A full week's conference in Madrid learning the latest science about immune boosting foods and nutritional strategies for a better practice.
Dr Gregorio attended the 4th course of immune-nutrition and sustainability – overview of the current world situation, that took place in Madrid in November and organised by the Real Academia Nacional de Farmacia.
The speakers and attendees where outstanding, coming from all different backgrounds and different work experiences. Environmental economists from FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), epidemiologists from WHO (World Health Organization), sport physiologists, paediatricians, immunologists, gastroenterologists, microbiologists, dieticians, pharmacologists and clinicians from all over the world. Such a pleasure to share our knowledge and learn more.
They examined food security, sustainability, hunger and malnutrition that can affect the health of the immune system of the population.
Do you know that the 3 crops of wheat, maize and rice alone cover 56% of energy needs of humanity?
And that almost 1/3, like 1.3 billion tonnes, of food produced is lost or wasted?
Can you believe that 1 kg of cow meat requires 22,000 litres of water, while you need only 1 litre of water for 1 kg of insects?
And good news for improving your sleep pattern as secondary fermented beers contain 333 pg/ml of melatonin and might help you to fall asleep.
It is not only about immune boosting foods!
There is not a secret food that will increase your immune response, but it is an interplay in between different factors that need to be considered.
The increase of photosynthetic rate due to the climate change affects the nutritional quality of crops. Therefore, our plants will have higher levels of carbohydrates and lower levels of polyphenols, carotenoids, proteins, and zinc.
This is not good news for the immune system of individuals that are choosing a plant-based diets and veganism.
Good news for the Mother Earth and your immune system when we talk about entomophagy, the practice of eating insects. The latter is very common in areas like Mexico for instance.
It is very sustainable and looks like very rich in nutrients including vitamin C, Zinc, Selenium and essential amino acids, key factors to contribute for a better immunological response. However, no toxicological data has been shown, therefore it is Dr G’s opinion to play carefully when we add insects into our dishes, as we have never encountered that specific antigen, which can also negatively affect our microbiome.
Early nutrition programming, prenatal and postnatal nutrition with long term effects in neurodevelopment, brain structure and function, behaviour, growth, adipose tissue and obesity, immune system and gut microbiome have been fully discussed, alongside the latest molecular mechanism regarding omega 3 and omega 6 that can affect your immune system and the composition of your microbiome.
Speaking of which, the disruption of the integrity of colonic barrier that you might encounter if you suffer from IBS will determine the lost in enterocytes functionality, steading up the ageing process and creating inflammation.
In a nutshell if you want to live long and healthy, make sure your friendly bacteria are always well nourished, your immune system is up to date with a well-balanced diet and get rid of any inflammation in your body.
Book your FREE pre-consultation with Dr Gregorio Torchia to discuss your health concerns.