Your immune system runs on white blood cells (WBCs) — around 100 billion of them — every day. These cells identify and fight infections, clean up damaged tissue, and help your body recover from illness.
When your WBC levels drop, your body’s defences weaken. Because of this, more people are looking into how to increase white blood cells using natural methods.
Good sleep, a well-rounded diet, and stress control all help, but some are turning to lesser-known options, too. In this guide, we discuss six ways to support your white blood cell count, starting with the basics and ending with a promising supplement known as GcMAF.
What White Blood Cells Do and Why You Need Enough
“What can I do to increase my white blood cell count?”
Before answering this question, you must understand why you need enough white blood cells in the first place.
In our blog about choosing the best supplements to support immunity, we discussed the different types of these cells and their specific roles.
White blood cells, or leukocytes, are your body’s police. Produced in the bone marrow, they patrol your body by circulating in the blood and lymphatic tissues. Their main job? To protect you against infection, disease, and dead or abnormal cells.
White blood cells fall into two broad categories:
- Granulocytes carry granules or tiny sacs packed with defence tools. Neutrophils (a.k.a. the first responders), eosinophils, and basophils fall under this category.
- Agranulocytes don’t have granules but have equally important roles. For instance, monocytes become dendritic cells or macrophages that serve as the immune system’s “clean-up crew,” while lymphocytes like T-cells and natural killer (NK) cells target specific invaders.
Each of these cells has specific functions, which means that if any of them become insufficient, your body will show signs of trouble.
For example, low lymphocyte levels can weaken your antibody response and viral defence. Meanwhile, a lack of monocytes that become macrophages can slow down cell recovery, which could be why you keep catching a cold.
What Is White Blood Cell Deficiency?
White blood cell deficiency (leukopenia) occurs when the body’s WBC count is abnormally low. While WBC levels naturally fluctuate, individuals with leukopenia have persistently low levels of immune cells that may not recover quickly, leaving them more vulnerable to infections and illnesses.
People undergoing chemotherapy or those with medical conditions like autoimmune diseases, bone marrow disorders, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections have a higher chance of developing leukopenia.
6 Natural Ways to Increase White Blood Cells
Looking for natural ways to increase white blood cell count? Consider the following:
1. Eat Immune-Supportive Foods
Did you know that certain foods are considered natural white blood cell boosters?
For instance, adding more citrus fruits, spinach, and red bell peppers to your diet will help you have a stronger immune system. That’s because these fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamin C that aids the development and function of immune cells, particularly T-cells and NK cells.
2. Get Consistent Sleep
If you don’t sleep enough, you’ll likely get sick often. However, you need not only more hours of shut-eye, but also sleep consistency.
Studies show irregular sleep patterns can lead to higher neutrophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte counts. While a healthy increase in WBCs is part of the body’s immune response, constantly elevated WBC counts caused by poor sleep patterns can signal chronic inflammation. This, in turn, can increase your risk for cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disorders, and other health issues.
Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night to support your immune system and maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Prioritising regular sleep cycles can help maintain a balanced immune response and lower the risk of chronic inflammation.
3. Manage Stress
When you’re stressed, your body releases the hormone cortisol, which can suppress the production and function of white blood cells. Therefore, managing stress well can help maintain or boost white blood cell levels.
Some excellent stress management strategies include yoga, meditation, and exercise. Starting a hobby or keeping a journal can also help.
4. Exercise Moderately
Working out can do more than help you lose weight or build muscle. Moderate, regular exercise can also increase the number and activity of neutrophils and lymphocytes.
After exercise, you may notice a temporary increase in WBC count, which can enhance immune surveillance and pathogen recognition. However, excessive exercise or overtraining can have the opposite effect. Prolonged, intense physical activity without adequate recovery can suppress immune function and lead to a temporary decrease in WBCs or cause persistently elevated WBC counts, which can signal inflammation or stress on the body.
Get 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week to gain the immune-boosting benefits of exercise without the risks. This supports your immune system, enhances WBC function, and improves overall health.
Assess Your Immune System’s Strength
Feel like your immune system is not working properly? Take our immunity quiz to determine whether your immune system needs a boost.
5. Soak Up Some Sun
Sunlight is a natural way to boost your immune system, primarily by helping your body produce vitamin D. This nutrient helps balance immune system activity, ensuring immune cells respond appropriately to pathogens.
