This video explains how natural killer (NK) cells are important for fighting cancer and viruses. Dr. Deb Ford discusses how to boost your NK cell activity naturally through diet, supplements, and lifestyle choices. Key topics include medicinal mushrooms, vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, gut health, exercise, and sleep. The video emphasizes that these strategies help your body's immune system work its best.
Key Takeaways
1
Natural killer (NK) cells are part of your innate immune system and constantly patrol your body to eliminate virus-infected, abnormal, and early cancer cells.
2
Medicinal mushrooms like shiitake, reishi, maitake, turkey tail, and cordyceps are powerful immune modulators that enhance NK cell function without overstimulating the immune system.
3
Beta-glucans, found in mushrooms, yeast, oats, and barley, bind to immune receptors and signal NK cells to become more active and efficient.
4
Vitamin D is crucial for NK cell activity, and a deficiency can lead to reduced NK cell function and increased susceptibility to infections.
5
Vitamin C and polyphenol-rich foods protect NK cells from oxidative stress, helping them stay rejuvenated and effective in destroying abnormal cells.
6
Zinc is an essential mineral for NK cell function, as it's required for immune cells to divide and communicate effectively.
7
Gut health significantly impacts NK cell activity, with healthy gut bacteria and fermented foods enhancing immune surveillance and function.
8
Moderate, consistent exercise mobilizes NK cells into circulation, improving their number and surveillance, while chronic high-intensity exercise can suppress them.
9
Adequate sleep and stress management are critical, as chronic sleep deprivation and stress dramatically reduce NK cell activity due to elevated cortisol levels.
10
A combination of real food, regular movement, good sleep, stress management, and gut support helps NK cells thrive and supports overall immune system intelligence and strength.
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0:00
Good morning and welcome back to today's
0:02
nutrition. I'm Dr. Deb Ford, doctor of
0:05
clinical nutrition and registered
0:06
dietician. And whether you're listening
0:08
in your car, drinking your organic
0:11
coffee at home, or maybe you're out for
0:13
a brisk winter walk, I am so glad you're
0:16
here. For nearly 50 years, my passion
0:20
has been helping people feel better,
0:23
lose weight, and age with strength and
0:26
vitality naturally. Today's topic fits
0:29
that mission perfectly and it really
0:33
comes from a lot of people asking me if
0:35
I knew anything about the increased
0:38
rates of cancer and particularly what
0:42
doctors are calling the turbo cancer
0:45
coming out of nowhere after CO and
0:48
raging through the body with terrifying
0:50
speed. I was listening to another
0:53
podcast that featured Dr. Patrick Sue
0:57
Xiong, whose research to cancer
1:00
treatment is more focused at
1:03
strengthening the patients own immune
1:06
system, particularly the IL15 cells and
1:09
the natural killer cells rather than
1:12
solely relying on conventional
1:14
treatments that deplete the body and the
1:17
immune cells. He has had success with
1:20
pancreatic cancer, something that seems
1:23
epidemic these days. So I went digging
1:27
into the best natural ways we can use to
1:31
boost our own IL15 which is interlucan
1:34
15. It's a critical molecule that is
1:37
used for the development, survival and
1:39
activation of those natural killer
1:43
cells. The empowering part is you can
1:47
super support and strengthen the natural
1:50
killer cell easily naturally. Today
1:53
we're going to cover the most powerful
1:55
diet, supplement, and lifestyle
1:58
strategies to support what we call NK
2:02
cells working with how our body was
2:05
created, giving it the tools to do the
2:09
work. And you know, despite the dramatic
2:13
name, those natural killer cells are
2:16
actually your best friends when it comes
2:19
to immune health. ENK cells are part of
2:22
the innate immune system, meaning
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they're always on duty. They don't wait
2:27
for instructions or memory. They patrol
2:30
your body 24/7 365 seeking out and
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identifying virus infected cells,
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abnormal cells, and even early cancer
2:41
cells. And they eliminate them before
2:44
trouble starts. Let's start with one of
2:46
the biggies, one of my favorites, too.
2:49
Medicinal mushrooms, the master immune
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modulators. Research is deep on these
2:56
medicinal mushrooms that support IL15.
3:01
What is fantastic about mushrooms is
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their food and they enhance immune
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function rather than overstimulating.
3:10
We don't want to overstimulate
3:13
especially in autoimmune conditions.
