Can you really boost your immune system?
Inside Health
BBC
4.4 • 575 Ratings
🗓️ 28 January 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
From kombucha to cold water swims, sleep to supplements, so many things are claimed to help enhance your immune system. We investigate the evidence, and ask if it's possible to avoid catching a virus this winter (and still leave the house).
Plus, James braves 3.9 degree water to see for himself if cold water swimming has any affect on our immune systems.
Guests: Margaret McCartney - Resident GP and expert in evidence-based medicine John Tregoning - Professor in Vaccine Immunology at Imperial College London Eleanor Riley - Professor of Immunology and Infectious Disease at University of Edinburgh
Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Hannah Robins Content Editor: Holly Squire
The programme was produced in partnership with the Open University.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, I'm Greg Jenna and good news, Your Dead to Me is back for a new series. Here we go. Yes, we'll explore Emperor Nero's notorious reign with Professor Marybeard and Patton Oswald. I would not want my daughter having the remote control, not alone an empire. We'll dissect the decadent life of Philippe Duke-Dor-Leon with Tom Allen. I've often tried to pretend I'm an aristocrat and being very quickly knocked down. |
| 0:23.0 | And there'll be so much more with comedians like Olga Koch, Mike Mosniak and Rihalina. |
| 0:26.9 | I'm excited. |
| 0:27.6 | You're dead to me. |
| 0:28.5 | The comedy podcast that takes history seriously. |
| 0:30.9 | Listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:34.5 | BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:38.1 | Welcome to the Inside Health podcast with me, James Gallagher. |
| 0:40.8 | Episodes are released weekly wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:44.4 | But if you live in the UK, you can listen to the latest episodes a whole week earlier than anywhere else. |
| 0:49.8 | First on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:54.0 | Do you think I just have to go for it? |
| 0:56.0 | Yeah, just glide off. |
| 1:02.0 | Oh, that was some seriously cold water. |
| 1:04.0 | I took a dip for a good reason, though, because we're going to find out |
| 1:08.0 | if it's possible to boost your immune system. |
| 1:11.4 | Because, well, let's be honest, who wants to get sick if you can avoid it? And we are, of course, |
| 1:16.1 | in the middle of a viral quodemic this winter and it's putting hospitals under intense pressure. |
| 1:22.2 | So we're going to take a look at some of the most common claims about immune boosting, |
| 1:26.0 | including cold water, exercise, vitamins and foods that boost good bacteria. |
| 1:31.1 | So let's get into it. We're joined by our resident GP, Dr Margaret McCarney. Hello. |
| 1:35.4 | Hi there, Jims. |
... |
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