There are many uncertainties about the coronavirus and there's no way that anyone can avoid being at risk. However, being as healthy as possible is a great way to protect yourself from the disease.

If ever we do get catch COVID-19, our immune system will do its job of fighting it. This is the reason why improved nutrition is the best way of providing your body with an optimal immune function. Our Vacaville Chiropractors are here to answer any questions you may have on how you can improve your immune system.

Nutrients that Support Immune Systems in Vacaville

Micronutrients are essential in fighting infection since it contains vitamins A, B, C, D, and E, as well as minerals like iron, selenium, and zinc.

So, it's time to learn more about how these nutrients can help support our immune system and from what foods can we acquire them.

• Vitamin A - This vitamin helps maintain the structure of the cells in the skin, gut, and respiratory tract. It creates a barrier in your body and is the first line of defense.
  • Vitamin A is also needed by the body to produce more antibodies, which are responsible for neutralizing pathogens that cause infection.
  • You can acquire vitamin A from cheese, legumes, nuts, tofu, seeds, egg yolks, oily fish, and whole grains. Vegetables also contain beta-carotene, which can be converted by your body into vitamin A. Leafy green vegetables and orange and yellow vegetables like carrots and pumpkins are rich in beta-carotene.
• B Vitamins - B vitamins, especially B6, B9, and B12, are part of your body's primary line of defense as soon as it detects a pathogen.
  • It does this by triggering the production and activity of the body's "natural killer" cells. These cells work by causing infected cells to "implode", which is a process known as apoptosis.
  • Vitamin B6 can be found in cereals, chicken, fish, fruits, legumes, meat, nuts, and green leafy vegetables.
  • Vitamin B9 (folate) can be found in legumes, nuts, seeds, and green leafy vegetables and are usually added in commercial bread-making flour.
  • Vitamin B12 can be found in animal products like eggs, dairy and meat, and even in fortified soy milk.
• Vitamins C and E - Oxidative stress is the term used when your body is fighting off an infection. This process can trigger the production of free radicals, which can penetrate the cell walls thus causing the contents to leak into tissues and can worsen inflammation.
  • Vitamins C and E are essential in protecting the cells from oxidative cells.
  • Vitamin C can help produce specialized cells (lymphocytes, neutrophils, and phagocytes) to create an immune response and clean up this cellular mess. For Vitamin C, you can eat foods like berries, broccoli, capsicum, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, oranges, and tomatoes.
  • Foods that are rich in vitamin E include nuts, vegetable oils, and green leafy vegetables.
• Vitamin D - Vitamin D is needed by immune cells to destroy pathogens that cause infection.
  • Sun exposure is a great way to provide your body vitamin D but it can also be acquired from food sources like eggs, fish, and certain margarine and milk brands that are fortified with vitamin D.
  • If you're vitamin D deficient, you may need supplements to make up for it. This can help protect your body against acute respiratory infections.
• Iron, Selenium, Zinc - These 3 are essential for immune cell growth and many other functions.
  • Iron increases the number of free radicals to help destroy the pathogens. It's also responsible for regulating enzyme reactions that are required for immune cells to recognize and attack the pathogens.
  • Zinc maintains the integrity of the skin and mucous membranes. Selenium and zinc are also antioxidants, which help in repairing the damage caused by oxidative stress.
  • You can get iron from food sources like chicken, fish, and meat. There are also vegetarian sources for this mineral which include legumes, whole grains, and iron-fortified breakfast cereals.
  • Zinc can be acquired from oysters and other seafood. In addition to that, it can also be found in chicken, meat, nuts, and dried beans. While selenium can be found in cereals, meat, mushrooms, and nuts.

Here at Absolute Family Chiropractic, we are concerned about this outbreak and we are doing our best to provide precautionary measures for our patients and our staff. In fact, we will be providing necessary supplements after your chiropractic session with us that can help protect yourself against COVID-19. This is our way of showing that we are genuinely concerned about your health and we will do whatever we can to protect everyone from the community against the spread of this virus.