Confronting the possibility of a potentially devastating human

bird flu pandemic, the United Nations system – from

Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Economic and Social Council

(ECOSOC) to the UN health and agricultural agencies – today laid

out a blueprint for immediate preventive and mitigating action.

“We may not know about the future course of H5N1, we do know

this: once human-to-human transmission has been established, we

would have only a matter of weeks to lock down the spread before

it spins out of control. That is why the international community

must take action now." Mr. Annan told the Time Global Health

Summit, a three-day event in New York held to discuss key

health issues.

In light of these concerns, and likely rationing of available

flu vaccines, it is advisable that people also look at other

areas which complement good health. In the United States, the

average American diet is high in sodium, fat, sugar, and

preservatives and low in nutrition. These are typically not the

ingredients associated with the support of a healthy immune

system. It is the beneficial components of food which feed the

cells of the body and support the normal function which allows

each cell the potential to restore, protect and defend itself

from the effects of injury and disease. A poorly nourished body

is less able to carry out these activities as the basic building

blocks for cell function are in limited supply.

People should therefore seek to improve their dietary intake of

beneficial sources of nutrition and limit their intake of the

more commonly eaten foods which are known to be more harmful to

the body than their unprocessed counterparts. Will the support

of a healthy immune system ensure a perfect defense against

invading flu virus particles? Certainly not. However, a healthy

immune system may mean the difference between someone who

contracts the flu and recovers quickly and someone who suffers

greatly.

The most important factor in the improvement of any person’s

diet is to improve the quality and variety of food eaten. While

dietary supplements may provide some excellent health benefits

they are intended to supplement, not substitute, the benefits

of a good diet.