Folks around the country are starting to pull out boots and coats, figure out which warm clothes still fit their kids, and empty out their yard’s sprinkler systems. Are you also prepping your immune system for everything coming its way?
A powerful team of natural immune boosters can help you and your family enjoy all the great parts of fall without being benched with illness.
Your immune-boosting starting lineup
Echinacea, vitamin C, and zinc are a trio known for helping prevent sickness and even shortening the duration of the common cold. (1)(2)
An analysis of 14 studies concluded that echinacea reduced a person’s odds of getting a cold by 58%. (3) In addition, a review of studies on vitamin C found that it reduced the duration of a cold by an average of 8% for adults and 18% for children. (4)
Zinc supports the immune system by developing and activating lymphocytes and neutrophils—white blood cells that attack foreign invaders. (5)(6) One study found that infants who received a weekly zinc supplement had 31% fewer incidents of pneumonia and 22% fewer incidents of diarrhea than the placebo group. (7)
Other MVPs for immune support
Research has shown that quercetin supports leukocytes, which are blood cells that fight infection and other diseases. (8) Other studies suggest that quercetin may be useful in treating autoimmune diseases by suppressing cells that erroneously attack healthy tissue. (9)
Vitamin D is critical for bone health, but did you know that vitamin D receptors are present in the body’s immune cells, meaning vitamin D helps your immune system defeat opponents. (10)
Ginseng also has immune-stimulating properties.(11) Ginseng has been shown to activate immune cells and decrease lung inflammation from a viral infection. (12)
While you’re raking leaves, planning holidays, and settling kids in their school routines, make sure you’re also stocking your cupboard with your immune-support squad. Have a great fall, without falling ill.
Let’s stay healthier, together,
Your friends at Santo Remedio
References
[1] Rondanelli, M., Miccono, A., Lamburghini, S., Avanzato, I., Riva, A., Allegrini, P., Faliva, M. A., Peroni, G., Nichetti, M., & Perna, S. (2018). Self-Care for Common Colds: The Pivotal Role of Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc, and Echinacea in Three Main Immune Interactive Clusters (Physical Barriers, Innate and Adaptive Immunity) Involved during an Episode of Common Colds-Practical Advice on Dosages and on the Time to Take These Nutrients/Botanicals in order to Prevent or Treat Common Colds. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2018, 5813095. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5813095
[2] Block, K. I., & Mead, M. N. (2003). Immune system effects of echinacea, ginseng, and astragalus: a review. Integrative cancer therapies, 2(3), 247–267. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735403256419
[3] Shah, S. A., Sander, S., White, C. M., Rinaldi, M., & Coleman, C. I. (2007). Evaluation of echinacea for the prevention and treatment of the common cold: a meta-analysis. The Lancet. Infectious diseases, 7(7), 473–480. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(07)70160-3
[4] Hemilä, H., & Chalker, E. (2013). Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2013(1), CD000980. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD000980
[5] Dardenne M. (2002). Zinc and immune function. European journal of clinical nutrition, 56 Suppl 3, S20–S23. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601479
[6] Shankar, A. H., & Prasad, A. S. (1998). Zinc and immune function: the biological basis of altered resistance to infection. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 68(2 Suppl), 447S–463S. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/68.2.447S
[7] Brooks, W. A., Santosham, M., Naheed, A., Goswami, D., Wahed, M. A., Diener-West, M., Faruque, A. S., & Black, R. E. (2005). Effect of weekly zinc supplements on incidence of pneumonia and diarrhoea in children younger than 2 years in an urban, low-income population in Bangladesh: randomised controlled trial. Lancet (London, England), 366(9490), 999–1004. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67109-7
[8] Chirumbolo S. (2010). The role of quercetin, flavonols and flavones in modulating inflammatory cell function. Inflammation & allergy drug targets, 9(4), 263–285. https://doi.org/10.2174/187152810793358741
[9] Huang, R. Y., Yu, Y. L., Cheng, W. C., OuYang, C. N., Fu, E., & Chu, C. L. (2010). Immunosuppressive effect of quercetin on dendritic cell activation and function. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), 184(12), 6815–6821. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.0903991
[10] Prietl, B., Treiber, G., Pieber, T. R., & Amrein, K. (2013). Vitamin D and immune function. Nutrients, 5(7), 2502–2521. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu5072502
[11] Block, K. I., & Mead, M. N. (2003). Immune system effects of echinacea, ginseng, and astragalus: a review. Integrative cancer therapies, 2(3), 247–267. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735403256419
[12] Kim, H., Jang, M., Kim, Y., Choi, J., Jeon, J., Kim, J., Hwang, Y. I., Kang, J. S., & Lee, W. J. (2016). Red ginseng and vitamin C increase immune cell activity and decrease lung inflammation induced by influenza A virus/H1N1 infection. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology, 68(3), 406–420. https://doi.org/10.1111/jphp.12529
