Are you trying to find the best supplements to boost your immune system? The world is trying its best to fight the war against coronavirus infection. Everyone sitting at their home to avoid the spread of coronavirus infection. While sitting at home is not a permanent solution, it can help flatten the curve of the disease. But, you can reduce the risk of infection by boosting your immune system. With a strengthened immune system, you can fight the virus better. It means the virus cannot affect your body and cause the infection. Interested in knowing how to strengthen your immune system? Read ahead.
About Immune System
You ward off diseases due to better functioning of your immune system. The defense mechanism consists of a collection of complex cells, chemicals, and processes that prevents invading pathogens like bacteria, viruses, and toxins from affecting the body. You have to keep your immune system healthy around the year to prevent any complications due to disease and infection. How is possible? By making healthy lifestyle choices. It means you have to include a nutritious and well-balanced diet. You also need to include physical exercise and get enough sleep to help your body strengthen its immunity. But, not everyone can eat a well-balanced diet that contains all the essential nutrients to meet your body’s needs. In such cases, you can take external supplements. These supplements contain certain vitamins, minerals, and other substances to improve your immune response. So, it offers better protection against illness.
But, you must never choose to take supplements without consulting your doctor. Your doctor can assess your medical condition and detect if the supplements interact with any of the over-the-counter or prescription medication you take. It is because certain supplements can have a negative interaction with medications you take for an underlying health condition.
Need For The Best Supplement To Boost Your Immune System
It is important to get the essential vitamins and minerals straight from food. It is because your body can absorb the nutrients better when they come from a dietary source. Unfortunately, not many people can follow a well-balanced diet every day. You can follow the suggestion provided below for strong immunity:
Stay Hydrated
Drinking eight to ten glasses of water is the ideal way to keep the necessary balance in the body. When you stay hydrated, it also helps with faster absorption of the nutrients. Water is also essential to produce lymph, which facilitates the easy carrying of your white blood cells as well as other immune system cells. Avoid dehydrating beverages that can affect immune cells. So, try to limit your coffee intake.
Water-Rich Fruits And Vegetable
For better immunity, you need to take more vegetables and fruits. Try to add water-rich fruits and vegetables like cucumber, celery, and seasonal fruits like watermelon.
Their hectic lifestyle can prevent them from taking adequate food at the right time, resulting in a lack of nutrients. The supplements help fills the gap left by your usual diet to ensure you get the necessary nutrients. So, you can take the best supplements to boost your immune system. While taking the supplements, you need to consult your doctor. It is because certain supplements can affect the results of the medications you take for health issues. Also, certain supplements can have side effects. So, take a decision after consulting a healthcare professional. Scientists suggest that the human body cannot absorb nutrients from supplements like the nutrients from a dietary source. So, the exact dose of the supplements that will benefit your body is unclear.
Best Supplements To Boost Your Immune System
When every person is feeling the fear of going out due to coronavirus infection, natural strategies are suggested to boost immunity. One such option is to add supplements. Including the best supplements to boost your immune system will not just help you avoid the infection but also keep the people around you and the community safe. Here are some of the supplements known for their immune-boosting ability. But, always consult your doctor before adding it to your routine.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for your healthy immune system. The fat-soluble nutrient is needed for enhanced health as well as the functioning of your defense mechanism. When your body obtains Vitamin D, it increases the fighting capacity of your immune cells (macrophages and monocytes). These white blood cells are essential for the defense system as it fights the pathogens to reduce inflammation. When your body does not receive sufficient Vitamin D, it has a negative effect on your immunity. So, decreased levels of Vitamin D can put you at risk of upper respiratory tract infections. It leads to suffering from allergic asthma and influenza.
People who suffer Vitamin D deficiency can improve their immunity when they use supplements. Studies indicate that taking the supplements will protect you against respiratory tract infections.
Effectiveness Of Vitamin D
A 2019 study in the controlled environment offered the evidence of the efficiency of using Vitamin D. According to the study, subjects who took Vitamin D as per the suggestion of the doctor showed significant resistance to respiratory infections. So, the risk of infection in people contracting such diseases reduced considerably. This study offers an insight into the overall protective effect offered by the vitamin supplement.
