The recent events surrounding the Ebola Virus in the United States has caused a lot of debate, worry, concern, and stress within our borders. Hospital protocols are being questioned, political motives are being challenged, individuals are being quarantined, and ultimately, the Ebola virus scare is being talked about by just about everyone. Over the last few weeks, a lot of patients have asked for my opinion regarding the Ebola outbreak, and they have asked if they should worry about it, how they can protect themselves from exposure, and how they can strengthen their immune system in case they are exposed to the Ebola virus.

Peer reviewed research regarding the Ebola virus and nutritional imbalances is lacking, but there are some important insights that can be identified regarding micro-nutrient deficiencies, malnutrition, and the prevalence of viral activity within the body. There is a stack of research indicating that when a host organism, whether it be a mouse, rabbit, human, etc, is adequately nourished, the microorganism has a much harder time proliferating, and causing issues.  Does this mean that we do not need to be worried about Ebola? Not really. It does mean that there are things we can, and should be doing in order to strengthen and protect our immune system, so that if we were to be exposed to something, whether it is Ebola, Herpes, Ebstein Barr, E. Coli, etc., we would have a better chance of remaining healthy. Of course.

My goal with this post is not to sweep the Ebola hysteria as a political scare tactic brought about by [insert political party that you do not like here], or tell you that there is nothing to worry about and to continue living your life as normal. The purpose of this post is to present some of the research that is known regarding some heavy hitting viruses, the state of malnutrition in those that are researched, and give you some ideas to help strengthen your immune system should the need arise.

Ebola Virus Key Facts from the World Health Organization (WHO)

The World Health Organization undated their key facts on the Ebola Virus in September 2014. Their facts include the following:

• Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
• The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
• The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.
• The first EVD outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rain forests, but the most recent outbreak in west Africa has involved major urban as well as rural areas.
• Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks. Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe burials and social mobilization.
• Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. There is as yet no licensed treatment proven to neutralise the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development.
• There are currently no licensed Ebola vaccines but 2 potential candidates are undergoing evaluation.

Nutritional Considerations Regarding Ebola Virus

As I mentioned earlier, research regarding “natural,” “nutritional,” and “alternative” intervention for individuals with Ebola virus is lacking. Among the research I was able to find, the following journal articles are of interest:

• Vitamin A isolate has been shown to inhibit Ebola, HIV, vericella zoster virus activity. “Retinazone (RTZ) constitutes a novel vitamin A-derived (retinoid) thiosemicarbazone derivative with broad-spectrum antiviral activity versus HIV, HCV, varicella-zostervirus and cytomegalovirus.”
• Selenium micronutrient deficiency has been associated with increased viral activity, including HIV, Ebola, influenza, and H1N1. “When Se[selenium]-deficient virus-infected hosts were supplemented with dietary Se, viral mutation rates diminished and immunocompetence improved.”
• Selenium deficiency affects clotting, and increases hemorrhaging. Ebola causes hemorrhaging and fever, which further affects selenium utilization. “Ebola Zaire, the most notorious hemorrhagic fever virus… One potential viral selenoprotein may contain up to 16 selenium atoms per molecule. Biosynthesis of this protein could impose an unprecedented selenium demand on the host, potentially, leading to severe lipid peroxidation and cell membrane destruction, and contributing to hemorrhagic symptoms.” 
• The Zinc-Finger Antiviral Protein has been shown to inhibit Moloney murine leukemia virus and Sindbis virus replication. It has also been shown to act against Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV). “Transient expression of ZAP decreased the activity of an EBOV replicon system by up to 95%.”

Nutritional Considerations Regarding Hemorrhagic Fevers (Not Specific to Ebola)

• Vitamin C deficiency, also known as scurvy, is characteristic of hemorrhaging, and immune dysfunction. “In March 2002, there were reports of a hemorrhagic fever outbreak in western Afghanistan. It was later confirmed that the hemorrhagic symptoms and increased mortality were actually due to scurvy.”
• Lower levels of Vitamin A, E, and betacarotine have been identified in individuals with hemorrhagic fevers. “Findings are that during the disease and convalescence period the drivers examined demonstrated reliably lower levels of vitamins A, E and beta-carotene.”
• Selenium and Vitamin E reduced mortality rate from 100% to 36.6% in those with hemorrhagic fever in the Henan province. “As in a clinical approach, a remarkable therapeutic effect with sodium selenite was observed during an epidemic episode of epidemic hemorrhagic fever in Henan province. The mortality rate of fulminant cases was reduced from 100% of untreated control cases to 36.6% by treatment with sodium selenite. The results of present studies strongly suggest that antioxidants such as selenium and vitamin E as well as others like flavonoids can exhibit a novel anti-inflammatory action via this CNAF mechanism.”
• Selenium deficiency is linked to hemorrhaging and multiple viral infections. “This is provocative in the light of overwhelming evidence of a role for oxidative stress in AIDS pathogenesis, and the fact that a number of viral diseases have been linked to selenium (Se) deficiency… These include HIV-AIDS, hepatitis B linked to liver disease and cancer, Coxsackie virus B3, Keshan disease, and the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV), against which Se is a potent chemoprotective agent. There are also established biochemical mechanisms whereby extreme Se deficiency can induce a proclotting or hemorrhagic effect, suggesting that hemorrhagic fever viruses should also be examined for potential virally encoded selenoproteins.”

