All Videos for Immune Function

The Broccoli Receptor: Our First Line of Defense

There is a receptor in our intestines activated by phytonutrients in cruciferous vegetables that boosts immune function (the aryl hydrocarbon [Ah] receptor).



Preserving Immune Function in Athletes with Nutritional Yeast

Athletes who overtrain may put excessive stress on their bodies, and become more susceptible to respiratory infections. But, the fiber found in nutritional and brewer’s yeast may prevent this immune decline in marathon runners.



Eating Outside Our Kingdom

A higher rate of cancer deaths among those that handle and process meat is attributed to infection with viruses, and chronic exposure to animal proteins.



Kiwifruit for Insomnia

Two kiwi fruit an hour before bedtime may improve sleep quality and duration, without the side effects associated with sleeping pills.



More than an Apple a Day: Preventing the Most Common Diseases

Dr. Greger has scoured the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition, and developed this brand-new live presentation on the latest in cutting-edge research on how a healthy diet can affect some of our most common medical conditions.



Why Might Vegetarians Have Less HPV?

Most young women get infected with human papilloma virus, the cause of cervical cancer, but most are able to clear the infection before the virus causes cancer. What dietary changes can improve viral clearance?



Past the Age of Miracles: Facing a Post-Antibiotic Age

The Director-General of the World Health Organization warns that we may be facing an end to modern medicine as we know it—thanks, in part, to the mass feeding of antibiotics to farm animals to accelerate growth.



Mediating Radiation Exposure from Airline Travel

Based on studies of atomic bomb survivors, Chernobyl victims, and airline pilots exposed to more cosmic rays at high altitudes, it appears that fruits and vegetables may decrease radiation-induced chromosome damage.



Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics?

Though prebiotics may be preferable, probiotics may reduce the risk of upper respiratory tract infections.



Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation

Cooked white mushroom consumption stimulates antibody production, while potentially still playing an anti-inflammatory role.



Does a Drink of Water Make Children Smarter?

Most children don’t drink water from when they wake up to when they go off to school. Interventional trials show this mild state of dehydration may negatively affect scholastic performance.



Clinical Studies on Açaí Berries

An independent review of the effects of açaí berries was recently published, including studies on immune function, arthritis, and metabolic parameters.



How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies

Cancer may use a molecule found in animal products to trick our immune system into feeding it with inflammation.



Clonal Deletion Theory of Immunity

Plant-based diets may be protective against multiple sclerosis because IGF-1 can prevent our immune system from eliminating autoimmune cells.



Clonal Selection Theory of Immunity

We may have a billion different types of antibody-releasing cells in our immune system, such that each recognizes a different molecular signature.



Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease

Because certain tumors such as breast cancers thrive in settings of low-grade inflammation, our immune response can sometimes facilitate tumor growth.



The Best Baby Formula

Exclusive breastfeeding for a full six months may, ironically, improve our children’s taste for vegetables—whereas children fed formula grow up with increased rates of inflammatory diseases such as asthma, cancer, and diabetes.



Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both?

Whose blood is better at killing cancer cells? People who eat a standard diet and exercise strenuously, or those who eat a plant-based diet and just exercise moderately?



Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay

Two weeks on a plant-based diet appears to significantly enhance cancer defenses against breast cancer and colon cancer cells. The blood of those eating a vegan diet for a year suppresses cancer cell growth nearly eight times better.



Risk Associated with Iron Supplements

Iron is a double-edged sword. If we don’t absorb enough, we risk anemia; but if absorb too much, we may increase our risk of cancer, heart disease, and a number of inflammatory conditions. Because the human body has no mechanism to rid itself of excess iron, one should choose plant-based (non-heme) sources, over which our body has some control.



Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

Death in America is largely a foodborne illness. Focusing on studies published just over the last year in peer-reviewed scientific medical journals, Dr. Greger offers practical advice on how best to feed ourselves and our families to prevent, treat, and even reverse many of the top 15 killers in the United States.



Boosting Immunity Through Diet

Inadequate fruit and vegetable intake may help explain the loss of immune function associated with aging that is linked to an increased risk of dying from pneumonia and influenza.



The Safer Cinnamon

There are four common types of cinnamon: Vietnamese, Chinese (cassia), Indonesian, and Ceylon (true) cinnamon. Which is safest in terms of the level of coumarin, which may damage the liver at toxic doses?



Smoking vs. Kale Juice

The effect of kale juice on LDL and HDL cholesterol, and the antioxidant capacity of the blood.



Kale and the Immune System

Comparing the immune system-boosting effect of cooked versus raw kale.



Preventing Childhood Allergies

What is responsible for the rising prevalence of atopic diseases, such as food allergies, asthma, hay fever, and eczema?



Chicken, Eggs, & Inflammation

Chicken and eggs are the top sources of arachidonic acid in the diet—an omega-6 fatty acid involved in our body’s inflammatory response.



Cancer Prevention & Treatment May Be the Same Thing

Breast cancer can take decades to develop, so early detection via mammogram may be too late.



Diet and Lichen Planus

A common plant may successfully treat oral lichen planus, a painful condition affecting the lining of the mouth.



Cancer Reversal Through Diet?

Dr. Dean Ornish turns from reversing heart disease to trying to reverse prostate cancer.



Slowing the Growth of Cancer

Researchers discovered a dietary intervention that may slow the progression of cancer.