Maintenance of your immune system includes complex cells, processes, and chemicals that constantly protect your body against pathogens, like viruses, toxins, and bacteria.
In order to keep your immune system healthy all year round, you need to protect yourself from infections, and diseases. You can do so by maintaining a healthy lifestyle which includes nutritious foods, proper sleep, and staying active.
Research has also proved that we can add a few health supplements to our daily routine to improve the immune response and protect the body from illness. The supplements can be vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other substances that can potentially protect us against illness.
Make sure to consult the doctor before you take any health supplements.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a nutrient that is a fat-soluble nutrient and one of the essentials for the healthy functioning of the immune system. It has the potential to enhance the pathogen-fighting effects of white blood cells that are important parts of our immune defense and result in decreased inflammation promoting better immune response.
Low vitamin D levels can increase the risk of upper respiratory tract infections like influenza and allergic asthma. This supplement can also improve response to antiviral treatments in people suffering from certain infections like hepatitis C and HIV.
Zinc
Zinc is a mineral that's common among health supplements and is meant to boost the immune system. Zinc is essential for immune system function and is needed for immune cell development and for inflammatory response. Zinc also helps protect tissue barriers in the body thus preventing foreign pathogens from entering.
Low levels of zinc in the body can affect your immune system and its ability to function properly which increases the risk of infection and diseases like pneumonia. According to US NIH, zinc deficiency is the result of 16% of all deep respiratory infections worldwide.
Supplemental zinc can also reduce the duration of the common cold since it promotes antiviral activity in the body.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the most popular supplements that can be taken to protect the body against infection and plays an important role to keep the immune system healthy.
Vitamin C supports the function of various immune cells and enhances their ability to protect the body against infection. It also clears out old cells and replaces them with new ones. It has antioxidant properties that protect the body against oxidative stress and prevents the accumulation of free radicals.
Oxidative stress can negatively affect immune health and increase the risk of various diseases but vitamin C can reduce the duration and severity of upper respiratory tract infections.
Elderberry
Black elderberry may be new to a few readers but you should know that (it has long been used to treat infections that affect the immune system.
Elderberry has antibacterial and antiviral properties that can fight against bacterial pathogens that cause upper respiratory tract infections and strains of the influenza virus. The supplement also has the potential to enhance immune system response and help shorten the duration and severity of colds or viral infections.
Though elderberry can help relieve symptoms of certain infections and the influenza virus, we must know that elderberries can also lead to the production of excess cytokines that damage healthy cells.
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