Malnutrition and Infections

The research is very clear that when an individual is malnourished, they are more likely to grow infections that do not belong. These infections can include bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral pathogens. Additionally, as the malnourished individual becomes susceptible to the infection, the infection causes an increased utilization of the remaining nutrients to try and fight off the problem. As indicated above, hemorrhagic fever inducing viruses, such as Ebola, are more likely to develop in individuals that have lower than normal selenium levels. The virus then further disrupts selenium utilization, causing a greater mineral deficit. The same would apply with the other vitamins, and minerals associated with regulating the immune system, initiating the white blood cell response that would identify the problem, and then attempt to kill it off.

The immune system needs fuel. Micro-nutrient imbalance creates the perfect storm for someone to contract an infection, whether it be Ebola, H1N1, the flu, etc., even if the person is not a malnourished/starving person from West Africa. As a society, we are overfed, yet malnourished on a micro-nutrient level, making many individuals at risk for this recent Ebola scare.

Drs. Ulrich E Schaible and Stefan H. E Kaufmann have been calling for “new strategies to overcome worldwide morbidity and mortality caused by chronic malnutrition in impoverished countries and by the newly emerging public health threat of overnutrition in industrialized societies.” These “new” strategies are not that new or revolutionary after all. As a society, our dietary choices alter our hormonal and immunological centers in our body. Hormones such as leptin that are over produced in overweight individuals, affect inflammatory cytokines in the body. These cytokines alter immune function, which in turn can further increase obesity, alter natural gut flora and make the immune system more compromised for “scarier” infections. Their article, cited again here, is well worth the read as it puts into perspective the havoc that is placed on our immune system when we are overweight, develop conditions such as diabetes, and have micro-nutrient deficiencies in our first world diet.

Key Steps to Support Your Immune System

• Obtain a healthy weight. Eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly in order to maintain a body mass index (BMI) less than 25 can help prevent conditions such as obesity, diabetes, leptin resistance, and more. We all know that drinking sodas (even if they are diet), having to many sugars in our diet, and things like alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs are not healthy for us. They will affect our body’s ability to regulate proper immune function.
• Avoid common food sensitivities.  Certain foods are more likely to induce inflammation, and affect immune function than others. Certain blood tests, such as Cyrex and ImmunoLabs tests, can screen for immune activation in relationship to foods. If your body is stressing out and using the mico-nutrients needed to activate the immune system in order to counter act the effects of the food that you are eating, it will make it harder to fight off potential infections that you come across. The most common food sensitivities that trigger an immune response are: gluten containing grains (wheat, barley, rye, and contaminated oats), milk and milk derived foods, eggs, peanuts, coffee, and shellfish. If you are not sure if these foods affect your immune system or not, simple blood tests can help identify the food intolerance. Additionally, an elimination diet, where the potentially offending food is removed from the diet for a period of time (usually 30 days), can also give insight into which foods may be triggering an immune response.
• Supplement using whole food based products. Certain antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and co-factors are needed for the immune system to do it’s job. When those micro-nutrient deficiencies are present, we are more susceptible for infection, as the research cited above indicates. Even though we may not appear malnourished when we look in the mirror, or stand on the bathroom scale, sub-clinical manifestations of nutrient deficiencies can be identified through symptoms, physical exam findings, and talking with a doctor that is trained in nutritional and herbal medicine. Products like Standard Process’s Immuplex, or Nutri-West’s Total Multimune can be great supportive products that contain broad spectrum support of the micro-nutrients needed to have a healthy immune system. (I am sure there are a lot of other whole food based nutritional products that would also work that I am not familiar with. As I use both Standard Process and Nutri-West products in my office, they were the ones that came to mind.)
• See a chiropractor and get adjusted. Chiropractic care has been associated with more than just back pain. Some research indicates that spinal manipulation could reduce inflammatory cytokines (the same guys that rev up the immune system), enhance phagocytic and nutriphil cell bursts (white blood cell activity), affect monocyte function, and affect T-cell lymphocytes.  Chiropractic care, and spinal manipulation may be able to support the immune system in conjunction to the nutritional considerations already discussed.

Have more questions about Ebola? Feel free to contact our office and we can discuss your specific health goals, and potential risk factors. Take precautions to support your body’s natural immune regulatory systems, and while the world is going through Ebola hysteria, you will know that you have done everything you can to strengthen your body according to what we currently know regarding the Ebola virus.