Weight Loss and the Immune System

When it comes to losing weight and your immune system, the two go hand in hand and constantly affect one another. When you eat healthy and lose weight, your body is working at its best and you are more likely to have a strong and top performing immune system. But when you are overweight, your body struggles to keep itself healthy. Bad eating habits and overall poor health have been linked to diseases ranging from the common cold to cancer, heart disease and diabetes. A strong immune system and healthy body is especially important in the winter time when we are susceptible to colds, flus, pneumonia and other seasonal ailments.  

You know that heavy, sluggish feeling when you are overweight? Where you just feel like something isn’t right and your body is suffering. Being overweight is associated with being in a chronic state of inflammation, meaning you constantly feel bloated and uncomfortable. This chronic inflammation seems to promote a state of overstimulation of the immune system, which keeps your immune system from running normally. So while your body is dealing with the extra weight it is carrying, it can’t fight off diseases and infection. 

The good news is that a number of studies have shown that losing weight can reverse the damage done to the immune system. Not only will you feel better, but you may also improve your resistance to bacterial and viral infections when you immune system is able to work at its best. Losing weight has also been known to diminish or even alleviate certain diseases such as diabetes and sleep apnea. Some people are even able to stop taking certain medications because their body can take care of itself better. Many diseases affect us because of what we eat and they way we treat our bodies. When we are not eating clean and healthy, we are putting toxins in our bodies every day that clog our arteries, puts stress on our hearts, slows us down, and risk our health in so many other ways. 

One thing to keep in mind is that forceful and extreme weight loss can actually lower your immune system. Vigorous exercise or drastically lowering your caloric intake can affect your immune system and your body’s fat reserves, and leave you vulnerable and at risk for disease. This is why moderate exercise and healthy eating is always suggested. Your body needs time to adjust to your changing habits. According to one study, moderate caloric restriction increases longevity and boosts the immune system to help fight off chronic conditions. When you are trying to lose weight of course you have to restrict your normal eating habits. The bottom line is you always have to eat less, and it’s okay to be a little hungry. But you should never be starving. Eating clean and healthy foods and the right portions gives your body the nourishment it needs to be at a healthy weight and keep your immune system working at its best.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018