Vitamins and minerals

for immunity

Your immune system is a complex network of specialized organs, tissues, cells, proteins, and chemicals. It exists to protect your body from bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. To preserve a healthy immune system, your body needs a balanced mix of specific vitamins and minerals.
Several vitamin and mineral deficiencies can lead to a weakened immune system, which in turn can make you more prone to illness¹.

Find out more about some of the most important micronutrients used by your body’s immune system to keep you healthy and strong!

Vitamin C: Immune Vitamin

Vitamin C is an essential micronutrient that contributes to a high-performing immune system².

Vitamin C supports all three lines of immune defence: physical barriers (skin and mucosa), cellular defences (white blood cells), and adaptive responses (antibodies).
It helps to strengthen your physical barriers so that your body is capable of protecting itself against various foreign bodies, microbes, and viruses.
Vitamin C supports the control of general immune system, promotes production of new defensive cells and their further movement to site of infection.
This essential micronutrient also boosts adaptive responses of your immune system by influencing the production of T- and B-cells – as well as antibodies, proteins that are involved in neutralizing pathogens.
Vitamin C is crucial for your immune system to fight off any pathogens2. And a high-dose Vitamin C helps to increase your resistance against common cold and flu.

Vitamin D: Balancing your immune system

Vitamin D plays an important role in keeping your immune system balanced. If the activity of the latter is too low, frequent infections can occur.

Your immune cells release proteins to fight off infections. Vitamin D boosts this effect and protects you against cold and flu.

Zinc: Keeping your immune system strong

Zinc is best known for the role it plays in your body’s natural defences. It promotes the growth, maturation and activity of immune cells⁶ and is involved in nearly all immune system processes.

Zinc helps the body adjust during seasonal weather changes, as it improves the immune barrier’s integrity and prepares it to ward off colds and influenza.
Zinc plays a major role in regulating every phase of the wound healing process and helps fight against skin problems. It is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals and participates in the growth of hair and nails.
Sufficient zinc intake can also help prevent many viral infections, including the common cold and can reduce the duration and severity of symptoms.

Vitamin A: Helping your body fight infectious diseases

Vitamin A plays a central role in maintaining your body’s natural defences. It helps your immune system by supporting the growth and distribution of T-cells, a type of white blood cell that protects the body from infection and clears bacteria and other pathogens from your bloodstream.⁸

A deficiency in vitamin A can increase your susceptibility to infections and delay your recovery when you get sick.⁹

Vitamins B6, B9, B12: Enhancing the anti-viral activity of white blood cells

B6, B9, B12 deficiencies result in a increased vulnerability to infection. Those vitamins are important as they support the increased demand in cells and proteins production required when our immune system get engaged in fighting an infection. They also have direct immune benefits such as enhancing activity of immune cells that are crucial to our anti-viral defenses.¹⁰

Vitamin E: A potent antioxidant

A powerful antioxidant, Vitamin E protects our immune system and supports it in fighting off infections¹³ and is a necessary vitamin to help the body prevent infections. It has also been found to improve the immune response during aging.

Vitamin E supports the growth and activity of T cells¹⁴, which fight infections by activating other immune cells for a response. It also fights against infected cells.

Selenium: Keeping inflammation down

Selenium is an antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation and enhances immunity by keeping free radical numbers in check.¹⁵

Selenium stimulates the body’s defence response and a deficiency can cause negative changes in the immune system, including the suppression of the immune response to viral and bacterial infections.
Studies have shown that increased levels of selenium in the blood are associated with an enhanced immune response¹⁶.
It protects your skin as well as white blood cells.

Copper & Iron: Copper and iron are essential nutrients for the body. Together they help the body to produce specific immune cells/white blood cells which results in greater immune function¹⁷.

Those with a copper deficiency are more likely to catch an infection. Not having enough copper in the body can lead to a deficiency of white blood cells¹⁸.
Iron also helps the immune system by supporting the production of new white blood cells and their antiviral activities, allowing your body to fight off infections.

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Complete

with complete blend of 11 immunosupportive vitamins and minerals

Learn more

Remember that your immune system requires an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals to work properly. A balanced diet is a great start, but it might be a good idea to consider adding supplements to your diet if you can’t get all the nutrients you need from food alone.

References:

Gombart AF, Pierr A, Maggini S, A Review of Micronutrients and the Immune System – Working in Harmony to Reduce the Risk of Infection https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019735/
Carr AC, Maggini S, Vitamin C and Immune Function, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707683/
Szodoray P, Nakken B., Gaal J, et al. The complex role of vitamin D in autoimmune diseases. Scand J Immunol. 2008 Sep;68(3):261-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2008.02127.x. Epub 2008 May 29. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18510590
Maggini S. et al. Immune Function and Micronutrient Requirements Change over the Life Course. Nutrients. 2018 Oct 17;10(10). pii: E1531. doi: 10.3390/nu10101531. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30336639
U.S Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements: B12 https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/
D. Konig et al., ‘Zinc, iron and magnesium status inathletes – influence on the regulation of exercise induced stress and immune function’, Exercise Immunol Review, vol. 4, 1998, p. 2-21.
Haase H, Rink L. The immune system and the impact of zinc during aging. Immun Ageing. 2009;6:9–26. doi: 10.1186/1742-4933-6-9. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
Ross C, ‘Vitamin A and retinoic acid in T cell-related immunity’ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3471201/
Spethensen C, ‘Vitamin A, infection, and immune function’ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11375434/
S N Meydani 1, J D Ribaya-Mercado, R M Russell, N Sahyoun, F D Morrow, S N Gershoff Vitamin B-6 deficiency impairs interleukin 2 production and lymphocyte proliferation in elderly adults https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2021134/
Moyak Papers, Vitamin B6 https://www.moyak.com/papers/vitamin-B6-nervous-system.html
Medical News Today: Folic Acid https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/219853
URMC Rochester Edu Health Encyclopedia Vitamin E https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=19&contentid=vitamine
Erin Diane Lewis,1 Simin Nikbin Meydani,1 and Dayong Wu 1 Regulatory role of vitamin E in the immune system and inflammation https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7011499/
Peter Brenneisen 1, Holger Steinbrenner, Helmut Sies Selenium, oxidative stress, and health aspects https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16105679/
Peter R. Hoffmann and Marla J. Berry The influence of selenium on immune responses https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3723386/
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine: Red blood cells play much larger role in immune system through discovery of DNA-binding capability, study finds, October 20, 2021 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211020150401.htm
Oregon State University https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/copper

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