Dose Of Vitamin D
Vitamin D is one of the best supplements to boost your immune system. Healthy levels of the vitamins will lower your risk of infections affecting the respiratory system. Taking Vitamin D between 1000 IUI-4000 IUI per day as suggested by the doctor will help your immunity. It improves your body’s response to antiviral treatment, infections like HIV and hepatitis C. People with serious difficulties need a higher dose of the supplements. So, people with deficiencies need to consult the doctor before taking the supplement.
One Of The Best Supplements To Boost Your Immune System: Zinc
Zinc is the essential nutrient needed to enhance your immune system. It is required for your immune cell development. The nutrient also plays an important role in the inflammatory response. When you suffer from the deficiency due to the nutrient, it can adversely affect your immune system’s response. So, it affects the defense mechanism’s ability to function properly. So, people with reduced zinc levels face the risk of suffering from an infectious disease like pneumonia and other infections. The deficiency is usually overcome when you take supplements that contain zinc. The healthcare products (for example lozenges) boost your immune system. So, it is vital for your immune system function.
Unfortunately, zinc deficiency is quite common around the world as more than two billion people suffer from the issue. It is common in elderly people. In fact, 30% of the elderly people are deficient in the nutrient. Deficiency of the nutrient can cause respiratory tract infections like common cold or flu. So, taking supplements with zinc can help people who experience such infections.
Effectiveness Of Zinc
Several studies indicate that taking zinc supplements can reduce the duration of several respiratory infections. A 2019 study indicated the effectiveness of zinc supplements Children who suffered from ALRIs (Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infections) who took 30mg of Zinc each day found relief from the problem. They stayed two days less compared to others who did not take the supplements. So, the supplement can reduce the duration of such infections, including the common cold.
Dose of Zinc
You can take supplements containing zinc to protect yourself from respiratory tract infections. Taking these also reduces the duration of the infection. So, as per the doctor’s recommendation, you can take a daily dose of 40mg of zinc (upper limit). The dose is effective in healthy adults to ensure you boost your immunity. Taking an excess dose of zinc can affect the absorption of copper. So, insufficient absorption can lead to high infection risk.
Vitamin C: One Of The Effective And Best Supplements To Boost Your Immune System
If you are looking for an effective supplement to get ample protection against any infections, then Vitamin C is the ideal choice. Vitamin C plays an important to enhance your immune health. The vitamin has the ability to support the function of your different immune cells. It also increases the ability of a defense mechanism to get protection against infection. It is also necessary to encourage cellular death. The cells in the immune system need to die. It is essential to clear out the old cells and replace them with new ones. Vitamin C has antioxidant properties that protect your cells from damage caused due to oxidative stress. It also prevents the accumulation of free radicals (the reactive molecules).
Effectiveness Of Vitamin C
Taking Vitamin C can effectively reduce oxidative stress, which is responsible for a negative impact on your immune system. It is linked to numerous diseases. So, when you take the suggested dose of the supplement, it effectively reduces the duration and severity of respiratory infections like the common cold. According to twenty-nine different studies, scientists have detected the efficiency of Vitamin C. Evidence supports that people taking regular supplements of one to two grams of Vitamin C daily can reduce the duration of a cold (by 14% in children and 8% in adults). Taking Vitamin C regularly reduces the risk of the common cold in people under huge physical stress by 50% like athletes. So, it is one of the best supplements to boost your immune system if you are a soldier or marathon runner
Dosage Of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the best supplements to boost your immune system. When you fail to get the nutrient through your diet, taking supplements will offer benefits. It will reduce the duration and severity of several upper respiratory tract infections like the common cold. Taking daily doses around 250 mg to 1000 mg will offer better results. The maximum dose allowed is 2000 mg. Such a high dose of intravenous treatment of Vitamin C will improve the symptoms of infections in several people. So, it can show effects when you suffer from acute respiratory distress syndrome or sepsis caused by viral infections. While the use of Vitamin C shows promising results, other benefits are still under investigation. Therefore, you can try taking it in your daily life for your well-being.
Elderberry
Also known as Sambucus nigra, the black elderberry is used for a long period to treat infections. To know better about the berries from the tree’s ability to strengthen your immune health. The fruit of the native tree of Europe in test-tube studies has demonstrated potent antiviral and antibacterial properties. So, it has shown great potential against bacterial pathogens causing upper respiratory tract infections as well as the different strains of the influenza virus. Due to the better immune health response, it can shorten the severity and duration of different viral infections like the common cold.
Effectiveness Of Elderberry
According to four randomized studies in humans, the use of elderberry supplements showed improved results. So, people suffering from viral infections like upper respiratory symptoms feel less severity.