3:15
Modulate is key. Training the immune
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system influences the development, the
3:22
survival and activation of these NK
3:25
cells and T-C cells. This means that
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medicinal mushrooms strengthen the
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immune surveillance resilience supports
3:35
any antiviral and anti-tumor defenses in
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a really balanced way. I'm not talking
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about the little white mushrooms on your
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pizza, although those are fine. I'm
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talking about the mushrooms called
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shiakei, rayi, mayataki, turkey tail,
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and cortiseps. These mushrooms have been
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used medically
4:00
thousands of years. And modern research
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has confirmed what traditional medicine
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already knew that they were powerful
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immune modulators. And that modulating
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word is important. You don't want to
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overstimulate. You want to modulate,
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really educate those cells, get them
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what they need, and then they help the
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immune cells respond appropriately. I
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like to think back to the longlived
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Chinese emperors. They treasured and
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heavily revered these medicinal
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mushrooms, particularly rayi. It was
4:36
known as the mushroom of immortality.
4:40
They are the symbol of divine power,
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longevity and health. Emperors reserve
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them only for the royalty and the court
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officials. And they were known for their
4:54
anti-aging
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benefits. Okay. And mushrooms are kind
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of interesting. They're not plants.
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They're not animals. They're like
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something in between.
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Very fascinating little organism. The
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key compound in the mushroom is what's
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called beta glucans. Those are special
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polysaccharides that bind to the immune
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receptors and they signal the NK cells
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to become more active and alert and
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efficient. I always look for strong and
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consistent research on products and it
5:29
is easy to find reams of research on
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these medicinal mushrooms. definitely
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increasing NK cell activity, the natural
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killer cell activity, going after
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viruses, going after abnormal cancer
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cells. That becomes more important as we
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age because NK natural killer cell
5:52
activity declines over time. We also
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know that we see NK cells being depleted
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in many cases of CO. How do you use
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these mushrooms? You can cook with them
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in every meal, soup, stirfries, omelets.
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But for therapeutic immune support, most
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people benefit from standardized
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mushroom extracts from reputable sources
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because you can't really trust anything
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out there. You've got to really go with
6:22
companies, order direct, come to me to
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get them, but you don't want to take any
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chances when you're under stress. If
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you've got illness already, or if you
6:31
are surrounded by people that are ill,
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you might want to consider doing
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mushrooms. My favorite source is
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nature's sunshine. It's got all of them
6:41
in one little scoop, and that's great.
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One little scoop is a dose. Very mild
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flavor. I've put it in my coffee before,
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tends to settle out, so I normally just
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put it in my 60 g protein smoothie. Now,
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let's stay with beta glucan for a moment
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because mushrooms aren't the only
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source. Beta glucan is also found in
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yeast, in oats, in barley,
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and they're going to boost those natural
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killer cells. And they're saying cells,
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pay attention, be ready for action,
7:14
alert. They're safe. They're
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wellstudied. They don't push the immune
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system, like I say, into overdrive. They
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don't stimulate. They just tell it to
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work smart. Really good for the gut
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health, the immune health. Next up, and
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this one's huge, especially around here,
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vitamin D. Now, I'm going to say
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something I've said a lot of times
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before. Vitamin D really is not a
7:34
vitamin. It's it functions more like a
7:36
hormone. Nearly every cell in the body,
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including your natural killer cells,
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have vitamin D receptors. It turns on
7:45
action. Unless you're supplementing, I
7:47
would wager you're probably deficient.
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And when vitamin D level is low, NK cell
7:55
activity suffers. We know when you are
7:59
deficient in vitamin D, you're going to
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have reduced NK cell function. You're
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going to have impaired immune
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surveillance. It's not seeking out and
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destroying the bad guys. You also have
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increased susceptibility to infections.
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And most people in the Midwest are
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deficient. Fall and winter especially.
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If you're not outside even in the
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summer, yeah, you're going to be
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deficient. Other factors, age, darker
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skin, obesity, inflammation, kidney,
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liver, or gut function, even genetics,
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play a role in the body's ability to
8:34
convert sun exposure on the skin to
8:36
active vitamin D levels. Genetics, I've
8:39
got that little snip. I got to have
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higher levels of vitamin D. Like I say,
8:44
test, don't guess. Blood levels matter.
