Immune System
Ginger Boosts the Immune System
Researchers show how ginger trains immune cells and strengthens the body's defenses through trained immunity.
Immune System
Researchers show how ginger trains immune cells and strengthens the body's defenses through trained immunity.
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Perhaps some of you still remember the mantra-like repetition: "you can't train your immune system." Almost every media outlet reported on this, especially toward the end of last year.
The background: after COVID, many other infectious diseases suddenly flared up again. And so the public broadcasting stations felt compelled to fulfill their educational mission and tell the population that ... it's best to do nothing at all. It won't help anyway. If you find the sarcasm, you can keep it :-)
We've written one or more articles [source no longer available] on this topic. Feel free to read them again.
In any case, it's not true that you can't "train" your immune system. Because every acute infection raises the alert level against further infections. Even in the long term. Every infection, even if it's subtle ("silent immunity"), creates an immunity that protects us against related pathogens (cross-reactivity). And so on.
This isn't necessarily the reality for some of our neighbors, because many are constantly getting sick. The idea that the body isn't responding properly and apparently has a chronic immune deficiency rarely occurs to anyone. And people who get very seriously ill from infections obviously can't understand how the immune system should become stronger after infections.
So we always like to generalize from abnormal (immune) reactions to the general population. It's like when someone trains unsuccessfully in the gym and then wants to question all sports science. Or like when someone overextends and wants to press 80 kg on the bench the first time. Can go wrong. But that doesn't mean "training"—i.e., pathogen contact—is inherently bad.
One way or another, there's also a fitting term for this in the scientific literature: trained immunity. Mind you: a recognized concept, not a figment of the imagination. And it's about exactly this: that the immune system emerges strengthened from exposure that protects in the long term. Works through pathogen contact. But also through "imitating" pathogen contact.
The oat fiber β-glucan is perceived as a pathogen, for example. Because β-glucans are also found in the cell walls of bacteria and fungi. When the immune system sees β-glucan, it thinks an intruder is at the door. The result is immune activation that protects us from real infections. Disease symptoms aren't triggered in the process, by the way. Exciting, isn't it? And well researched! Plus, we've written [source no longer available] about this.
But of course you can't train your immune system... ;-) Lie on the couch at home, dutifully wear a mask everywhere, and socially isolate—that's the way!
Before this becomes a complete farce, back to the actual topic today. It's about [source no longer available] from the Leibniz Institute for Food-Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich. They wanted to investigate the claim that ginger "boosts" the immune system—i.e., trains it.
The starting point was the result of an earlier pilot study by the first author: after drinking one liter of ginger tea, significant amounts of pungent ginger compounds can be measured in the blood about 30–60 minutes later. Particularly striking is the increase in [6]-gingerol, with plasma concentrations of about 7 to 17 micrograms per liter.
This "pungency" is perceived by the body through a specific protein, namely the so-called TRPV1 receptor, which reacts to both painful heat stimuli and pungent compounds from chili or ginger. And here's the point: white blood cells—i.e., immune cells—also have these receptors, which is why the team wanted to find out whether [6]-gingerol affects the activity of these immune cells.
In fact, the researchers found this receptor on the most important immune cells: neutrophil granulocytes. Our super guards, which often form the first line of defense against intruders. So if you don't want to be constantly sick, you should pay attention to your neutrophils.
Long story short: even a very low concentration of just 15 micrograms of [6]-gingerol per liter was enough to put the cells on heightened alert, which was associated with upregulation of important proteins in these immune cells. As a result, immune cells responded about 30% more strongly to stimulation by bacterial proteins. Important: the authors say this concentration is already reached after one liter of ginger tea (see above).
But be careful: the authors also describe that an even higher concentration can inhibit immune cell function. We know this. The dose makes the poison. Just because something helps in normal amounts doesn't mean more helps even more.
From this perspective, ginger—primarily in the form of gingerol—is an agent that induces "trained immunity." At least acutely. Perhaps that's why, especially in countries where hygiene standards aren't exactly high on the agenda, food is very heavily spiced—because it protects against pathogens.
Even though we don't like to speak condescendingly about media or so-called experts, these days it's really hard not to lose your mind when you see how misinformation is spread paradoxically in the name of fact-checker reports that drive people into learned helplessness. What's the point of that? It's neither "truth" nor helpful.
So the conclusion remains: of course you can do something for your immune system. Anytime! For example, eat oatmeal and wash it down with a ginger tea. :-) If you now add a portion of protein—how about [source no longer available]—you might ... possibly ... have won.
