#210 The Immunity Fix - Dr James DiNicolantonio

James DiNicolantonio (0:00)

The more oxidative stress you have in the body, the sicker you are, the more likely you're going to have higher levels of senescent cells, and the more likely viruses are able to infect your own cell. So, one of the first-line defenses, then, is to have a low amount of oxidative stress and have healthy cells, because unhealthy cells are more susceptible to infection.

Siim Land (0:21)

Welcome to the Siim Land Podcast. I'm your host, Siim Land. Today we talk with Dr. James DiNicolantonio. James is a cardiovascular research scientist and doctor of pharmacy. Dr. James and I co-authored a book called The Immunity Fix.

It's a comprehensive guide to strengthening your immune system, fighting infections and reversing chronic disease that takes into account all aspects of your health. You can get The Immunity Fix on Amazon.

James, welcome back to the show.

James DiNicolantonio (0:46)

Siim, thanks for having me.

Siim Land (0:48)

Yeah, I'm glad to have you on the show. We wrote a book, so it's a special occasion to do a podcast.

James DiNicolantonio (0:56)

It's a good time to celebrate. Yeah.

Siim Land (0:58)

Absolutely. So the book is The Immunity Fix. And like you reached out to me, maybe like it was in May or June this year, and you're going to propose the idea of, let's write a book together. And yeah, it was kind of, you know, it's a very hot topic at these times, the immune system and such. So like what was the main kind of reason why would you like one to write a book about immunity?

James DiNicolantonio (1:25)

Well, I think, I mean, obviously from a public health standpoint, I think it's important.

And I had been publishing, you know, several academic papers about, you know, potential ways to boost the immune system. I figured, you know, might as well put out a book to get it out to, you know, more people. And so I think, you know, a lot in the news, we hear a ton about, right, masks or social distancing and things like that. And that's fine. But, you know, people do need to understand that they have control of their own health and their own immune health. So I think that this book was really, you know, to bring attention to that because I think it's important for people to know.

Siim Land (2:05)

Yeah, absolutely, I agree. And like, although the immune system is very, you know, relevant at this time of the year and this year especially, but it's also something that you could use all the time, so to say. So it's not a book about specific events at this time. It's a book that I think will also kind of stand the test of time, so to say, because we do cover basically everything related to the immune system, what's immunity, how the immune system works, inflammation, and yeah, like everything else, how do you strengthen it. And the book is like, maybe like 400 pages around that and like 2,400 references. So it's pretty dense and full of all the information on the research that you've done.

James DiNicolantonio (2:48)

Yeah, and I think like you said, it takes a broad approach. So it's more about not just what supplements, but like a whole lifestyle, sunlight, sleep, right? Diet, exercise, like everything that can potentially help the immune system.

And ultimately, right, your immune system, if you're improving the health of your immune system, you're going to improve the health of many other things because your immune system is involved with inflammation, right, or autoimmune disease, or taking care of precancerous cells. So ultimately, anything that helps fix the immune system should translate to better overall health.

Siim Land (3:33)

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And yeah, it kind of carries over to other things. And like there are many things that should affect the immune system as well. So you can't take it very narrowly.

So like, you know, your metabolic health is going to affect the immune system, your kind of age or like your, let's say biological age is going to affect it, your sleep schedule, your exercise routine, your nutrient status. So yeah, it has to be very all encompassing almost.

James DiNicolantonio (4:02)

Yeah, exactly. And I think what was important to me for the book was to get people to understand how the immune system works and how nutrients sort of interact with the immune system. So I think that the book lays that out very well. And so people can really understand which nutrients interact with the immune system and which nutrients are more important than others.

And what's like an optimal intake in the diet or via supplementation.