When it comes to supporting your immune system, there’s a lot you can do. Clean up your diet, get enough sleep, exercise daily, manage stress levels, and in terms of supplementation, there’s also no shortage of products available to boost your immune system and keep it strong.
But these supplements don’t always come in the form of direct immune boosters. Things like multivitamins are great for ensuring adequate nutrient stores and body-wide peak performance, while omega-3s are fantastic for keeping inflammation at bay, both of which contribute to a stronger and more productive immune system.
Whether you’re looking to treat a compromised immune system or are just looking for general maintenance, we’re covering the reasons why supporting your immune system is key, what nutrients it requires, and the best plant-based supplements to do so.
Why Immune Support Is Key
Most of us think that the immune system is just linked to preventing illness, and while that’s a large part of what the immune system does, it’s not the only thing.
The immune system is strongly interconnected with every other system in the body, which means keeping it healthy (along with all your other systems) ensures peak body-wide performance. Basically, you can’t have one without the other(s).
- Nervous system - There’s a strong link between the immune system and the nervous system through an extensive communication network. This includes ‘hardwiring’ of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves to lymphoid organs, along with certain neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, norepinephrine, vasoactive intestinal peptide, substance P, and histamine that all play an important role in modulating immune activity 1.
- Circulatory system - The circulatory system is the main transport passage for immune cells to arrive to sites of infection. And then there’s the lymphatic system, which also uses to circulatory system to help rid the body of toxins and transporting WBCs around the body to fight infection.
- Digestive system - With more than 70% of your immune system residing in the gut, maintaining a healthy digestive system is critical to maintaining a healthy immune system. The best example is leaky gut syndrome—a disease that arises when the gut membrane becomes permeable and the immune system responds to invading particles. The gut lining has direct responsibility for filtering nutrients into the bloodstream and keeping undigested particles and toxins from entering. When the integrity of the gut becomes compromised, particles sneak through, and the immune system is altered, causing it to mount a reaction. Eventually, when reactions become too frequent, the immune system becomes hypersensitive, and autoimmunity can develop.
By no means is this an exhaustive list of the interconnectivity of the immune system, but each of the body systems are intertwined and rely on one another to maintain optimal function and health.
Disease in one system will disrupt homeostasis and cause issues in other body systems, so supplying your body with the nutrients it needs to stay healthy is critical to overall health and well-being.
Key Nutrients For Supporting Immune Function
Like every other system in the body, the immune system requires certain nutrients for immune cell health, barrier protection, pathogen destruction, and all the other important roles it plays.
But when there are nutrient deficiencies, the function of the immune system is compromised and your body can’t fight effectively.
When looking for immune supplements, these are some of the key ones needed:
- Vitamin D - The sunshine vitamin also happens to be one of the most powerful vitamins for supporting immune health. Vitamin D receptors, along with enzymes that produce vitamin D3, are found on nearly all immune cells and modulate both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system 2. Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to increased risk of infection, but also autoimmune conditions.
- Zinc - Zinc is one of the most important players for supporting immune function due to its role in promoting immune cell development and communication, as well as protecting the function of tissue barriers of the body, which prevent external pathogens from entering and causing damage 3. Low levels of zinc can result in profound consequences for immune function and throws off immune cell balance, which interferes with the formation, activation, and maturation of lymphocytes, disrupts intercellular communication via cytokines, and weakens defenses of the innate immune system 4.
- Selenium - Selenium’s role in the immune system often goes unrecognized, but it’s key for supporting every component of the immune system and its ability to respond to infections appropriately. The mineral is highly concentrated in several immune tissues and is essential for T cell proliferation, lymphokine-activated killer cell activity, NK cell activity, delayed-type hypersensitivity responses, and responses to vaccines 5.
- Vitamin C - Vitamin C is the standard for immune support and plays an important role in the adaptive and innate immune defenses, as well as supporting the health of the epithelial barrier to protect the body against invading pathogens. And because vitamin C accumulates in many types of immune cells, it can enhance chemotaxis, phagocytosis, generation of free radicals, and ultimately boost microbial killing 6. Low levels of vitamin C are linked to a higher susceptibility to infection, impaired immune defenses, and higher levels of inflammation.