Vitamin D also enhances the activity of macrophages, which are crucial in detecting and eliminating infections. In addition, this vitamin helps prevent an overactive immune response, reducing the risk of autoimmune diseases.
Spend 15 to 30 minutes a few times a week under the sun to get enough vitamin D for better immune function. But if that’s not possible, supplements can also be a good option, as recommended by your healthcare provider.
6. Consider MAF Supplementation
What is MAF, you ask?
Short for macrophage-activating factor, MAF is a naturally occurring protein that binds to receptors on macrophages, triggering them to become more active in detecting and eliminating pathogens, cleaning up dead cells, and regulating other immune cells.
Macrophages are a central part of your immune system. They engulf and destroy pathogens and help activate other immune cells, including those responsible for producing different types of white blood cells. MAF enhances the function of macrophages by stimulating processes like phagocytosis (cellular ingestion of pathogens) and cytokine production, both of which are crucial for the immune response.
When activated, macrophages release cytokines that stimulate the bone marrow to produce more WBCs. In this way, MAF supplementation can indirectly support the production of white blood cells by amplifying macrophage activity.
However, it’s important to note that the relationship between MAF and WBC count is complex. While MAF may help increase certain WBC types, it’s not a straightforward, linear process.
The effect of MAF on an individual's overall WBC count depends on various factors, such as the type of infection, the immune response stage, and overall health. For example, Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS), a condition in which macrophages are excessively activated, can reduce WBC counts and cause other serious complications. In cases of MAS, managing the overactive immune response becomes the priority.
MAF supplementation can enhance macrophage activity for healthy individuals, potentially improving immune response and supporting immune health by indirectly boosting WBC production. This can also offer the following benefits:
- Promote tissue repair and healing: Macrophages help clear debris and encourage tissue regeneration after injury.
- Support immune defence in the central nervous system: By activating microglia (macrophages in the brain and spinal cord), they help protect the nervous system from infections and damage.
- Induce apoptosis (programmed cell death): Macrophages target and remove infected or damaged cells, preventing disease spread.
- Enhance immune memory: Macrophages play a key role in “remembering” past infections, allowing for faster and more efficient immune responses.
- Resolve chronic inflammation: After an infection or injury, macrophages help clean up and resolve inflammation, preventing it from becoming chronic.
In addition, macrophages are involved in oxidative stress management, heavy metal detoxification, and chronic pain relief, supporting overall health and well-being.
Important: Consider your circumstances and consult a qualified healthcare provider before taking any supplements.
FAQs: How to Increase WBC Count Naturally
Can dehydration cause low WBC?
While dehydration can result in a more concentrated blood, potentially giving the impression of a reduced white blood cell (WBC) count, it does not significantly impact the body's capacity to produce, or the capacity of WBCs to function effectively.
Dehydration does reduce immune function, but it does not directly cause a significant drop in WBC levels. Chronic dehydration can make you more susceptible to infections due to a weakened immune system, but it isn’t a direct cause of leukopenia (low WBC count).
What is the fastest way to increase white blood cells naturally?
If you’re wondering how to raise your white blood cell count fast, you should know there is no quick fix. You must implement longer-term lifestyle changes, such as improving your sleep quality and consistency, managing stress, eating more nutritious foods, and engaging in regular moderate exercise. Immune-boosting supplements like MAF capsules can also help.
How can I increase my white blood cell count after a viral infection?
Recovery from viral infections relies heavily on supporting overall immune function, allowing the body to regenerate the WBCs used when you were sick. Your body naturally works to restore immunity, but you’ll need to support it with proper nutrition, rest, stress management, and supplementation.
Support Your Immunity Naturally
Looking to strengthen your immune system? Incorporating lifestyle changes can help increase your white blood cell count. For those seeking a targeted immunity boost, GcMAF powder, lollies, and capsule supplements can complement your efforts and provide additional support.
Interested in learning more about GcMAF or other immune health strategies? Feel free to reach out.
Author
Dr Toshio Inui
Doctor, expert in internal medicine and worldwide authority on GcMAF treatments, Dr. Inui is the visiting professor at Kagoshima University. He has dedicated his career to developing innovative treatments using MAF, and has 22 research works and 266 citations into macrophage activating factors.