Potential Benefits of Immune System Support Supplements
So many supplements that are on the market today make grandiose claims about what they can do for you that it can be hard to discern fact from fiction. As the seasons begin to change and we head into cold and flu season, chances are that you’ll soon start seeing more advertisements for supplements that can boost your immune system and all but prevent you from ever catching a cold again – but is there any validity to these claims?
The truth is, there are countless benefits of taking vitamins and supplements, but it’s important to know which ones to take! That’s why we wanted to go over how our immune system works, what immune system supplements are, how they work, and what their benefits are.
The Immune System
Your immune system is an intricate network of tissues, organs, cells, and proteins, and the substances that they make that work together to help protect your body from infections and diseases. When your immune system is weakened, you’re more prone to illnesses. To help keep your immune system strong and functioning optimally, you need the following vitamins, or micronutrients:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Folate
- Zinc
- Iron
- Copper
In a perfect world, we would be able to get all of the vitamins that we need from our diets, but doing so can be difficult. That’s where immune system support supplements come in. These supplements are man-made products that are intended to supplement our diets to provide nutrients that we’re not getting from our diets alone.
Immune System Support Supplements
Immune system support supplements are supplements that are specifically targeted at supporting a healthy immune system. The most common immune system supplements include vitamins C and D, Zinc, Elderberry, Echinacea, and probiotics.
Immune system support supplements work by filling in the gaps in what our dietary needs are versus what we’re actually getting from our diets.
The top three micronutrients that offer the most immune system support are vitamin C, vitamin D, and Zinc.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin known for being a strong immunity builder. It promotes cell functions of the immune system, helps your body to grow and repair tissue, absorbs iron, and helps to heal wounds. It’s also an antioxidant. Our bodies don’t produce Vitamin C, so we need to get it from our foods and supplements.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps our bodies to absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus, fight off bacteria and viruses, reduce cancer cell growth, reduce inflammation, and can help reduce respiratory tract infections. Our bodies make Vitamin D when sunlight hits our skin and from our diets and supplements.
Zinc
Zinc is a trace mineral, which means we only need small amounts. Zinc helps in the creation of DNA, growth of cells, building of protein, and healing of damaged tissue, and it helps your body fight off invading bacteria and viruses. Our bodies don’t produce Zinc, which is why we need to get it from our diets and supplements.
The Benefits of Taking Immune System Supplements
It would be wonderful if we could get everything we need from our diets, but modern diets and food processing doesn’t always make that easy. That’s why taking immune system support supplements can be so beneficial: supplements fill in the gaps that are left behind by our diets.
And in some cases, such as with Vitamin C and Zinc, our bodies cannot produce the vitamins on their own but need extra support. Taking immune system supplements will help support your immune system to keep you healthy and strong.
To shop the best immune system support supplements to aid in your immune system health, visit Quantum Health online and in-store today!
