The current situation due to the COVID-19 has centered people's attention towards their health and immunity. Having a healthy immune system and practicing proper hygiene with social distancing are some of the only ways to protect ourselves against the ongoing pandemic. 

Being stuck at home and not being able to function regularly has brought most people to a sedentary lifestyle. The sedentary lifestyle and low amount of physical activity have led to the downfall of overall health and well-being in people. Being unable to go through our regular lives has given rise to the need for additional immune support to keep the immune system running healthily.

The supplement industry has risen to the occasion and delivered various types of supplements for additional immune support. But how can supplements keep your immune system healthy? Find out in the section below. 

The Effect Of Supplements On Your Immune System

Supplements are dietary elements that fulfill your nutritional quota for any particular vitamin or mineral. The effect of supplements on your immune system is different as each mineral and vitamin has different effects. These vitamins are available in most of the food we consume, and supplements are only required if you face a deficiency in any of the nutrients. It is crucial to know that only consuming supplements without pairing them with diet and exercise will not be in your best interests. It is advised that you follow a good diet, exercise routine, and regular supplement usage to get the best immunity.

Let's find out the different effects of the various supplements on your immune system.

Nutritional Supplements That You Can Use To Improve Your Immune System

  • Vitamin D Supplements

Vitamin D is often called the sunlight vitamin, as the name suggests, natural sunlight is one abundant source of this vitamin. Since the beginning of the pandemic, going out has not been an option for people; this has led to a deficiency of the vitamin amongst the masses. 

Vitamin D is known to protect people against diseases such as rickets; It also has many benefits for your immune system such as:

  1. Helps strengthen the different elements of the immune system, such as macrophages and monocytes.
  2. Ensuring the person is not Vitamin D deficient can lower the person's chances of contracting respiratory infections such as influenza and asthma.
  3. Vitamin D also positively affects people who are using antiviral treatment and medications, especially on people suffering from HIV and hepatitis C.

  • Vitamin C Supplements

Vitamin C is naturally abundant as it is available in multiple food resources. It might come as a shock for you to know that even after being so openly available in citrus fruits and vegetables, many people are still deficient in vitamin C. 

It is one of the essential vitamins for your immune system as it protects you against infections. Some of the benefits of Vitamin C for your immune system include:

  1. Vitamin C protects you against infections by helping the cells of your immune system get stronger. Vitamin C also helps remove old dead cells and promotes the growth of new cells in your immune system. This keeps your body healthy and your immune system healthier.
  2. It has strong antioxidant abilities which protect your body from the accumulation of free radicals. Now, what are free radicals? They are reactive molecules that accumulate in your body and cause many different types of diseases.
  3. Vitamin C supplements can be called immune support vitamins as they help a person heal from respiratory infections such as the common cold.

  • Zinc Supplements

Yes, zinc is an essential nutrient for the best health of your immune system. Zinc protects your body by strengthening the tissue barriers that prevent the entrance of foreign pathogens inside the body. Zinc is found in many supplements and nutritional products. It is also found in lozenges. It is a trusted nutrient for the health of your immune system; the immunogenic benefits it provides are:

  1. Helps in the growth of the cells in your immune system; it also improves their ability to communicate with each other and other body parts. Zinc also protects cells against inflammation.
  2. Protects you against diseases such as pneumonia. Zinc deficiency increases the risk of a person contracting such diseases.
  3. Zinc also helps you recover faster from respiratory tract infections (RTIs) such as the common cold and influenza.

  • Medicinal Mushroom Supplements

If you follow popular culture, you would know mushrooms being used as a narcotic; however, medicinal mushrooms have been around for centuries for the treatment of infections. Since infections are one of the biggest threats to your immune system, using medicinal mushroom supplements preemptively can help improve the strength of your immune system against foreign pathogens. 

The other immunogenic benefits of medicinal mushroom supplements are:

  1. These mushrooms have a positive impact on the overall health of your immune system and help patients suffering from lung infections such as asthma by improving their symptoms.
  2. Medicinal mushrooms have been proven effective against certain types of cancers as well. The study has shown medicinal mushrooms improving the immune system's response in people suffering from certain types of cancers.
  3. Such mushrooms are also known for their effects on bacterial infections such as Tuberculosis. A study has shown that supplementing with medicinal mushrooms has helped reduce the severity of the disease and also reduced the inflammation of cells.

Medicinal mushrooms are an offbeat supplemental suggestion, but they have tried and tested results in improving your immunity. It is, however, indispensable to keep in mind that medicinal mushrooms are of different types, and all of them do not provide the same benefits mentioned above. The cordyceps and turkey tail mushrooms are the best for getting the results you have read about here.

Conclusion

To maintain a healthy immune system in times of a pandemic, it is in your best interest to consume supplements for immune support. Supplements will be able to fulfill the nutritional needs that your diet and exercise are lacking and keep you healthy. 

Maintaining a healthy immune system would also require you to adopt good dietary habits and regular exercising to get the best benefits out of the supplements you are consuming.