- Essential fatty acids - The typical role of EFAs has been in reducing levels of inflammation, but they are also great immune supporters, especially for the adaptive immune system. Because of their role in cell membranes, omega-3 fatty acids regulate specific properties like membrane fluidity, but also act as signaling molecules 7. The metabolites of both omega-3s and omega-6s play important immune-regulatory functions in several types of immune cells (macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, NK cells, mast cells, T cells, and B cells).
The Top 5 Supplements For Plant-Based Immune Support
Want to max out on your immune support? Performance Lab offers a lineup of some of the cleanest and most powerful supplements for supporting full-body peak performance—not just for your immune system, but every system in your body.
And the best part is that all these supplements stack seamlessly to provide the ultimate support from every angle.
PL-Immune
A lot of the vital nutrients for supporting immune function are widely distributed in animal products, which means that people consuming a plant-based diet aren’t getting sufficient amounts—unless they’re supplementing.
That’s where PL-Immune comes in handy. It’s six powerful nutrients designed specifically for maximum immune support.
PL-Immune™ is a breakthrough immunity formula in convenient capsule form. It’s a dynamic probiotic and antioxidant stack that activates five different types of immune cells to quickly restore frontline defenses and support your body’s natural immune function for robust long-range health.
Designed for performance, PL-Immune™:
- Fortifies first-line immune defenses and long-range immune responses
- Increases the number and activity of immune cells
- Maintains work productivity and performance via overall immune wellness
- Replenishes antioxidants for immune system offense and defense
- Helps fight immune challenges and fatigue associated with exercise
- Restores foundational immune support with NutriGenesis® vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, and selenium
It supports every aspect of your immune system to help you recover and bounce back faster and stronger.
What’s more, all vitamins and minerals in PL-Immune™ are trademarked Performance Lab® NutriGenesis®—they include natural cofactors that enhance absorption, bioavailability, and immune-supportive activity.
Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi
It would be great if we could get all of our nutrients from the food we eat, but the fact of the matter is we can’t. Stress depletes them, our soil doesn’t have them, or we just don’t absorb what we need.
Regardless, supplementing to replenish nutrient stores and prevent deficiencies is key to keeping every body system healthy and functional—especially if you’re following a plant-based diet.
This is where Performance Lab NutriGenesis® Multi excels. It’s an upgraded multivitamin designed for overall health and peak human performance.
Performance Lab® NutriGenesis® Multi helps restore nutrients that may be missing from your diet to promote healthy cell performance across all body systems.
NutriGenesis® is ultramodern nutrition technology using nutrients bioengineered with cofactors to boost absorption, utilization, and maximize benefits.
NutriGenesis® Multi supplies 100%+ of your daily recommended intake of 17+ essential vitamins and minerals tailored to your body, all delivered in NutriCaps®—prebiotic-infused and vegan-friendly capsules for digestive comfort and peace of mind.
It’s a guaranteed way to keep your immune system healthy (along with the rest of your body) by supplying it with everything it needs to run.
Performance Lab Prebiotic
Just like we mentioned before, supporting the health of the gut also means supporting the health of the immune system—they’re inextricably linked, and one can’t function without the health of the other.
Besides eating a nutrient-dense diet, sleeping well, keeping stress low, and exercising often, keeping your gut flora happy and balanced means a healthy digestive system.
Traditionally, we always hear about probiotics for supporting gut health, but they’re not the only kids in town. If you’re looking to upgrade your microbiome, prebiotics are a must—the food that probiotic bacteria need to thrive.
Performance Lab Prebiotic is a 2-in-1 probiotic + soluble fiber support for healthy metabolic and microbiome performance. Unlike other probiotic supplements that are dodgy and may overload the gut with 20+ billion mixed cultures that can lead to gastric distress,
Prebiotic instead nourishes your existing probiotic colony with Orafti® Synergy1 (Inulin-FOS from chicory root) for robust growth and health. Because of this, Prebiotic delivers more reliable, natural, and comfortable microbiome support with the addition of fiber for digestive support, immune function, fat loss, and other benefits you don’t get from conventional probiotic supplements.
