How to Supercharge your Immune System

Your immune system is your body’s defence system against foreign germs like viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, protozoans, and helminths. Considering the current Covid-19 pandemic and the coming of winter (along with its friends cold and flu) it is wise to work on optimising your immune function so that you can fight off these germs and stay healthy. Most of us understand that getting adequate sleep, eating a healthy diet, and exercise will improve immune function. However, I would like to highlight a few simple supplements that you can help improve your immune function as well.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is one of the 50 essential nutrients you need daily for optimal health. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, which means it protects you from free radicals that we accumulate due to exposure to toxins and pollutants. Vitamin C also helps boost your immune system. Many people are not aware that there are two different forms of vitamin C, water soluble (tradition form), and fat-soluble (lyposomal).

One form of vitamin C is water soluble, it is the most common form and has been around much longer. Water soluble vitamin C is good, and it can help support the immune system, however, when taking in large dosages it can lead to gastrointestinal disruption and diarrhea. It is also subjected to degradation via digestion or oxidation before it gets into your cells, which means that by the time it reaches its destination there is a lot less of it to cause an affect. Only about 1000-1250 mg of vitamin C would be absorbed with a single 2000 mg dose, the number decrease even more when you take even larger doses (1). Much of the vitamin C that doesn’t get absorbed by your cells will be excreted in your urine.

The second form of vitamin C is a fat-soluble form called liposomal or lypospheric vitamin C. A liposome is a very tiny sphere made up of an outer wall of fat (membrane) and an inner payload of any number of water-soluble substances. What really makes the liposome so special is that can deliver its contents (nutrients) directly into the cells of your body without the consumption of energy. As a bonus, liposomes protect its contents from digestion or oxidation before the final delivery into your cells. Because it is wrapped in essential phospholipids, liposomal vitamin C is taken up by the lymphatic system with an estimated 98% efficiency (1). Vitamin C has been linked to anti-aging effects, particularly increasing skin firmness and reducing fine lines and wrinkles. It is needed for the production of collagen and elastin, the skin’s supportive structural proteins, and because phospholipids are fats that make up all cell membranes including your skin cells.

Liposomal vitamin C is very well tolerated. There are no known meaningful liposomal side effects when reasonable doses are taken. Safety studies have shown that 1 to 5 g per day are well tolerated. In studies where very large doses are taken, 20-30 g, some subjects experience some gastrointestinal upset (1).

One form of vitamin C doesn’t, nor shouldn’t, replace the other. Regular vitamin C increases blood levels nicely while lypospheric is better at increasing the vitamin C within your cells. It’s best to have both forms to ensure maximum benefits (1)! And of course, make sure that you eat foods that are high in Vitamin C like guava, kiwi fruit, capsicum, strawberries, broccoli and tomatoes to make to keep up your required levels of this amazing immune booster.

We have one of the best practitioner only liposomal Vitamin C supplements available in our clinic. However, we currently have very limited stock due to high worldwide demand. Please have a chat to us if you’re interested in purchasing this supplement through us.

Zinc

Zinc is a trace mineral, it’s second only to iron as the most abundant trace mineral in your body. Your body doesn’t naturally produce zinc, so you must obtain it through food or supplements. Research shows that zinc may enhance immune function, stabilise blood sugar levels, and help keep your skin, eyes, and heart healthy (2). Many over-the-counter medications include zinc as an ingredient because of its ability to boost the immune system and decrease inflammation. Other benefits of zinc include its antioxidant effects (reduces the effects of free radicals), it can improve eye, heart, and skin health, and it may assist with the control of blood sugar levels.

