Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1309486
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 NOVEMBER 2020 10 CORONAVIRUS LAURA CALLEJA THE colder season is setting in and a healthy immune system has never been more critical as it is now, as Malta braves the global COVID-19 pandemic. As Malta heads into winter, people will now not only be dealing with the yearly con- tenders – flu, cold and other viruses which circulate at this time of the year – but coro- navirus, which is still rampant across the island. It is a moment to take stock of what people need to take extra care of during such a season in which cold spells and sickness seem to be of minor concern to normally healthy people. "As temperatures drop, peo- ple are more prone to getting sick because our immune sys- tem is lowered," registered nu- tritionist Mariella Porter tells MaltaToday. "People gather in closed spaces because of the cold, so there is more of a like- lihood that people are going to get sick." Porter says that taking supple- ments to bolster one's defence systems may not necessarily cut the mustard. "It would be lovely if it were as easy as popping a pill. But in reality, protecting our immune system is multi-factorial: while nutrition plays an essential role in a healthy immune system, there are other factors such as mental health," she says. "It will depend on how stressed you are – so the cur- rent COVID-19 situation could be causing people to stress and in turn lower their immunity." Then there is the factor of ge- netic conditions, which could impact a person's immunity. "It's possible that someone's low immunity could be due to a genetic disposition. It also has to do with whether we've built enough immunity. Have we been exposed to viruses in the past years? Have we taken vaccines? All these factors will have an impact on our immu- nity." Porter says that while genet- ic predisposition can be out of people's control, key factors such as nutrition are within our control. "From a nutritionists's stand- point, before we consider sup- plements, we need to make sure that the individual is eating a well-balanced diet. That in- cludes regular meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner and if need be, a snack in between which are balanced. This means that they contain a good source of vegetables, protein and car- bohydrates always in the right proportion." Porter says this balance will provide the vitamins and nutri- ents the body will need to pro- tect the body from infection. "However, there are groups of people who might need to con- sider further supplementation – for example, people who are excluding specific food from their diet." Porter said this includes those following a vegan or vegetari- an diet, or people who are for other reasons excluding meat. "In that case, they would be deficient unless they were tak- ing zinc and iron supplements. Both zinc and iron are vital when it comes to our immuni- ty," she said. "Supplementation may also be required for picky eaters such as children, where there are food restrictions in case of illnesses, pregnancy and people who are doing extreme sports and therefore would need sup- plementation." Porter notes that during COV- ID-19 in Malta, it is important for persons to make sure they are getting enough vitamin D. "Research shows us how im- portant vitamin D is for immu- nity. One of the main sources of vitamin D is dairy – so again, people who are excluding these products should consider sup- plementation," she said. Vitamin D can also be ac- quired through sunlight. "We might assume that because we live in sunny Malta that our vitamin D is high. But that's a wrong assumption. Actually, a high percentage of the Maltese population has low vitamin D. "So we should be question- ing whether we are being ex- posed enough to the outside. The current situation makes it even harder. But it should be advocated that as much as pos- sible, even if it is in secluded areas such as our roofs, we are exposing certain body parts so that we can raise our Vitamin D Flu season in a pandemic calls for a boost in our defence systems With the likelihood of more people getting sick as the cold season sets in, nutritionist Mariella Porter says that simply popping supplements to boost the immune system will not be enough to ward off illness this year Mariella Porter "It would be lovely if it were as easy as popping a pill. But in reality, protecting our immune system is multi-factorial: while nutrition plays an essential role in a healthy immune system, there are other factors such as mental health"