Immunity-Boosting Supplements, Vitamins, and Minerals
4 Essential Vitamins and Minerals to Boost Your Immune System This Year
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What it does: This vitamin enhances your body's B-lymphocyte production and stops the deterioration of T-lymphocyte cells, which are both important antibody cells that are responsible for detecting and fighting pathogens. Vitamin C gets a lot of good press for its effect on colds, but Dr. Mafi pointed out that its effect is actually weaker than you might think. It has been shown to reduce the duration of colds when taken regularly and can be helpful if your immune system is down due to brief, severe physical exertion, he said, but a review notes that vitamin C has failed to reduce cold incidence in the general population. Even with that in mind, authors concluded that vitamin C consistently effects the duration and severity of colds in supplementation studies, making it "worthwhile for common cold patients to test on an individual basis."
Where to find it: Citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and lemons contain high amounts of vitamin C. Other ways of upping your vitamin C include taking supplements or eating more green veggies like broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts.