While we can try to give our immune systems everything it needs through what we eat, it isn’t always easy or even possible. One of the best ways to keep your immune systems firing on all cylinders is to supplement your diet with the vitamins and minerals that help boost immunity. Here we will look at the 5 top supplements to give your immune system all the help it needs.
Probiotics
Probiotics are known to help maintain the natural homeostasis of our digestive track. What many people don’t know is that healthy probiotics have several other benefits, including the ability to strengthen your immune system. Almost 70 percent of our immune system cells are found in the gut. Probiotics have the amazing ability to make those cells stronger to help ward off infection.
Vitamin D
In a 2012 article titled Vitamin D and the Immune System investigators carefully outline how vitamin D receptors are expressed on immune cells. What this means is that this important immune boosting vitamin is responsible for regulating the essential and adaptive immune responses. This study and many like it have found that sufficient levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream is an important way to fight infection, disease and other body intruders. The Institute of Medicine recommends that the average adult gets about 600 iu of vitamin D each day to stay at your healthiest.
Garlic
Study after study has shown the power of garlic as an antiviral and anti-inflammatory supplement. Garlic has the uncanny ability to stimulate the immune system. In a 2001 study published in the journal Advances in Therapy researchers found that people who took a daily garlic supplement had fewer colds and even experienced less sick time than those who did not. Taking a daily garlic supplement is a great way to keep your immune system revved up.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is most commonly known as the epic cold fighter, but it can do much more than just fight off colds. This important vitamin plays a key role in the proper function of our immune systems. Some research has shown that people who do not get enough vitamin C on a regular basis are susceptible to chronic colds and related illnesses. A 2013 analysis of 30 independent studies looked at over 11,000 people and their patterns. What they found in this group of high physical stress individuals (like marathon runners, avid skiers and soldiers) was that they were 50 percent less likely to develop a cold if they took 200mg of vitamin C each day. This highlights the importance of keeping your vitamin C levels in the ideal range.
Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral that works as an antioxidant in our bodies. It has the innate ability to keep our immune systems functioning at their best possible levels. As zinc has been shown to help reduce the duration of colds, it is also a common lozenge to get rid of pesky colds. A 2016 meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology showed that people who took zinc lozenges had a reduction of cold symptoms in as few as three days, compared with seven days for those receiving a placebo lozenge. Zinc can not only help minimize a cold but keep you from getting one in the first place.
Our immunity plays an important role in staying healthy and avoiding illness. While much of what we eat helps us to stay at peak health, sometimes we all fall short. In order to maintain the health of our immune system, including these 5 supplements will help us stay healthy!
