Immunologist and professor Anne Spurkland is 100 percent sure that there will be a new pandemic. And it is entirely up to you whether you want to prepare your immune system for it. In that case, Spurkland has some advice.
– We get a new pandemic of some kind, at one time or another, which you may want to prepare a little for. For example, you can stay physically active and try to limit your food intake so that you do not become noticeably overweight. It is not so dangerous with a little overweight, but too much is a problem, says Spurkland to Dagbladet.
Recently she published the book «Healthy enough! Handbook of immune defense ». “Fresh enough!” she believes that is a statement that is worthy of the immune system. This is exactly what the immune system does, she believes, keep us healthy enough. Not too healthy, not too sick, but healthy enough for the purpose of life, which is to have children.
– Physical activity does not have to be exercise. It is about being aware that you can take the stairs instead of the elevator, and walk instead of taking the tram. When it comes to diet, the most important thing is to eat varied, and you can, for example, follow the Norwegian dietary guidelines.
THE DEFENSE: The task of the immune system is to keep us healthy enough, Spurkland believes. Photo: Hans Arne Vedlog / Dagbladet
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Diet
The Norwegian dietary guidelines are the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s twelve small measures in everyday life, which they believe can have great significance for health. That’s enough, says Spurkland, you do not need to go on an anti-inflammatory diet, also called anti-inflammatory diet.
– You can read up on anti-inflammatory food and come as a guru with advice on eating nuts for example, because it is anti-inflammatory. But I believe that it is throwing tears in people’s eyes, says Spurkland and continues:
– It is not scientifically documented that it has any effect. Most people do not need to eat anti-inflammatory foods. We are healthy enough. We do not have to think about anti-inflammation. It is enough to eat the food you feel like, but make sure it is varied and that it is not too much.
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100 percent safe
Recently, Spurkland was awarded University of Oslo Dissemination Prize to her contribution to public education during the covid-19 pandemic. Now she explains why she is sure that a new pandemic is coming.
– It is 100 percent safe. It will happen. No one can say when or what, but it is one hundred percent certain that it will happen. Pandemics have occurred throughout history, but now we live lives that make it more likely than ever, says Spurkland and continues:
– It took only two months from the time SARS-CoV-2 appeared in China until it ended up in Norway, with a small stop in Italy and Austria. This happened with the help of people’s travel habits – almost everyone I know has at least one trip abroad a year. In this way, a virus can move very quickly.
BAT: There are lots of viruses waiting to jump from bats to humans, says Spurkland. Photo: Hans Arne Vedlog / Dagbladet
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Bat
SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the virus that causes covid-19, and is often referred to as the coronavirus. It has certain similarities with the SARS virus, which also belongs to the coronavirus family. Both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS were probably transmitted from bats to humans, while dromedaries and camels are sources of infection for the disease MERS.
– Another thing that increases the probability of a new pandemic, is that the space for wild animals has become smaller and that we live closer to bats and other animals than before. Some animals, perhaps especially bats, have an immune system that tolerates viruses and bacteria to a greater extent than our immune system, says Spurkland and continues:
– That’s why bats are a reservoir for viruses – there are lots of viruses waiting to jump from bats to us. And many of the viruses can be worse than SARS-CoV-2 which has caused mild illness in most people. I must remind you that SARS had a mortality rate of ten percent and that MERS has a mortality rate of 35 percent.
