🤟 ESSENTIAL MINERALS AND VITAMINS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM 🔬
Do you wish to stop being sick, malnourished etc. with an unhealthy immune system? Then it’s important to make sure that your immune system is staying healthy. A healthy immune system will help protect against various conditions and infections. People who are carrying around weakened immune systems, on the other hand, are more likely to develop these kinds of serious ailments. That’s why everyone wants their immune system to be at full capacity, and that’s why people look into ways they can keep their bodies strong so as not to fall ill easily.
As you know, the whole world is going through covid-19, and a strong immune system can save you from this pandemic. According to different studies, people can increase their immunity by taking sufficient minerals and vitamins. Here are some of the immunity-boosting minerals and vitamins listed below.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential fat-soluble vitamin that aids in the proper functioning of our immune system. It boosts up the pathogen fighting properties of monocytes and macrophages and helps in reducing inflammation which helps in a better and quick healing process. Unfortunately, many people are deficient in Vitamin D, which exerts negative effects on their bodies. Low vitamin D level causes upper respiratory tract infections, including allergic asthma and influenza. Such people should start taking Vitamin D supplements.
According to a study conducted in 2019, proper supplementation with vitamin D decreases the risk of lower respiratory tract infections in those who are deficient and even with people with adequate vitamin D in their bodies. In addition, vitamin D supplements may improve the response of anti-viral drugs.
Zinc
Zinc is essential for the proper functioning of the immune system. Thus if your body lacks zinc, it can make your immune system weak. Therefore, you become vulnerable to infection and diseases. According to research, 16 percent of all respiratory infections are due to the lack of zinc. Zinc deficiency is affecting the lives of almost 2 billion people worldwide. Mostly the zinc deficiency is seen in older adults. A study in 2019 was carried out in which 64 hospitalized children having low respiratory tract infections took 30mg of zinc per day to reduce the duration of infection. Therefore, it is quite safe to take zinc supplements on a daily basis.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C plays an important role in immunity. It combats the colds, helps in the absorption of iron. It is also required for the synthesis of collagen. As we all know, collagen is a structural protein needed to keep the skin healthy and looking plump. According to different studies, vitamin C replaces old damaged cells of the body with new healthy cells, making the immune system stronger.
According to another research, vitamin C decreases the risk of chronic diseases, e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancer, and certain neurological conditions. Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant. Thus it helps in the regeneration of other antioxidants.
Additionally, various studies showed that people who take 1 to 2 grams of vitamin C each day could catch a cold less than 8 percent compared to those who don’t take vitamin C.
Selenium
Selenium plays an important role in the prevention of infection. According to the study, selenium boosts the immune system in influenza and flu patients. Additionally, Selenium deficiency is one of the major causes of a weak immune system. Expert’s noticed this deficiency of selenium in HIV patients increases the risk of death, and it also causes oxidative stress in HIV patients. That is why selenium’s the best element to boost immunity levels.
Selenium is obtained from following sources:
● Seafood
● Poultry meat liver
● Cottage cheese.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A helps you combat infection. Vitamin A helps to trap the disease-causing bacteria and viruses by mucous of eyes and lungs. In addition, vitamin A also increases the production of white blood cells, and these white blood cells fight against germs. A study report showed that deficiency of vitamin A delays the recovery process. Moreover, vitamin A boosts the immune system of newly born kids and protects them from various deadly diseases like chickenpox, pneumonia, measles, and malaria. There are various natural resources of vitamin A.
Tuna is also a major source of preformed vitamin A. In addition, you can get carotenoids from—carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin cantaloupe, butternut squash, and dark green leafy vegetables.
Folic acid
The natural form is folate, and its synthetic form is folic acid. According to a study, folic acid helps to boost the immune system and protect people from different types of infections. You can get folate by consuming more and more beans, green vegetables, and lentils. You can also get folic acid from avocado. Folic acid is also obtained from fortified food such as enriched bread, enriched pasta, and enriched rice.
Conclusion
A strong immune system is key to avoid diseases like bacterial and viral infections. Naturally occurring minerals and vitamins are best for boosting the immune system, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, selenium, etc. Experts suggest getting all essential minerals and vitamins from a natural resource like fruits, vegetables, and grains. So if you are looking to boost your immune system, add vitamin and mineral-rich food into your diet.