Elderberry Dose
You can get elderberry supplements in capsule or liquid form. So, taking 15ml (one tablespoon) of elderberry syrup four times a day can reduce symptoms caused due to upper respiratory systems. It can also alleviate symptoms caused by other infections like flu. You can also use elderberry lozenges (175 mg) taken two times a day can offer better relief. But, further studies are required to know its full benefits.
Medicinal Mushroom: One Of The Oldest And Best Supplements To Boost Your Immune System
Medicinal mushrooms were a common supplement used in ancient times to prevent as well as treat infections. You have many types of medicinal mushrooms that can treat several types of diseases. Several studies are on the way to study the immune-boosting potential of the medicinal mushrooms. It is amazing to know that more than 270 recognized species of the medicinal mushrooms have immune-boosting properties. Here are some of the types, offering you enhanced defense system:
- Lion’s mane
- Cordyceps
- Maitake
- Reishi
- Shitake
- Turkey tail
Effectiveness Of Medicinal Mushrooms
Some researches indicate the benefits of supplementing your regular diet with specific types of medicinal mushroom for enhanced immune health. It does not boost your immune system bit also reduces the symptoms caused by certain conditions. So, people suffering from lung infections and asthma can find relief by using the supplements. According to a study in mice with a serious bacterial disease like tuberculosis, treating them with cordyceps showed an enhanced immune response. So, using it showed reduced inflammation compared to the ordinary (placebo) group. Another randomized study on humans showed an increased presence of NK (natural killer) cells (a type of white blood cell) when supplemented with 1.7 grams of Cordyceps extract. The 38% increase in the immune cells protects you against infections.
Another form of medicinal mushroom, Turkey Tail has powerful effects on your immune health. Different research in humans indicates the effectiveness of using Turkey Tail to improve your immune response when suffering from certain types of cancer.
Dose Of Medicinal Mushrooms
The dose needed for immune-enhancing as well as antibacterial results depend on the type of mushroom used. While the medicinal mushrooms are found in different forms of teas, tinctures, and supplements, more research is required to understand the beneficial effects of it.
Other Supplements To Boost Your Immune System
Apart from the commonly known supplements, you can also try some natural immune-boosting foods. These supplements, when included in your diet, will help you fight diseases and other infections better. But, before including any of the items described, you need to consult your doctor. Some herbal supplements can affect the other medications you take. Here are the supplements to improve your immune response:
 Astragalus
Astragalus is a root used in medicine (especially Traditional Chinese Medicine) to cure diseases. While no scientific evidence is available to support the claims, animal research indicates the effectiveness of the herb in improving the immune response. It is used in Chinese medicine to get relief from fever, kidney disease, diabetes, and other conditions. During the season of infectious diseases, taking these supplements can help stimulate your immune system.
Selenium
Selenium found in the soil. It is a mineral that naturally appears in certain foods and water. While you need only a small amount, the mineral plays an important role in your metabolism. Animal research indicates that taking selenium supplements can enhance your immune system’s response against the virus. So, including it in your daily routine offers defense against influenza strains (like H1N1).
One Of The Easiest And Best Supplements to Boost Your Immune System: Garlic
Garlic is an herb used in cooking. But, it has several compounds with the potential to influence your immunity. It has powerful antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties to boost your immune cells. The innate immune cells are essential to kill the pathogens causing inflammation. Crushed or chopped garlic releases allicin, which offers antioxidant benefits and reduces inflammation. Using garlic can also stimulate protective white blood cells (macrophages or NK cells) that helps fight infections.
Andrographis
It is the herb used in several medicinal practices around the globe. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine as well as Ayurveda (ancient Indian medicinal practice). The herb also referred to as Indian Echinacea has andrographolide. The bitter-tasting herb has the terpenoid compound that is well-known for having antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant properties. So, using the supplements can help you get effective results against respiratory diseases caused by viruses like influenza and enterovirus D68.
Licorice: One Of The Best Supplements to Boost Your Immune System
Licorice is the herb that grows in several parts of Asia and Europe. Usually, the root of the plant is used for medicinal purposes. The root contains glycyrrhizic acid that helps you get protection from viral infections. According to scientists, test tube research of glycyrrhizin exhibited antiviral activity. So, it can help people from developing severe acute respiratory syndrome due to SARS-CoV (coronavirus).
