover a lot of bases—including benefits for gut immunity, skin, and the cardiovascular
system.

The probiotics are surrounded by an outer capsule containing prebiotics, which are food for bacteria. The outer
capsule alone is amazing—pomegranate and pine bark extracts are two of my favorite plant extracts. If the
bacteria share them with my gut cells, so much the better.

THREE: NUTRIENTS

Comfort foods and indulgence may be what you want, and that’s okay. If you aren’t sticking to a whole-foods,
nutrient-rich diet right now, don’t stress about it. But you may wish to consider a high-quality multivitamin,
such as one of the five goop
protocols
. Key players here are zinc, vitamin C, copper, and selenium. And vitamin D, which we usually get from sunlight.

Here’s how these nutrients work:

  1. Zinc is essential for the pathways through which the production of cytokines is
    controlled.
  2. The killing of infected cells by white blood cells requires reactive oxygen
    species (ROS) that need to be mopped up. It’s like using bleach to clean: You need to keep it sequestered
    where it’s needed and then clean it up so that it doesn’t harm you. Zinc and copper are part of the enzyme
    superoxide dismutase (SOD), which inactivates harmful ROS. Proteins containing the trace mineral selenium also
    help deal with ROS during inflammation. Vitamin C is crucial here, too.
  3. We bring up vitamin D when talking about all aspects of immune support because
    it’s multitalented: Vitamin D can help support a healthy inflammatory balance in our lungs.

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This article is for informational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, a
substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific
medical advice. To the extent that this article features the advice of physicians or medical practitioners, the
views expressed are the views of the cited expert and do not necessarily represent the views of goop.