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This week’s immunity study from Imperial College London is certainly grim reading. The React-2 trial, which asked about 350,000 people in England to submit finger prick antibody tests from their home, suggests that protective antibodies against Covid-19 decline “quite quickly” after the first infection, according to the researcher Prof Helen Ward.
In the first round of testing, in the summer, about 60 out of 1,000 people had detectable antibodies. But this figure had dropped to 44 in September. It suggests that patients could be susceptible to re-infection with Covid only months after first contracting it, and that “herd immunity” could be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. Once a vaccine is developed, older and vulnerable people may need to receive it at least twice a year.
Doctors point out, however, that antibodies are not the only weapon in the body’s protective armor: T cells also play a role, killing infected cells; whereas memory B cells rapidly produce new antibodies once threatened by a virus.
“We can see the antibodies and we can see them decrease and we know that the antibodies by themselves are quite protective,” Professor Wendy Barclay told the BBC. “On the balance of the evidence, I would say that it would appear that immunity decreases at the same rate that antibodies decrease, and this is an indication of waning immunity.”
But as grim as the news is, there are still steps we can take now to boost our immunity:
Sleep
Adequate sleep – between six and nine hours a night, according to the NHS – is “the foundation of your immune system,” according to Dr. Jenna Macciochi, an immunologist at the University of Sussex. During sleep, our body produces melatonin, which helps build new immune cells. “If you’re not sleeping, no other lifestyle measures will make a big difference,” he says.
Maintaining a healthy sleep schedule can be difficult in a confinement. To help, Dr. Guy Meadows, founder of The Sleep School, recommends sticking to a rigorous routine, avoiding caffeine after lunch, and drinking alcohol in moderation. If you’re working from home, he adds, try a “fake commute” in which you walk 10 minutes every morning and night to “transition your mind from work to home.”
Diet
A colorful, low-carb Mediterranean diet rich in fruits and vegetables will nourish your body with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients, helping you fight infection, doctors say. Broccoli, red bell peppers, and blueberries are especially recommended.
“Keep fruits and vegetables whole and ideally on the skin, as they contain essential fiber that feeds the healthy insects in your digestive tract, crucial for fighting infection,” advises Dr. Claire Bailey, GP and author of The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet Recipe Book.
Exercise
Moving throughout the day strengthens your lymphatic system, which is essential in helping immune cells perform their watchdog role for hostile viruses. “Regular and often is the key,” says Dr. Macciochi.
Vitamins
Vitamin D supplements reduce the risk of respiratory infection, according to an analysis of 25 studies published in the British Medical Journal in 2017. Another study, which gathered data from 16 clinical trials involving 7,400 people, found that taking vitamin D supplements reduces risk of contracting at least one respiratory infection, including influenza and pneumonia, in one third, with benefits seen within three weeks.
In contrast, there is little evidence that vitamin C prevents infection, but it can shorten symptoms once you are infected. Oranges, kiwis, spinach, grapefruit, and cauliflower are helpful here, as are supplements.
Water
Drinking plenty of water is “critically important to those who are overlooked,” according to immunologist Dr. Ross Walton. The NHS recommends six to eight glasses a day. Dehydration damages the mucus layer in the respiratory tract, which contains important antibodies. Tea and coffee are not as effective because they are diuretics (which means that they accelerate the expulsion of water from the body through urine).
Read more: Don’t panic; Not everything is over for Covid immunity, here’s why
