One key player that predicts the efficiency of health and immunity is the spleen.
Often overlooked, it’s crucial in maintaining and sustaining the body’s natural defense against certain pathogens and harmful stimuli. Located in the upper left portion of the abdomen, this small organ acts as a powerful filter for the blood and stores essential immune cells.
Throughout the article, you’ll learn more about the spleen’s crucial role in maintaining and sustaining the body’s immunity. If you want longevity, it’s in your best interest to keep it healthy.
Read more to enhance your immune resilience and quality of life.
To live a long, fulfilled life, you should understand the spleen’s vital role and contribution to the immune system. This aspect of your health is often neglected, so many people may have unintentionally harmed their long-term outcomes.
By learning this, you can ensure a robust, efficient immune system throughout your lifespan by living better and preventing future problems. Treating your body like a well-oiled machine, with every gear in top shape, you will reduce the risks of chronic illness by sustaining healthy aging.
That begins with understanding the spleen, which the next sections will dive into.
As blood circulates throughout the body, the spleen acts as a regulatory mechanism capable of filtering out and removing all damaged red blood cells from the plasma. This process, known as culling, ensures the efficiency and quality of the blood, which can transport oxygen and nutrients to any organic tissue.
The filtration process is initiated by specialized cells called macrophages that trap and destroy the faulty red blood cells, utilizing the iron inside these broken-down cells as recyclable material to be created and used by newly formed red blood cells. This shows the spleen’s phenomenal role in energy resource conservation and blood filtration.
It’s also where white blood cells and platelets are found. The spleen houses these critical anti-infection cells of the body, giving them a place to multiply when needed. This makes the spleen one of the body’s many repertoires as the first line of defense against bloodborne microorganisms.
A secondary function of the spleen is its effect on the immune system. It captures harmful germs and helps immune cells respond quickly. The spleen triggers a rapid immune response through the white blood cells it stores, allowing it to multiply and produce enough antibodies to fight the infection.
Through blood filtration and housing immune cells, the spleen prepares the body to fight any potential infections. It produces the necessary protective measures through antibody release, letting your body respond efficiently and quickly to harmful pathogens.
Thus, if you want to ensure your longevity, the spleen is an often overlooked component to care for. Here are its contributions to longevity:
Poor spleen health might lead to several long-term health consequences and signs. For example, splenomegaly, or an enlarged spleen, results from trapping too many red blood cells. This eventually leads to anemia, a severe drop in hemoglobin count.
This ultimately increases the risk of infection. In cases like this, physicians often opt for a splenectomy or the removal of the spleen entirely. The bacteria the spleen has caught might slowly “leak out” and infiltrate the human body, doing more harm than good.
Without a healthy spleen, you’re far more at risk of infections of all kinds. While these won’t immediately result in your death, this can drastically lower your quality of life as time goes by.
Therefore, to ensure a healthier spleen and a resilient long-term immune status, you must keep a healthy body and support this organ however you can. There are several facets to approach caring for your spleen, which the next section will cover.
While you can’t really make the spleen “healthier,” and there aren’t any specific actions you can take to improve its function, there are general things you can do to improve your overall immunity.
Remember, any events that impede your immunity will eventually cause irreparable damage to your physiological and psychological health. Thus, this section will review several methods for supporting your spleen and immune system and ensuring proper organ function.
A diet rich in nutrient-dense foods with a suitable calorie count can significantly improve immune function. Leafy greens like spinach and kale provide vital minerals and vitamins to protect the body.
Supplement this with lean proteins, such as chicken and fish. The body breaks these down into amino acids, which are the building blocks necessary for continually forming immune cells.
Finally, foods high in antioxidants, such as berries and some citrus fruits, help combat oxidative stress, which damages genes and DNA.
Some well-known foods that are labeled to benefit both the spleen and the liver include:
Some herbal remedies, used for centuries, possess multiple immune-boosting properties. They often contain anti-inflammatory constituents and can detoxify and improve blood circulation, supporting the spleen’s function.
Good examples of these are:
That said, always research what herbal remedies you want to incorporate. Also, keep your general practitioner updated on any product that the FDA, EDA, or any other governing body should approve.
Adopting lifestyle modifications that instill positive habits helps maintain a healthy spleen. Incorporating moderate exercise can improve blood circulation to the spleen and support the enhancement of immune function overall.
Multiple studies have shown that stress weakens the immune system, even predisposing someone towards infection. Thus, try not to be chronically stressed. Multiple meditation practices like yoga or deep breathing exercises can manage these fluctuating stress levels.
Alcohol can put a significant burden and strain on both the liver and spleen, so moderation is key as it also might lead to dehydration. Thus, most physicians would recommend drinking enough water to support and remain within healthy levels of blood volume without impeding spleen function.
It is vital that the spleen continues to filter blood, store immune cells, and defend against infection. This will ensure long-term health outcomes and support a healthier and stronger immune system.
Understanding these functions further, and thus taking the necessary measures to support its health, will do you a lot of good in the long run.
This article discussed several ways to support health as part of overall wellness. By ingesting clean, friendly foods and adopting a lifestyle that promotes healthier habits, you can support this often-overlooked organ and improve your body’s natural defense against disease.
So, try out all these steps to sustain and improve your health, improving your longevity.
If you would like to see more resources on the spleen, check out the Longevity Science Labs. The lab uses the research of the Institute for Life Management Science to produce courses, certifications, podcasts, videos, and other tools. Visit the Longevity Science Labs today.
Photo by Freepik
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