When Your Body Needs Immune Support

You don’t always walk into a health store specifically looking for an immune supplement. More often, it’s about what’s happening in your life: feeling depleted after illness, training intensively, experiencing prolonged stress or fatigue, or struggling to maintain your usual diet.

These circumstances can all place greater demands on the body and increase the need for additional immune support.

Recognizing these lifestyle, nutritional and physical factors can help you see when an immune-support supplement might be worth considering, even if immunity wasn’t on your mind to begin with.

Who may benefit from additional immune support?

1. People feeling depleted following illness
   The period following illness can leave people feeling physically depleted at a time when supporting normal immune function remains important.
   If you’re returning to your usual routine but still feel run down or fatigued, you may benefit from additional immune support alongside good nutrition, adequate sleep and recovery.

2. Athletes and highly active people
   Regular exercise supports overall health, but intensive training places additional physiological demands on the body. Strenuous exercise can temporarily alter aspects of immune function, particularly when training volume or intensity is high.
   In a randomized controlled trial involving trained rowers, standardized Astragalus supplementation supported several immune parameters during six weeks of strenuous training.[3]
   Athletes, endurance competitors and other highly active people may therefore benefit from additional immune support while their physical workload is high.

3. People experiencing prolonged stress or fatigue
   Periods of sustained mental or physical stress can also affect immune health. Research shows that chronic psychological stress can influence immune-cell activity, while significant physiological stress also produces substantial immune responses.[4,5]
   If you’re experiencing prolonged work pressure, major life demands, ongoing fatigue or feeling consistently run down, you may benefit from immune support, particularly where the formula also provides adaptogenic support for energy and resistance to stress.

4. People whose diet may not be meeting their needs
   Good nutrition provides the foundation for normal immune function, but maintaining an optimal diet is not always easy.
   Restricted eating patterns, limited dietary variety, poor appetite or periods when meals become less balanced can affect nutrient intake.[1,2] If you’re not obtaining adequate nutrients from food alone, you may benefit from targeted nutritional support for immune health.

What should you look for in an immune formula?

A quality immune formula is about more than the number of ingredients on the label. What matters is why those ingredients have been chosen and how they work together.

• Astragalus sits at the heart of the Ki Immune range. A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 human studies found that Astragalus influenced both cellular and humoral immune responses.[6] It is also valued for its adaptogenic properties, supporting energy and resistance to stress associated with mental and physical fatigue.
• Shiitake and Maitake contain naturally occurring polysaccharides, including beta-glucans, which interact with immune pathways. A systematic review of 34 randomized controlled trials identified a range of immune-related benefits from fungal beta-glucans.[7]
• Olive Leaf provides antioxidant-rich polyphenols including oleuropein, while zinc plays an important role across innate and adaptive immune function.[1,8]

Choosing the right Ki Immune formula

Ki Immune Defence & Energy Formula combines Astragalus, Shiitake and Olive Leaf and is particularly suited to those looking for everyday immune support alongside energy and vitality.

Ki Immune Defence Extra provides a more comprehensive level of support, adding standardized Astragalus and Maitake plus zinc alongside Shiitake and Olive Leaf. This makes it particularly relevant if you’re feeling depleted following illness, experiencing sustained stress or fatigue, undertaking intensive training or navigating other periods of greater demand.

Understanding what’s happening in your life can help you recognize when additional immune support may be beneficial and choose the Ki formula that best matches your current needs.

References
1. Gombart AF, Pierre A, Maggini S. Nutrients. 2020;12(1):236.
2. Maggini S, Pierre A, Calder PC. Nutrients. 2018;10(10):1531.
3. Latour E, Arlet J, Latour EE, et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021;18:57.
4. Alotiby A. Immunology of Stress: A Review Article. 2024.
5. Dobson GP, Morris JL, Letson HL. Front Med. 2022;9:968453.
6. Zhang X, Qu X, Zou Y. Complement Med Res. 2023;30(6):535–543.
7. Vlassopoulou M, Yannakoulia M, Pletsa V, et al. Food Funct. 2021;12(8):3366–3380.
8. Somerville V, Moore R, Braakhuis A. Nutrients. 2019;11(2):358.

About the Author: Ki

Ki Health Defence is an Australian-made, natural multi-herb range for adults and children, rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Its scientifically researched ingredients are formulated to help fuel the body, balance energy, and support a stronger immune system.