The amount of zinc you need varies depending on the type of zinc you take. For instance, zinc sulfate has approximately 23% elemental zinc, so you would have to take 100mg of zinc sulfate to get 23mg of elemental zinc. For adults, the recommended daily dosage is typically 15–30 mg of elemental zinc. Due to the potential side effects associated with excess zinc consumption, it’s best not to exceed the upper limit of 40 mg per day — unless under medical supervision (2). Zinc can cause some side effects including digestive issues, flu-like symptoms, and reduced copper absorption and antibiotic effectiveness. Many foods are rich in zinc, such as nuts, seeds, legumes, meat, seafood, and dairy.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D, contrary to its name is not actually a vitamin, it is a secosteroid. It comes in two active forms, vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) which is derived from plants, and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) which is derived from animals or your skin can synthesise it with exposure to sunlight. Ten minutes of sun exposure produces roughly the recommended daily allowance for vitamin D3 or the amount derived from eating 70g of sardine or 22g of herring (3). The problem for most people is not sun exposure, but rather what we put on our skin. When sunscreens are applied, they block out a type of ultraviolet light from the sun called UVB, and if it’s a broad-spectrum sunscreen it blocks both UVA and UVB rays. I am not condoning going out sun baking for hours without sunscreen, it may be better to expose a safe amount of skin to full spectrum sunlight for ten minutes before seeking shade or applying sunscreen. It is difficult to offer general guidelines for vitamin D as it largely depends on a variety of factors like your age, diet, skin colour and location relative to the equator.

Vitamin D is fat-soluble and is involved in the production of many steroids (hormones) in our bodies. It is a key regulator of calcium and phosphate metabolism. The overall effect of vitamin D is to increased plasma calcium levels. It acts on thousands of different genes to support daily function, and it helps our bodies absorb calcium — the mineral that helps build strong bones. It has also been shown to play an important role in other metabolic pathways, such as those involved in the immune response and cancer.

Approximately one third of Australians have a mild, moderate or even severe Vitamin D deficiency (5). If you’re looking at vitamin D supplements, you want D3. Because it’s the form your body naturally makes, D3 is more effectively absorbed into your system. However, simply taking vitamin D supplements is not the complete answer in the long run for preventing vitamin D deficiency. If you want to cover all your bases you should source vitamin D from food, sun exposure and by taking a supplement.

In summary, it is my opinion that these vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) should be primarily sourced from whole healthy foods. However, it can be expensive or difficult for many people to consume the amount of healthy foods to reach optimal levels (doses). Therefore, it may be necessary to take daily supplements in order to achieve these levels and optimise your immune function and overall health. One approach is to start taking some of these suggested supplements at recommended doses and see how you feel over the following weeks. Or, if you would like to be more scientific in your approach and have more certainty about your current levels of the vitamins and minerals, I recommend you to consult a certified nutritionist or naturopath who can work with your GP to conduct some blood and urine tests to get a baseline of what your micronutrient levels are before you make the financial investment into the supplement world. That way you can see if the supplements are working. By taking this approach you can accurately measure your micronutrient levels, which will allow you to figure out whether you need to vary the dose of each of the supplements you are taking to achieve optimal levels. 

We have researched all of our supplements extensively and only stock what we believe to be the best quality supplements on the market. If you are a client of Back to Function and would like to discuss further, please do so in the clinic or by contacting us via phone or email. If you are not being treated by us, unfortunately we are unable sell supplements to you. But we recommend you visit your chiropractor or allied health practitioner to discuss your supplement requirements.

Take care and stay safe!

Adam

References

1.     Cook, D. (2014, Sept 13). Liposomal vitamin C vs regular vitamin c. https://www.dougcookrd.com/vitamin-c-supplement/: Retrieved on 17/04/20

2.     Link, R. (2019, Jan 10). What are zinc supplements good for? Benefits and More. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/zinc-supplements: Retrieved on 18/04/20

3.     Jamison, J. (2003). Clinical guide to nutrition and dietary supplements in disease management. Australia, Churchill Livingstone

4.     Aspery, D. (2019, Nov 11). The benefits of vitamin D and how to get more of it. https://www.bulletproof.com/supplements/vitamins-minerals/vitamin-d-optimal-range. Retrieved on 20/04/20

5.     Osteoporosis Australia (2020), Vitamin D. https://www.osteoporosis.org.au/vitamin-d