Pelargonium sidoides
It is plant-derived and known for its effective ability to treat acute bronchitis. The pharmaceutical also referred to as African geranium can boost your immune system and alleviate symptoms of acute respiratory infections like herpes, common cold, and bronchitis. While some people can see positive results, others not much. So, more results are required to know the full extent of the pharmaceutical.
B complex Vitamins
B complex vitamins are known as the vital blocks in maintaining good health as well as well-being in people. You need B vitamins like B6 and B12 for a healthy immune system. These vitamins have a direct impact on your cell metabolism, brain function, and energy levels. They are the much-needed building blocks of a healthy body. So, suffering from the deficiency of B vitamins can lead to a negative impact on the immune systems. To prevent infections and other diseases, you need to take the B complex vitamin supplements.
One Of The Best Supplements To Boost Your Immune System: Curcumin
You may have heard about the amazing benefits offered by turmeric. It is due to the presence of curcumin, which is the active compound in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. People with weak immune systems are susceptible to coronavirus infection and its complication. So, including turmeric, one of the best supplements to boost your immune system will help you fight any infection. The antiseptic and antibacterial properties of curcumin can boost your immunity.
 Echinacea
Echinacea is an herb of the daisy family genus. It is the native of the Rocky Mountains, USA. The herb is grown in native east areas of the Rocky Mountains and westerns regions like Canada as well as Europe. In earlier times, the Great Plains Indian tribes used it as a traditional herbal remedy. Several species of plants are effective in improving the immune system. The root, flower, and leaves are effective as they are used in traditional herbal remedies. Until the introduction of antibiotics, people in the USA used the herb for alleviating several health issues. It has antiviral properties that act effectively against respiratory viruses. So, it can fight rhinoviruses and syncytial virus.
 Propolis
Bees produce not just honey but also a resin-like compound known as propolis. The sap of evergreen or needle-leaved trees produces the resin-like component. When combined with the honeybee’s own discharge and beeswax, then it results in the production of a sticky coating with a greenish-brown appearance. It is used by the honeybee as the sealant to build their hives. Propolis has immune-enhancing effects as it has antiviral properties. But, more research is required to know its efficiency and effectiveness.
Among the supplements listed above, garlic, astragalus, curcumin, and Echinacea are proven to offer immune-boosting effects. But, thorough testing is required to learn more about its capabilities and any risks associated with it. While including the supplements can offer you good results, it is better to seek medical advice before you include any of them. Since no clear evidence is available to ensure its effectiveness, you need to make a decision after talking with your doctor.
Additional Strategies For Healthy Immune System
Apart from taking the best supplements to boost your immune system, you must also follow the strategies suggested below to keep healthy:
Clean Your Hands
It is one of the most important things to stay healthy during coronavirus infection. Illness occurs when you touch a contaminated surface with your hands and use the hands to touch your face, nose, or eyes. The germs travel to your body through nose, mouth, and eyes. So, use soap and water to wash your hands properly.
Maintain Healthy Weight
You need to keep your body in top shape to prevent any illness. Maintaining the ideal body weight is essential to ward off illness. You can achieve it by following a balanced diet, including exercise, and sleeping well. Apart from using the best supplements to boost your immune system, you need to maintain the right weight to avoid illness.
Manage Stress
Stress has negative effects on your body. Research indicates that high-stress levels will affect your immune system. So, you need to keep yourself calm and keep the stress under control. Become aware of your stress levels and try to follow some techniques to lower them.
These strategies can help you keep away the infection or fight off the illness. So, you may not fear coronavirus infection and follow the guidelines to keep yourself safe.
Conclusion
While many supplements promise to offer improvement in immunity, you need to consult your doctor before including in your daily routine. Vitamin C, zinc, elderberry, and Vitamin D are the best supplements to boost your immune system with proven results. Others have no scientific evidence to support the claim. Other supplements offer a small benefit for your immune health. But, never replace the supplements with a healthy lifestyle. You have included a balanced diet, exercise, and good sleep to keep your immune system healthy. Avoiding bad habits like smoking or alcohol increases your chances of suffering from infection and disease. Since certain supplements can interact with certain medications or may not suit others, you need to get a doctor’s advice. No evidence indicates that taking these supplements can protect you against COVID-19. But, it can help your body fight the virus better.
References
https://www.medicinenet.com/covid_19_supplements/article.htm
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/immune-boosting-supplements