Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
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We are still in the midst of a pandemic and your health should be a priority. It is extremely important to turn to the fundamentals in order to keep your immune system working properly, including Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Zinc.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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Today we will be discussing the important role of micronutrients and the immune system, and understanding how the immune system itself is working based on levels of key vitamins and minerals. If we are not obtaining adequate amounts of these micronutrients from our diet alone then this could create a hinderance to our immune defenses. This is really interesting and important information, in terms of the way these key vitamins and minerals are working across many different mechanisms with our immune system as a whole.
The Proper Function of the Immune System
There are many micronutrients that play a huge role in the immune response within our bodies. Having adequate amounts of these key essential nutrients is necessary in order to ensure the proper function of our immune system. The micronutrients that have been shown to have the strongest evidence for immune support include Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Zinc. But how do they work to enhance our immune defenses?
There are different layers of defense that our body provides us in order to protect us from bacteria, viruses and other factors that can compromise our health. Our skin is the first line of defense and is considered a physical barrier. Your GI tract, the lining of your intestines, and the gut microbiota (healthy bacteria in your gut) is the second line of defense. The next is on a cellular level; different lymphocytes, phagocytes, granulocytes and antibodies are included in this. These are the different layers within the immune system.
What are the basic nutrients needed during COVID-19? Click here to learn more >>
But there are different forms of immune systems too. Our innate immune system occurs very fast and happens within minutes of exposure. We have biochemical mechanisms like an inflammatory response that occur in the innate immune system. Our adaptive immune system is considered our acquired immunity; it includes our B and T cells. There is a strong connection between our innate and adaptive immune systems and micronutrients.
Crash course on immunology
Say you have an exposure to a particular pathogen, like COVID-19. We recognize that we have these different physical barriers – our skin, our respiratory airways. Then we look and see which nutrients are affected and what contributes to the actual integrity of those physical barriers, like Vitamins A, C, D, E and B-Vitamins. Our innate immune response is where you get this big flood of all of these key micronutrients – Zinc, Copper, Selenium and Magnesium.
My Recommendations
This is why I advise taking a simple daily multivitamin that includes Grape Seed extract. One tablet of a superior, non-GMO multivitamin mineral formula can provide you with these key nutrients. It may even be advantageous to take additional isolated nutrients on top of that. You may want to add in a B-Complex formula, a Vitamin C supplement or Vitamin D supplement. We know that Americans tend to be deficient or insufficient in things such as Magnesium, Zinc and Vitamin D. This is why you should always try to incorporate them into your daily supplemental routine.†
B-Vitamins are all involved in our intestinal immune regulation and in supporting the gut barrier for immunity. We can also look at Zinc, which has been shown to maintain the integrity of the skin and mucosal membranes. Vitamin C is very important and required for proper Collagen synthesis, to protect cell membranes from damages caused by free radicals. Vitamin D is responsible for modifying the intestinal microbiota to have a healthier composition of those microbes, the bacteria that are in our intestines and maintain our immune defenses. All of these things support the integrity of the epithelial barriers.†
In terms of your diet, you may want to start to follow a Mediterranean Diet for overall health and wellness. It includes meat and fish, nuts, olive oil and tons of fruits and vegetables to provide you with the nutrition you need for healthy immunity.
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With the widespread of the Coronavirus, it seems that everyone is looking to stock up on products that can help them in the long run. The good news is that there are five essential immune-boosting nutrients that you should stock up on this season.
The purpose of the immune system is to keep infectious microbes such as dangerous bacteria, viruses, parasites and yeasts, out of the body, and to destroy any infectious microorganisms that do invade the body hopefully before they have time to cause infection and disease. Immune …
The risk of developing liver cancer is significantly higher for people who have low levels of selenium in their blood, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Studies show that selenium has strong antioxidant properties due to it’s effect on the glutathione peroxidase pathway, meaning it can protect against oxidative stress (the process by which unstable molecules called free radicals damage cells). Since oxidative stress has been associated with cancer development, some studies have suggested that selenium deficiency (resulting in reduced protection against free radical-related cell damage) might be a risk factor for these diseases.
With this in mind, Prof. Lutz Schomburg at the Institute of Experimental Endocrinology in Berlin, Germany and colleagues set out to investigate whether selenium levels might influence the risk of liver cancer. His team analyzed data from about 477,000 adults who were part of the EPIC study. They identified patients with liver cancer, gallbladder cancer, biliary tract cancers, and intrahepatic bile duct cancer. All patients had developed these cancers over a 10-year follow-up. The blood samples of the cancer patients were assessed for selenium levels and compared with healthy controls.
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According to results, the risk of liver cancer is up to 10 times greater in people with low blood levels of the mineral. The researchers found that patients with liver cancer, gallbladder, and biliary tract cancers had significantly lower selenium levels than the controls. Compared with individuals who had the highest levels, the researchers found that those with the lowest selenium levels had a five to ten-fold greater risk of liver cancer. Professor Lutz stated, “We have been able to show that selenium deficiency is a major risk factor for liver cancer.”
The American Cancer Society stats indicate that there will be over 39,000 new cases of liver cancer and intrahepatic bile duct cancer diagnosed in the United States this year, and more than 21,000 people will die from these cancers.
Selenium, a mineral, is a micronutrient – the human body only requires small amounts to function yet lacking selenium weakens our resistance to diseases and infections and this seems to be especially true for older individuals. It is found in soil, animal products, and plant-based foods, including seafood, Brazil nuts, organ meats, milk, and eggs. The selenium provided by food varies greatly, since it depends on how much is in the plants animals consume, or how much is in the soil in which plants grow. Research indicates it is easier to absorb this mineral from meat than from vegetables.
Selenium is required for function of the immune system and health of the heart, for detoxification of chemicals through the liver, for antioxidant protection throughout the body, to form active thyroid hormone, and for cognitive function and insufficient intake can affect any or all of these.
Recent Harvard research indicates selenium may lower the risk of developing diabetes. There is mounting evidence that it also helps prevent cancer. For instance, men who do not use selenium efficiently due to multiple gene defects have a higher risk of dangerous prostate cancer. It may also have protective effects against bladder cancer and some forms of breast cancer. A recent research review of 69 studies published in Scientific Reports indicates that selenium may reduce the risk of breast cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, and prostate cancer.