In our daily routine life, we are exposed relentlessly to deleterious microbes of various kinds, injuring our healthy immune system. Having a healthy immune system during the period of a pandemic should not merely be a dream for everyone. A healthy immune system is capable of fighting against several infectious diseases. The vegetables are the critical component of a healthy diet to improve the immune system substantially. In this context, probably the German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach was right for his famous quote, ‘we are what we eat.’
Vegetables as protective foods
We all are aware of the havoc created by the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, which has affected millions of lives globally. India is a country of the young population, is also not invincible as a varying proportion of this young population has comorbidities. This situation makes young India too vulnerable to the current pandemic. Consuming a daily diet rich in vegetables is essential for a healthy body, and it could help enhance immunity in a sustainable manner. Vegetables are known as protective foods as they are rich in a plethora of bioactive compounds, vitamins, minerals, and other phytochemicals with antioxidant potential. Different colored vegetables (Fig. 1) are sources of numerous nutritious compounds.
Abundant of nutraceutical and therapeutic bioactive compounds are prevalent in vegetable crops having functional properties like lycopene in tomato, Momordica in bitter gourd, indole-3-carbinol in cabbages, anthocyanins in brinjal, purple cauliflowers, sulforaphane in cruciferous vegetables, vitamins in leafy vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids in cucurbit crops. The pigments like chlorophyll, anthocyanins, carotenoids, lycopene impart different colors to different vegetables. All these compounds have antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties and protect against the risk of several types of diseases.
How these bioactive enriched vegetables boost immunity? Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C):
Ascorbic acid is a crucial component of a healthy immune system present in vegetable crops like tomatoes, crucifer vegetables, capsicum, and peppers. A diet rich in vitamin C helps in strengthening immunity. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant compound and enhances immunity by regulating various cellular functions of innate and adaptive immunity systems. It helps in increasing oxidative scavenging property of skin and ultimately leads to microbe killing. It promotes the proliferation of T-cells and B-cells. It stimulates the interferon’s production on pathogen invasion and activates the cell protection system and is mainly confined to white blood cells. Thus, it promotes cytokines production and ultimately enhances the immune system.
Carotenoids:
The vegetable-rich in carotenoids like orange cauliflower, pumpkin, melons, orange-fleshed cucumber, yams, turmeric, and yellow-colored capsicums have antioxidant and anticancer potential. They have anti-inflammatory activity and are suitable for cardiovascular health. The primary class of carotenoids like β-carotene, α-carotene, and lutein have been well established to exert numerous protective effects on enhancing the immune system. The β-carotene enhances the production of Th and T inducer lymphocytes and stimulates the cell-mediated immune response. Dietary β-carotene enhances the phagocytic activity of neutrophils.
Lycopene:
Lycopene is most abundant in red color vegetables such as tomatoes, watermelon, red carrot, red radish, and red capsicum. The dietary consumption of lycopene-rich vegetables attenuates the risk of oxidative stress in humans and protects against several diseases. It plays a vital role in the reduction of chronic diseases by inhibiting the mitochondrial oxidative damage. The dietary lycopene exerts a decrease of lipid peroxidation and low-density lipoprotein oxidation and renders protection against cardiovascular diseases.
Glucosinolates:
Glucosinolates are an essential group of secondary metabolites and are abundant in cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and kale. The chemo-preventive activity of glucosinolates rich diet provides a safe and cost-effective approach to combating types of cancers. The dietary glucosinolates like isothiocyanates (ITCs), indoles, glucoraphanin, and sulforaphane present in cauliflower, broccoli, cabbages, and Brussels sprouts interact with cytoplasmic proteins and upregulates the detoxifying and antioxidant enzymes. Thus, they help inhibit breast cancer cells, protect against inflammation and other types of cancers.
Anthocyanins:
Anthocyanins represent the flavonoid group of phytochemicals responsible for the blue, red, purple color of various fruits and vegetables. The dietary anthocyanin can be availed from brinjal, purple cauliflower, purple tomatoes, black tomatoes, black carrot, red cabbage, purple heading broccoli, and black beans. The function of anthocyanin in folk medicine and enhancing immunity is well-accepted globally. Anthocyanin rich diet protects against liver dysfunction, hypertension, visual disorders, immunity disorders, and various cancers. Anthocyanins inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells, colon cancer owing to their antioxidant activity. Anthocyanins also inhibit cardiovascular diseases by impeding artery atherosclerotic plaque due to their antioxidant potential. In conclusion, the diet rich in colored vegetables provides unique combinations of various phytochemicals having antioxidant and medicinal properties. The daily intake of these vegetables protects from several types of disease risks and builds up a healthy immune system to fight against invasive pathogens.
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