Food Can Fix It - dr. Mehmet Oz

body. All the while, they gobble up and destroy run-of-the-mill germs, but if
they spot major trouble, they call in reinforcements. These are defence cells
called T cells and B cells.
Your immune system can recognize whether something’s foreign, because just
like the people standing in that TSA line, every cell needs to have some kind of
identification. If your immune system recognizes cells that don’t have the proper
ID for your body, that’s when it gets to work to kill off the offenders.
Some cells simply attack and kill invaders, whether they’re germs, bacteria,
viruses, or other things that your immune system is unfamiliar with. Sometimes,
they overreact to those foreign invaders, which creates a major inflammatory
response (allergy symptoms are an inflammatory response that shows your
immune system is trying to get rid of a specific allergen, for instance). They may
even attack your own body, thinking that healthy cells are foreign, such as with
autoimmune diseases. Those are a bit like friendly fire, if you will. Food is a
vital defence, because various nutrients can have a positive effect on the
functioning of your immune cells, so that they work well in the capacities they
need to—whether it’s ID’ing foreign invaders, destroying them, or overall
protection against the many microscopic skirmishes going on inside your body.