An apple a day might be great in keeping the doctor away but that's not all apples have to offer. New research has found that apples can prove to be quite effective in providing protection from pneumonia. Since fruits like apples contain a Vitamin C boost, they can help improve the immune system and can make it more resistant to bacterial infections. The researchers were also able to find that the bacteria that caused pneumonia, made the immune system weak by using hydrogen peroxide.
For those uninitiated, hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent that is often used to remove stains, whiten teeth or hair and can also be used to treat wounds and clean surfaces. "By using hydrogen peroxide to defeat the immune system, you could say that the bacteria are fighting fire with fire. The body itself also produces hydrogen peroxide as a defence against the bacteria," said research leader Nelson Gekara from Umea University in Sweden. "Therefore, it was surprising to see that many types of bacteria actually use the same substance to overcome the body´s defences," he said.
"One of the best-known substances with the ability to neutralise hydrogen peroxide and that could hence boost anti-bacterial immunity are vitamins such as Vitamin C found in fruits. Perhaps the old adage 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' is not off the mark," Gekara added. The researchers decided to conduct a study on mice to figure out how eliminating hydrogen peroxide could help make the immune system strong enough to fight off bacterial infections like pneumonia.
The researchers found that bacteria make the immune system weak by targeting a key component of the immune system - the inflammasomes. These inflammasomes are designed to get rid of any bacteria causing microbes. The bacteria that cause pneumonia release large quantities of hydrogen peroxide which can lead to the inactivation of inflammasomes and this, in turn, makes the immune system weak.
The researchers then introduced a catalyst in these mice to help break down hydrogen peroxide so that the bacteria were unable to make the inflammasomes inactive. This resulted in a faster response from the body and the inflammasomes were able to get rid of the bacteria much faster. Stay tuned for more updates.
