Hello and welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast, a show where we take a closer look at nutrient

research, headlines and trends, so that you can make more informed decisions about what you eat.

I'm your host, Monica Reinagle. And as we head into another cold and flu season, you are probably hearing a lot of

talk about boosting your immune system. And there are a lot of supplements that claim to

help you ward off colds and other respiratory infections. But what does the science say?

You know, we often think about boosting immune function as similar to the way you might

turn up the volume on your speakers, but that's not really how it works, because the immune

system is not just a single thing. It's a whole orchestra of different types of cells and

chemical messengers that respond to different types of threats

in a lot of different ways. So instead of that single volume knob, picture a giant mixing

board with dozens of knobs and sliders that control different frequencies and aspects of the

sound all working together to produce a harmonious effect.

In other words, simply saying that a specific nutrient or herb boosts immune function

doesn't really tell you very much. And furthermore, just because a nutrient is involved in

some aspect of the immune response, it doesn't

necessarily follow that taking large amounts of that nutrient is going to boost your immunity.

And in fact, excessive amounts of some of those immune boosting nutrients can even end up

suppressing immune response. Now, that said, I hate colds as much as anyone else.

And just as an aside, although face masks are no longer as ubiquitous as they were during the

height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I still keep them on hand. They are actually very effective

in preventing transmission of airborne viruses,

such as the ones that cause the common cold. So if I find myself in close quarters with someone who

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