March 4, 2020

How the Ketogenic Diet Protects Against Influenza & Supplements to Enhance the Immune System – High Intensity Health with Mike Mutzel

Check out the High Intensity Health Episode Page & Show Notes

In animal models, the ketogenic diet upregulates innate immune system activity in lung tissue. Because of this:
- The ketogenic diet may offer protection against influenza (and the coronavirus)
- The ketogenic diet may be a viable treatment method for chronic Lyme disease
To further improve immune system health:
- Get enough sleep (Our latest @SleepDiplomat’s Interview with Chris Kresser Here for tips)
- Use the sauna and expose yourself to cold temperatures
- Supplement with vitamin A & vitamin D (2,500-1000 IU/day) as well as zinc (25 mg/day)
- Supplement with a strain-specific probiotic; Mike recommends Myxoscience’s Probio Supreme

This is a solo episode with Mike Mutzel (@MikeMutzelMS) containing a lecture on how to improve immune system health and why the ketogenic diet may offer protection against influenza

What kind of infectious disease?
- Chronic & lingering Lyme disease or something acute, like the coronavirus
New studies out of Yale University indicate a ketogenic-style diet may offer immunity against the influenza virus
- Specifically, the ketogenic diet upregulates a critical type of T helper cell (gamma-delta T cells) in the mucosal barriers within lung tissue (i.e., the ketogenic diet upregulates innate immune system activity in lung tissue)
Mike cuts to some audio from his recent appearance at the Metabolic Health Summit, where he was on a panel with Robb Wolff, Dr. Dom D’Agostino, and other top scientists. One quote from the clip stands out:
- “The LDL particle has a protein called LPS-binding protein. LPS is a bacterial fragment that can be very inflammatory when it makes its way into vertebrate circulatory systems … Somebody that has higher lipoproteins will be able to clear something like LPS out of the system much more effectively.” – Robb Wolff

How to Improve Immune System Health

Because your immune system is very active while sleeping:
- “If you’re short-changing your body on sleep, you may not be getting the regenerative effects within your immune system” – Mike Mutzel

Just one sauna session is enough to beneficently change your immune cell profile (e.g., monocytes, macrophages, T helper cells, etc.)

In one study, daily cold showers were found to reduce the incidence of sick days

“Vitamin D and vitamin A—I can’t speak highly enough about these two nutrients for the immune system … I suggest somewhere around 2,500-5,000, upwards of 10,000, IU per day of each.” – Mike Mutzel
- Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so take it with fat to increase absorption
- If you feel like you have a cold coming on, load up on both vitamin A & D (take between 50,000-100,000 IU of each on consecutive days)
Take 25-50 mg/day of zinc, a deficiency of which has been found to compromise the immune system
- (Zinc is found in organ & muscle meats—if you’re eating high amounts of these, neglect this point)
- If you’re stressed, running on little sleep, and traveling, Mike recommends taking upwards of 75-100 mg for a few consecutive days

Probiotics improve immune system health by upregulating phagocytosis (the ability of the immune systems to seek & destroy pathogens)
If you’re looking for a good brand, Mike speaks highly of Myxoscience’s Probio Supreme; some of its benefits include:
- It’s encapsulated in acid-resistant vegetable capsules, enabling the probiotic strains to survive the caustic agents of the gastrointestinal tract
- Shelf-stability
  - (Many probiotics are packaged in plastic bottles, allowing for exposure to moisture and oxygen, and over time, a loss of stability)
- Exact individual strain quantifications
  - (Many probiotics bundle cheap and stable/expensive strains together in a “proprietary blend,” so you don’t know how much of each strain is included)