A healthy diet should support the immune system in preventing and fighting diseases. This statement is very logical. However, is it really beneficial to frequently consume so-called functional foods that are said to boost the immune system? On one hand, we are still not very clear on which foods affect which populations and in what ways. On the other hand, activating the immune system does not necessarily lead to a good immune state. Because any allergy is a sign of an overactive or imbalanced immune system.
Allergic reactions have a special form: autoimmune diseases, where the immune system does not prevent and fight disease, but instead silently attacks the body itself. Hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 1 diabetes are examples of such diseases. In the case of rheumatism, the immune system damages the joints; in the case of diabetes, it destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. To what extent does immune stimulation worsen such diseases? To date, no serious research has been conducted on this.
Many poisons, such as pesticides, herbicides, or mycotoxins, affect our immune system like a double-edged sword: high doses of these substances can immediately damage our immune system, while low doses can stimulate it. Due to the misuse of such toxins by humans, they are distributed in low doses in the air, soil, or water, and even residues remain in agricultural products such as plants and animals, entering the consumer market and indirectly or directly stimulating people who are exposed to them. But because the human immune system remains in a constant state of alert for a long time, it eventually becomes exhausted. This is basically why people develop chronic allergies or autoimmune diseases under the gradual influence of these toxins. However, it would be too naive to believe that the causes of autoimmune diseases are limited only to these toxic factors in the environment. In fact, other drugs and foods that stimulate the immune system should also be considered as such chronic toxins, for example, those widely promoted as "functional foods."—Of course, we cannot dwell too much on this finding, which harms business interests. Some people are unable to accept it.
Instead, they are more eager to enthusiastically conduct experiments that seem to prove that substances that stimulate the immune system are beneficial to health. The biochemical principle is that the body's disease prevention capability operates on different levels; once a part of the immune system is compromised, the activity of the entire organic system is immediately mobilized. However, measures that originally served to stabilize or support the immune system are now being used by researchers to activate enzyme systems and various types of cells. These enzymes and cells act on a certain level of the body's disease prevention capability, playing a role in preventing the body from being infected by viruses. What is measured in such experiments is precisely this degree of activation. They magically obtain the desired results: the greater the damage to the immune system, the greater the body's immune response, and the more apparent the supposed positive effect becomes, as if the person is therefore healthier. In this way, some substances that were originally beneficial are abused, with their usage far exceeding the level that is beneficial to health. Yet, such reckless abuse is still regarded as a source of health. Therefore, under the great fanfare of the media such as publishers, radio, or television, those who worry about their health all day long breathe a sigh of relief, as if they have found a treasure, believing that they can prevent all infectious diseases from the flu to AIDS by simply using those magical substances, and no longer need to see a doctor. How is that possible?