Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
NAC is an incredibly important and very, very powerful precursor to the making of glutathione, which is one of our body’s most powerful antioxidants. Researchers have been studying this nutrient in the setting of COVID-19 as a potential treatment option.
The largest hospital system in New York State, Northwell Hospital, is utilizing Vitamin C for COVID patients. Here’s why.
Written by Antonia Brogna
Nutritional Copy Writer, InVite® Health
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Some researchers are noting that Vitamin D levels can play an important role when it comes to COVID-19.
A new study completed by Quest Diagnostics and Boston University, published in the journal PLoS ONE, suggests that people with insufficient levels of Vitamin D are more likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2, which is the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. In fact, these researchers found that people with a Vitamin D level below 20 ng/mL (considered the benchmark for deficiency) had a 54% higher chance of testing positive for the virus than people with sufficient levels of the nutrient.
This is not the first time that scientists have linked low levels of this vitamin to COVID-19, but this data is helping shed more light on the topic.
“Our findings provide further rationale to explore the role of vitamin D supplementation in reducing the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease,” the researchers wrote in their study. “If controlled trials find this relationship to be causative, the implications are vast and would present a cheap, readily-available method for helping prevent infection, especially for those with vitamin D deficiency. In the interim, the authors recommend responsible vitamin D supplementation based on personal needs, risk factors, and from personal physicians in accordance with existing Endocrine Society Guidelines.”
More Information on Vitamin D
Vitamin D, often called the sunshine vitamin, helps regulate nutrients such as calcium and phosphate, which are needed to ensure the health of the bones, teeth, and muscles. It is typically formed through a chemical reaction that takes place between the sun’s UV rays and the cholesterol on the skin, but approximately 70% of people living in North America are actually deficient in the vitamin. According to numerous studies, low Vitamin D levels can cause depression, bone and back aches, bone and hair loss, and frequent infections.†
Raising your Vitamin D levels can be as easy as making some changes to your daily routine. For instance, levels in the body can be increased by spending time in the sun with at least 40% of your body exposed to the UV rays. It can also be increased by eating fatty fishes and seafood, as well as mushrooms.
But for people who are trying those options and not seeing results, or are already so low in Vitamin D levels that they need an additional boost, supplementation may be a good option. These supplements are often relatively affordable and readily available, as the researchers stated in the paper. Speak with your doctor to have your Vitamin B blood levels tested and a certified healthcare professional on how to get started with supplementing with Vitamin D.†
VITAMIN D INFORMATION FROM CHIEF SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR, JERRY HICKEY, PH.
Studies also show that Vitamin D plays a role in lung health and overall immune health, as Chief Scientific Officer Jerry Hickey, Ph., said in his podcast episode, ‘Update: Vitamin D, Lung Health & The Coronavirus.‘
“Vitamin D literally unites your immune system and mounts a better defense against infections,” he said. “It also helps your immune system work in a more balanced way, making it very important during cough and cold season and in the protection of your lungs.” He also said that Vitamin D “helps the immune system work appropriately so it is a strong enough fight against the infection, allowing just enough defense to protect you, while preventing the immune system from becoming out of control.” Jerry provided his own recommendations for listeners as well. “You want to get your Vitamin D levels above 35,” he said. “I would recommend taking about 6,000 units every day with food for seven days. After that, you can go down to 3,000 units a day. This should get you up to a nice sweet level pretty quickly.”
You can find the full study by clicking here or visiting https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0239252.
For more information about Coronavirus, as well as other nutrients that can benefit your immune system, make sure to tune into the InVite® Health podcast, available anytime on our website.
Even if you have not been exposed to the Coronavirus, you may have some level of immunity to it. Immunologists are trying to decipher what exactly this means but it’s important to understand what’s going on inside of your body, especially with your T-cells.
On today’s episode, we are going to talk about all of that hand washing you’re doing and all of those disinfectants you are using to keep the Coronavirus at bay. This is not a bad thing! But the problem is that it can impact your good bacteria and actually kill it off.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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On today’s episode, we are going to be talking about the micronutrient Copper. Micronutrient means that you only need it in small amounts but it is an essential mineral that does many important things for the body, including being needed for proper immune system function. Here’s the issue – we are still in the Coronavirus Pandemic and many are realizing that zinc is extremely important for their immune system. But if you are taking a lot of Zinc for your immune system, you may need a little bit more copper. Let’s discuss!
The Link Between Zinc and Copper
Zinc is important for the immune system. You need zinc for many functions:
The Importance of Zinc For Immunity During The Coronavirus. Listen Now >>
Many people are taking high doses of zinc to help reduce the risk of developing a severe infection, which I believe is a good idea. The problem is that Zinc interferes with the absorption of copper.
Copper is an essential mineral and it is involved with:
Copper is also required as an antioxidant and importantly during the times of the Coronavirus, for immune system function. Normally, you get enough from your food and also in your multiple-vitamin. But if you take Zinc, you may need a little bit more to play it safe. Dietary sources of copper include shellfish, seeds and nuts, wheat bran, whole grains, chocolate, and organ meats.
Important Functions of Copper In Your Body
Energy production
You need copper to create energy from the food you eat. Without it, you cannot create energy. A copper-dependent enzyme called cytochrome c oxidase plays a critical role in creating energy out of your food. It triggers the reduction of oxygen into water, generating an electrical gradient, which is an energy source used by the power plants called mitochondria of our cells to create the vital energy-storing molecule, ATP.†
Connective tissue formation
Another copper-containing enzyme, lysyl oxidase, is required for the formation of collagen and elastin. Collagen is required to build skin, hair, and nails, bone, joint tissue, ligaments and tendons and many other tissues. Elastin is needed for the elasticity and resilience of your skin. So, copper is essential for the formation of strong and flexible connective tissue. It also helps maintain the integrity of connective tissue in the heart and blood vessels and also plays a role in bone formation.†
Learn More About The Importance Of Collagen. Click Here >>
Iron metabolism
Four copper-containing enzymes, known as ferroxidases convert iron into its ferric iron form. This is the form that iron takes on to be transported to bone marrow to make red blood cells. Adequate copper is necessary for normal iron metabolism and red blood cell formation. Anemia is a clinical sign of copper deficiency. With this deficiency, it is difficult to transport iron and instead of creating red blood cells the iron tends to accumulate in the liver leading to hepatic iron overload and/or cirrhosis.†
Immune system function
Copper is known to play an important role in the development and maintenance of immune system function, but the exact mechanism of its action is not yet known. Neutropenia (abnormally low numbers of white blood cells called neutrophils) is a clinical sign of a deficiency in humans. It is also needed for phagocytosis; the ability of very large immune cells called macrophages to engulf and destroy infectious microbes. You don’t want to be low in Zinc or Copper during virus season.†
Other Key Functions:
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