12 Ways to Boost Your Immune System as You Age

Your immune system keeps you healthy by fighting threats like bacteria and viruses. It also guards against changes within your body, like cancer cells, while also helping your body heal. As you enter your 50s, your immune system’s ability to do these things starts to weaken. Here are 12 ways you can take charge and boost your immunity.

Our bodies naturally produce vitamin D when we get enough sunlight, and you can also get it from your diet. It helps your immune system function and reduces inflammation, which is a risk factor for diseases like cancer, heart disease, and arthritis. Inflammation can affect women more intensely than men as they age. Especially in fall and winter, consider a supplement and eat more D-rich foods, like low-fat dairy and oily fish like salmon. Many foods are enriched with this nutrient to make it easier to meet your needs.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that supports your immune system in a few ways, including protecting your cells from free radicals, which can damage the immune system. It also helps fight infections and heal wounds. Eating citrus fruits, along with strawberries and kiwi, can help you get more vitamin C in your diet. Adding Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and dark leafy greens like spinach to meals will also give you a boost.

Nuts and seeds are a good source of many vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, a nutrient that helps regulate the immune system and is an antioxidant. Good sources include sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, and peanuts. You can add nuts and seeds to a salad or homemade granola, or eat staples like peanut butter more regularly. 

Probiotics are naturally occurring good bacteria that live in your gut. Fermented foods that are high in probiotics boost your immune system by increasing these good bacteria in your intestines. This keeps harmful germs at bay, which can help you avoid infections. They also play a role in preventing cancer. Add yogurt to your snack rotation, try recipes with sauerkraut or kimchi, or sip on kombucha to get more probiotics in your diet.

Diseases like cancer, heart disease, and arthritis are linked to chronic inflammation, and as you age, your body goes through more of this type of inflammation. Try to steer clear of foods that cause inflammation, like white bread and red meat. Choose foods high in antioxidants instead, like apples, blueberries, and dark leafy greens. Swap your cooking oil for olive oil. Try replacing red meat with fatty fish like salmon and tuna.

A healthy, balanced diet is the best way to get your dose of vitamins and minerals that boost your immune system. But in some cases, a supplement can help. For example, vitamin D is harder to absorb as you age, and some conditions may mean that you aren’t able to eat certain foods. Check the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidance website to find the recommended allowances for vitamins and minerals. And talk to your doctor or pharmacist about how certain supplements might interact with drugs you’re taking. 

If you’re not getting enough sleep, or your sleep is poor quality, it could make you more likely to get sick — and stay sick. A lack of sleep could mean your body won’t be able to make as many cytokines, or proteins your immune system needs to help fight infections and inflammation. Ideally, you want to aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night.

Getting regular exercise is an effective way to support your immune system as you age. It helps your body make more cells that fight viruses and protect you from cancer, and it makes them more active. It also lowers inflammation and supports better sleep. The CDC recommends muscle-strengthening exercises like lifting weights twice a week and spending 150 minutes weekly doing exercise at a moderate intensity. A brisk walk, riding a bike, and water aerobics can all get your heart rate up without getting you drenched in sweat.

Stress can not only make you more prone to getting sick, it can also speed up your immune system’s aging. Managing it becomes even more important as you get older. Practices like yoga and meditation can restore calm and reduce inflammation. Doing deep breathing exercises for even five minutes can help. Also consider therapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy, which has shown to support a healthy immune system.

If you’re older than 65, staying on top of vaccines for the flu, COVID-19, RSV, and pneumonia is particularly important. You’re more likely after this age to be admitted to the hospital or die as a result of these viruses. Some vaccines may also help protect you against more than a single disease. Researchers have found that vaccinations have a link to other overall health benefits, including less frailty, fewer issues with your heart and blood vessels, and even fewer hospital stays.

Staying at or getting to a healthy weight can also support your immune system. Obesity is marked by a low level of chronic inflammation and has a link to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. It can also increase your risk of autoimmune diseases, which are more common in women. If you are concerned about your weight, talk to your doctor about healthy ways to manage it.

Drinking enough water helps your immune system a few different ways. First, it allows nutrients to flow to different parts of your body, and it also helps flush toxins out. Staying hydrated helps lubricate your mucous membranes — the protective layer lining organs and cavities — which guard against colds and flus. Choose water, no- or low-sugar drinks, and tea without caffeine to help get the recommended six to eight glasses a day.