Self-Defense: A Myth-Busting Guide to Immune Health

“Utterly absorbing. Nearly every paragraph brings a revelation.”—Bill Bryson • “Wise, and beautifully written. . . . It will change the way you think about your body and live your life.”—Chris van Tulleken • “This great book from a world expert offers practical tips and dispels many myths.”—Tim Spector

A world-renowned scientist offers a much-needed analysis of what it takes to have good immune health—helping readers navigate what can really help, what is a complete myth, and why.

Does orange juice help ward off colds? And how does our age affect our ability to recover from one? When it comes to immunity, are we really what we eat? Or how much we eat? We are surrounded by big questions and big claims about enhancing our immune systems, so how do we tell the fiction from the facts? And, ultimately, what can we do to reduce our chances of getting sick?
 
World-leading immunologist Daniel M. Davis offers answers in this authoritative, highly accessible, myth-busting guide to the effects of stress, age, exercise, weight, nutrition, sleep, vaccines, and mental health on our immune health. Taking us to the cutting edge of immunology research and explaining both what we know and how we know it, Self-Defense helps readers spot phony claims and make informed choices. Davis shows us that everyone’s immune system is entirely unique, and that’s why we should be wary of one-size-fits-all “cures.” We learn how exercise, for example, has all sorts of different, even opposing, short- and long-term effects on our immune health. And while our gut microbes are vitally important, it’s unlikely that yogurt drinks can really boost your immune system to stop you getting ill.
 
An eye-opening window into some of the astonishing possibilities for the future, when it comes to distinguishing bogus and beneficial health claims about everything from vitamin D to inflammation and cancer therapies, Davis’s book may be your best self-defense.

Daniel M. Davis is head of life sciences and professor of immunology at Imperial College London. He is the author of The Compatibility Gene, The Secret Body, and The Beautiful Cure, the last named a Book of the Year in The Times, The Telegraph, and New Scientist. His writing has appeared in the United Kingdom’s leading newspapers, as well as in New Scientist, Wired, and Scientific American. In 2025, he was awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours list for services to science communication.