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The optimal range is often higher than
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what's considered normal. An optimal
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level is going to be around 60. Vitamin
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D just helps NK cells do their job. It's
9:00
foundational for immune resilience and
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it is normally not in your annual blood
9:06
work. You have to ask for it to be added
9:09
or just go get it yourself. Now, we're
9:12
going to move on and talk to good old
9:14
vitamin C, but also polyphenol rich
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foods that protect the NK cell, the
9:22
protectors. Vitamin C does more than
9:24
boost immunity. It actually protects
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immune cells, including the NK cells,
9:31
from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress
9:36
happens when our cells work. And NK
9:39
cells work hard. They're going to
9:41
generate waste when they work hard. That
9:45
waste is called reactive oxygen species.
9:49
That is creating oxidative stress. So
9:52
you need a lot of ant-ioxidants
9:55
to quell what is basically cell rusting.
9:59
Oxidative stress is cell rusting. So the
10:02
NK cells, if you've got enough of the
10:05
vitamin C and polyphenols, they get
10:08
rejuvenated and they go back and they
10:10
destroy the abnormal cells. And without
10:13
adequate antioxidants, they're going to
10:15
burn out. They're going to die. You're
10:17
going to be low in those NK cells, more
10:20
prone to all the things we talked about.
10:23
Little extra vitamin C preserves that
10:25
ENK cell function and enhances the
10:28
antiviral defense. Oh boy, Linus Pauling
10:31
new so many benefits. So foodwise,
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citrus fruit, bell peppers, kiwi,
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berries, leafy greens, all great. But
10:41
now we want to talk about other
10:42
compounds. Those polyphenols,
10:47
those polyphenols are part of the 28,000
10:51
phytochemicals that are found in fruits
10:54
and vegetables and seeds, nuts, and all
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the plants and especially green tea.
11:00
And you know what is going to be the
11:02
worst thing on vitamin C and also these
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polyphenols.
11:06
You know what I always say? Sugar is the
11:08
number one enemy. And in fact NK cells
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die in a high sugar ultrarocessed
11:16
environment. They thrive in a
11:19
nutrient-dense antioxidantrich body.
11:22
Always always always aim to eat the
11:26
colors of the rainbow every day.
11:29
So remember, your immune system is not
11:32
fragile. You don't have to be in fear.
11:35
It is extremely intelligent and
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developed over eons. It was created to
11:42
work best when you give it the right
11:44
tools. It knows exactly what to do. The
11:48
body responds on how you live your life.
11:52
So now we're going to dive in next to
11:54
zinc and some other key micronutrients.
11:57
I'm going to call them the spark plugs
11:59
of immunity. Starting with zinc, one of
12:02
the most underrated minerals when it
12:04
comes to immune health, but boy, we
12:06
became very familiar with it during CO.
12:09
You need zinc. Zinc is going to be a
12:13
little bit of a protector on that cell.
12:16
And without zinc, NK cells literally
12:19
cannot do their job. Zinc deficiency has
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become very common especially in older
12:25
adults because of processed diet. People
12:28
on acid blocking medications
12:32
prylok protonics all of those things you
12:35
turn off stomach acid you are not going
12:37
to be absorbing your zinc properly. And
12:40
anybody with digestive issues anybody
12:42
under chronic stress zinc is required
12:45
for immune cells to divide and
12:48
communicate. Low zinc means lower ENK
12:52
cells, not as many and weaker activity.
12:55
I love food to get your zinc. Pumpkin
12:58
seeds, oysters, seafood, beef, poultry,
13:02
especially the darker meat and eggs are
13:05
going to have a little bit too. And your
13:06
legumes and nuts. Zinc does not work
13:09
alone, however. Has to be balanced with
13:11
copper. And then other micronutrients
13:14
matter too. A, B6, B12, selenium.
13:18
They're like the supporting staff for
13:20
the NK cell efficiency. That is why I
13:24
always recommend my favorite O daily
13:29
multivitamin. It's got just about
13:32
everything in a one a day and it is the
13:36
best one I've seen. And I always
13:39
emphasize nutrient density in the diet
13:42
over calories. You can eat more than
13:45
enough calories and still be
13:47
undernourished at a cellular level. Now,
13:50
we're going to talk about the gut, where
13:52
immunity begins. You cannot separate gut
13:56
health from immune health. 70% of your
13:59
immune system at least lives in and
14:02
around your gut. ENK cells are deeply
14:05
influenced by the microbiome,
14:08
healthy gut bacteria. They train and
14:12
enhance immune function. Certain
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strains, especially Lactobacillus and
14:17
Bifidobacteria,
14:18
can really increase NK cell activity and
14:22
improve that surveillance where it's
14:25
going out to seek and destroy viruses
14:27
and cancer cells. And probiotics
14:31
don't work well without the right food.
