Study Suggests Elderberry Could Help Minimize Flu Symptoms
A recent study from the University of Sydney has found evidence that elderberry fruit may help fight against influenza. Here’s what you need to know.
Tag: immunity
COVID-19 Research Recommends Vitamin D Supplementation – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 251
There are numerous studies that have displayed evidence of Vitamin D supplementation benefiting COVID-19 patients. Here’s what you need to know to keep your body healthy throughout this pandemic.
New Findings: COVID-19 and Zinc – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 248
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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Zinc is required in many ways for your immune system, especially to fight viruses. One of these ways that Zinc is required is to make T-cells. You’ve probably heard that with COVID-19 there’s some T-cell immunity. There are memory T-cells that, if you get COVID and were exposed to one of the coronavirus-type colds, you might have holdover T-cells that have some ability to help fight off COVID-19 and help prevent it from becoming dangerous because this virus on its own can become quite dangerous.
Zinc and other viruses
In a study of people with HIV, when the researchers gave the patients Zinc, it improved the formation of CD4+ T-cells. That would reverse the failure of the immune system by about 76%.
Researchers also found that elderly people and people in nursing homes are commonly low in Zinc. This sets them up for not just a viral infection, but viral pneumonia. A randomized placebo-controlled study of people over the age of 65 found that if researchers gave them 25mg of a Zinc supplement every day for three months, it increased the concentration of helper T-cells and cytotoxic T-cells in their blood pretty dramatically. These are virus killers that track down and kill viruses.
How To Boost Your Seasonal Immune Support – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 193. Listen Now >>
Another trial shows that nursing home residents who received 30mg of Zinc a day had improved levels of circulating T-cells. In the same study, a lower dose of 5mg had no effect. The researchers found out that if they gave the patients 30mg and they could raise their blood level of Zinc to normal, they had a much lower risk of developing serious viral infections.
Zinc and COVID-19
There was a review recently in The International Journal of Molecular Medicine and it focused on the benefits of Zinc and specifically COVID-19. They found that Zinc could have a protective effect against COVID-19 by supporting the parts of the immune system that fight viruses, but also reduce inflammation. That’s an important statement.
With COVID-19, the virus can get into major organs like the heart, lungs and kidneys and it triggers inflammation. Then, there’s a backlash by the immune system called a cytokine storm, where chemical messages from the immune system called cytokines and chemokines are released at too high of an abundance, triggering severe inflammation. Researchers are finding that interleukin 6, a cytokine created by the immune system, causes a great deal of inflammation and that, in people who develop COVID-19 pneumonia, there’s a surge of interleukin 6 that further inflames the lungs. This causes people to wind up with acute respiratory distress syndrome, where the lining of the lungs can flood with fluid.
How Multivitamins Can Support Immunity – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 217. Listen Now >>
In this review, researchers from many places reviewed studies on Zinc’s role in preventing and treating respiratory tract infections, but also COVID-19. They found specific evidence that Zinc can fight off coronaviruses. One study showed that Zinc blocks an enzyme responsible for replicating the coronavirus that led to the SARS outbreak of 2002.
They also found that Zinc supports the production and maturation of white blood cells. These are major players in the immune system that help fight off cancer, viruses and bacteria. Zinc also helps to regulate inflammation, so that helps prevent that cytokine storm. They said that Zinc has an anti-inflammatory effect in pneumonia, limiting the amount of damage to lung tissue.
Tune into the full podcast episode for more details on the relationship between Zinc and the immune system when it comes to COVID-19.
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
How Aged Garlic Supports The Immune System – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 242
You don’t want inflammation all the time. You just want it highly-focused and used when you need it. You also want the immune system to be functioning well so that it takes out any viruses, bacteria, yeasts and parasites that are infectious. Aged Garlic helps on both fronts.
The Numerous Benefits of Aged Garlic – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 239
Garlic has many well-studied cardiovascular benefits, but it goes well beyond that. Aged Garlic has many benefits, including immune health.
The Overlooked Impact of Vitamin D To Overall Health – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 230
vitamin d
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH.
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As of a few years ago, many people would think of Vitamin D simply as our bone health vitamin and not really understand all of the other things that Vitamin D is doing to maintain our health. I want to talk about that in some specifics today because I think it’s important being that we are still in the midst of this pandemic and there have been so many different studies that have come out looking at the analysis of Vitamin D levels among asymptomatic as well as critically-ill COVID-19 patients. I do think that there is a strong correlation between Vitamin D status and the actual severity of COVID-19 infections. I want to talk in detail about what Vitamin D can do for the body besides supporting bone health.†
The important functions of Vitamin D
We know that when it comes to bone mineralization, we require Vitamin D. This is in conjunction with things such as calcium, phosphorus and other minerals within the bone to maintain that bone density. But we know that this vitamin actually exhibits many non-skeletal effects throughout the human body, especially on the immune system, as well as the endocrine and cardiovascular systems. If we are taking Vitamin D in from our foods, just to maintain normal bone development and the maintenance of our bones, we have to consider if we are getting enough. This is why, as a whole, most people have either an insufficiency in Vitamin D or an actual deficiency in Vitamin D. It is estimated that over 1 billion people globally are impacted via vitamin deficiencies.
Tune into the full podcast episode for more information on deficiencies.
Vitamin D helps to regulate cell differentiation. This refers to the way that your cells are actually dividing. This is done by binding to the vitamin receptor found in most cells throughout the body. That should clue you in that Vitamin D is highly unique. Your vitamins don’t have receptors throughout the body, but this vitamin does, which is why we know it plays more of a hormonal role in the body as it does an actual role like a typical vitamin. Observational studies have shown this association between low levels and an increased risk of developing things such as colorectal cancer and breast cancers. We cannot overlook just how significant the impact of Vitamin D is on our overall health.†
Other observational studies have looked at the association between it’s status and the susceptibility or the severity of different illnesses and autoimmune conditions, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus and multiple sclerosis. There is adequate evidence out there now that directly links this inverse relationship between low levels of circulating vitamin and the increased risk for the severity of these types of autoimmune conditions.†
THE IMPORTANCE OF VITAMIN D FOR STRENGTH AND MOBILITY – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 158. Listen Now >>
There are trials out there investigating whether Vitamin D is linked with cognitive decline, even in the setting of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases. We know that there is this inverse relationship between circulating levels and glucose tolerance. When we look at things like insulin resistance, for example, in the setting of metabolic syndrome, we have to understand that this vitamin is playing a role in that as well.†
For more information about the important role this vitamin plays in the human body, listen to the full podcast episode.
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
