Many people seem to think supplements belong solely to alternative medicine and home remedies. However, they have been used as a complement to a healthy diet for decades.
The recent pandemic continues, and people are turning to supplements now more than ever in hopes of avoiding and fighting infection.
This constitutes an alarming situation concerning health professionals since many people choose to self-medicate based on gossip or misinformation.
This can lead to the consumption of dubious products that could be potentially dangerous for the general public.
Supplements should be used responsibly, preferably with medical guidance and knowing the risks and conditions.
Are Supplements Enough to Keep Me Healthy?
First and foremost, understand that they are in no way substitutes for any known method of treatment for the current state of the virus.
However, studies have shown several times that supplementing your diet with specific vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other substances can indeed improve immune response, which boosts your body’s ability to protect against diseases.
We’re dedicating this article to showing you the most popular and safe supplements to raise natural defenses and potentially help fight coronavirus.
Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral, which means you need to consume it every day to satiate your body’s needs.
It’s important for immune health since it has been proved that zinc supplementation can help stop viral replication within cells. It can also warn T cells of a potential infection, so they can act quickly and destroy them.
Along with its many other benefits, it can support healthy thyroid function and relieve brain inflammation produced by emotional stress, so it’s considered an important factor to treat depression.
Vitamin D
Even though numerous studies point to vitamin D being ineffective to treat viral moderate to severe viral infections, there is plenty of research associating low levels of vitamin D with increased infection.
Vitamin D is essential to have a healthy immune system that works properly to defend your body.
It enhances the pathogen-fighting effects of white blood cells that constitute your immune system and decrease inflammation, which also helps with immune response.
To top it off, healthy levels of vitamin D also help reduce the risk of upper respiratory tract infections, such as influenza and allergic asthma.
Vitamin C
This vitamin is perhaps the most popular supplement used to protect against infections since it contributes greatly to immune health.
Vitamin C supports several immune cell functions and boosts your protection against infections. It’s also helpful to clear out old cells, so they can be replaced with new ones and keep your immune system healthy.
Its potent antioxidant properties are not to be ignored, because this function can help protect against damage by oxidative stress, which affects your overall health and makes you more prone to suffer from other diseases.
Supplementing with vitamin C has been proved to reduce the duration and severity of respiratory tract infections, including the common cold.
Elderberry
Even before the pandemic, many people used elderberry supplements to help boost their immune systems during cold and flu season.
In laboratories, elderberry extract has demonstrated potent antibacterial and antiviral properties against bacterial pathogens responsible for respiratory tract infections and strains of the influenza virus.
It has also been shown to enhance immune system response and may help shorten the duration and severity of colds as well as reduce symptoms related to viral infections.
If you’d like to reinforce your immune system with these supplements* and more, come to Nature’s Discount stores.
*Products may vary per island.