14:35
We don't think about feeding those bugs
14:37
very often, but we need to. We need to
14:39
feed them the vegetable fibers, but also
14:42
fermented foods like yogurt and kefir
14:45
and sauerkraut and kimchi. But the
14:48
vegetable fibers, they're called
14:50
prebiotics in onions and garlic and
14:53
leaks, asparagus, oats, all of these
14:56
feed the bacteria. And among other
14:59
things, they are going to support the
15:01
immune system. If the gut is inflamed,
15:05
leaky, imbalanced,
15:07
NK cells are not going to be effective.
15:10
When the gut is calm, and nourished, NK
15:14
cells are sharper and more responsive
15:16
and alert. So, that's why digestive
15:19
health is never just about digestion.
15:24
Next, we're going to move on to one of
15:26
my favorite topics, exercise. Exercise
15:29
is one of the most powerful ways to
15:32
increase ENK cell activity immediately.
15:35
When you exercise, ENK cells are
15:39
mobilized into circulation. They move
15:41
out of the storage sites and into the
15:43
bloodstream. And that's where they do
15:45
their best. They survey and protect. And
15:49
here's the word moderate. Moderate
15:51
exercise. Regular consistent movement
15:55
increases NK cell number, improves the
15:59
surveillance and enhances resilience.
16:03
But chronic highintense exercise,
16:06
especially without recovery, will
16:08
actually suppress NK activity. That's
16:11
why I like walking or resistance
16:14
training or Pilates or yoga, light
16:17
interval training, gentle strength
16:20
training. You don't need to punish your
16:21
body to support immunity. You just got
16:24
to move. You know, when you move, it
16:26
tells your body, "We're strong. We're
16:28
capable. Be alert. Do the job you were
16:31
designed to do." Now, finally, the most
16:34
important piece of it all, sleep
16:38
management.
16:40
You can eat perfectly. You can take
16:43
every supplement, but if you are
16:45
chronically sleepdeprived and stressed,
16:49
natural killer cell activity drops
16:53
dramatically,
16:55
30 to 50%.
16:57
Why is that? Cortisol, that stress
17:00
hormone, dog on it, it suppresses the NK
17:05
cell function. Chronic stress just tells
17:07
the body it is not a safe time to fight
17:10
infections or fight abnormal cells.
17:13
It is thinking short-term survival. I'm
17:16
in stress mode. There might be a tiger
17:17
getting out ready to jump out at me. I
17:19
cannot be in longevity mode. When we've
17:23
got high NK activity, we're in longevity
17:26
mode. It's biology. That's why sleep and
17:31
prayer and breath work and quiet time
17:35
and really supporting your body, getting
17:39
morning light exposure, they are immune
17:42
therapies. It functions best when you've
17:44
got that sleep wake cycle regular and
17:47
predictable. So sleeping is just
17:50
critically important for the immune
17:52
system. Bringing it all together here.
17:54
You've got the mushrooms, you've got
17:55
beta glucan, you got vitamin D, zinc,
17:57
and the other micronutrients. You've got
17:59
vitamin C and those colorful polyphenols
18:02
also in green tea. You've got gut health
18:05
and probiotics. You've got exercise,
18:08
sleep, and stress regulation. It sounds
18:10
like my heavenly sort of framework. But
18:15
the big takeaway is ENK cells thrive in
18:19
a body that feels safe and nourished and
18:23
supported. You don't need perfection,
18:25
but you do need consistency. You need to
18:28
eat real food, move the body, sleep
18:31
well, manage stress, support the gut,
18:33
and your immune system responds with
18:36
intelligence
18:37
and strength and vitality. This has been
18:40
Dr. Deb Ford. Thank you again for
18:43
listening to today's nutrition.
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Natural Killer Cells Fight Cancer and Viruses
Deb Ford DCN RDN
38 views
Feb 8, 2026
18:49
Today’s topic comes from people asking me if I knew anything about the increase rate of cancers and particularly what doctors are calling “turbo cancers”- coming out of nowhere after covid, and raging through the body with terrifying speed. I was listening to another podcast that featured Dr. Patrick Soon Shiong whose approach to cancer treatment is to strengthen the patient’s immune system- particularly the IL-15 cells and Natural Killer cells, rather than solely relying on conventional treatments that deplete body, and the immune cells.