Performance Lab Omega 3
Put aside the conventional fish oils that are laced with toxins, heavy metals, pesticides, and antibiotics, and trade them for something cleaner, purer, and substantially more effective.
Performance Lab Omega-3 is an ultramodern updated omega-3 supplement derived from algae—the original source of EPA and DHA. It’s formulated to optimize cell membranes for peak biological performance throughout the body, especially in the brain, eyes, and cardiovascular system.
But unlike other omega-3 supplements that contain nasty ingredients and have eco-destructive consequences, Performance Lab® Omega-3 supplies clean, safe, and sustainable DHA+EPA for whole-body health and performance.
In every capsule, you’re getting:
- Enhanced cell membrane structure and function for healthy whole-body performance
- Heart health, circulation, and overall cardiovascular performance support
- Improved protein synthesis, muscle preservation, and muscle recovery
- Maintenance of healthy brain, eye, and nervous system performance
- Optimal 2:1 DHA to EPA ratio associated with balanced immune responses
It’s easy to take with no fishy smell, no fishy aftertaste, and no gastric distress.
Performance Lab Sleep
Don’t underestimate the importance of sleep for supporting immune function. Getting adequate quality rest plays a huge part in supporting specific cells of your adaptive immune defenses called T cells.
The release of catecholamines during stressful events (i.e. sleep deprivation) can impair the stickiness that T cells require to make direct contact with pathogens 8.
Studies consistently find that people who get more sleep have improved T cell function compared to those who are sleep deprived 9. But sleep is also needed for immunological memory.
So, when you’re not sleeping enough or not sleeping well, it can lead to impaired immune defenses and increased chronic systemic low-grade inflammation, which sets the stage for inflammatory-based diseases like diabetes, atherosclerosis, autoimmunity, and neurodegeneration 10.
Performance Lab Sleep is an ultramodern sleep aid that helps you wake in the morning ready to perform. Unlike other natural sleep aids that supply one large dose of synthetic melatonin only, Performance Lab® Sleep supplies natural low-dose melatonin from CherryPURE® Montmorency Tart Cherry.
With joint- and muscle-soothing antioxidants, CherryPURE® promotes deep sleep better than any synthetic melatonin can. Additionally, three forms of magnesium help to promote sleep-supportive muscle relaxation with no after-morning grogginess.
Sleep is a safe, non-habit-forming formula to help you fall asleep faster and wake up feeling fresher. 100% natural, high-grade nutrients combine to calm nerves, soothe muscles, and ease sleep-disrupting stress to extend the deep sleep phase crucial for muscle repair, brain regeneration, and immune support.
Final Thoughts
It’s no question that there are hundreds of immune supplements out there, ranging from herbal blends and tinctures, to pure vitamins and syrups.
But when you’re looking for the cleanest, most effective, and natural plant-based supplements out there, there’s only one choice—Performance Lab.
Our immune stack has you covered from head to toe, addressing every imbalance and challenge that your body can experience to support full-body health and immune wellness.
References
- L Elaborate interactions between the immune and nervous systems. Nat Immunol. 2004;5(6):575-581.
- C Aranow. Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med. 2011;59(6):881-886.
- I Wessels, M Maywald, L Rink. Zinc as a Gatekeeper of Immune Function. 2017;9(12):1286.
- M Maares, H Zinc and immunity: An essential interrelation.Arch Biochem Biophys. 2016;611:58-65.
- RC McKenzie,TS Rafferty, GJ Beckett. Selenium: an essential element for immune function. Immunol Today. 1998;19:342–5.
- AC Carr, S Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017;9(11):1211.
- S Gutiérrez, SL Svahn, ME Johansson. Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Immune Cells.Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(20):5028.
- S Dimitrov, T Lange, C Gouttefangeas, et al. Gαs-coupled receptor signaling and sleep regulate integrin activation of human antigen-specific T cells.J Exp Med. 2019;216(3):517-526.
- T Bollinger, A Bollinger, L Skrum, S Dimitrov, T Lange, W Solbach. Sleep-dependent activity of T cells and regulatory T cells.Clin Exp Immunol. 2009;155(2):231-238.
- L Besedovsky, T Lange, M The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease. Physiol Rev. 2019;99(3):1325-1380.
