There you stand, at the peak of cold and flu season, wondering how to best support your immune system to protect you from the dreaded sniffles. Or at least make them more tolerable.
While there is an abundance of products out there that may or may not help, the answer might be simpler than you realize.
Take it back to basics, and look at key nutrients that support immune health. What do you find? Vitamin C and good old zinc.
How do vitamin C and Zinc Support Immunity?
Vitamin C is commonly used for immune support. You’ll see it in popular products like Emergen-C or Airborne. Vitamin C helps support your immune cells and acts as a powerful antioxidant to protect your body against free radicals.
You may also see products that contain zinc, an essential mineral important in immune cell function. While zinc was more popular as a cold and flu preventative in the early 90s, its benefits are still supported today.
Zinc also acts as an antioxidant, which helps protect your cells from damage and reduces inflammation, which can help reduce common cold and flu symptoms.
Antioxidants like zinc and vitamin C can help boost overall immune response, improving recovery time significantly.
When you combine these two powerful nutrients, you create a hearty immune boost that can help shorten the duration and reduce the severity of common cold and flu symptoms.
How to take Vitamin C and Zinc to Support Immunity
Vitamin C concentrations in your body rapidly decrease during stress and infection. Taking supplemental vitamin C has been found to help improve many parts of the human immune system to support reduced symptoms and faster recovery times [1].
While zinc concentrations aren’t impaired, those who already have low zinc intake in their diet, such as with a deficiency or under-nutrition, have been found to have impaired cellular mediators of innate immunity, emphasizing the importance of both nutrients for adequate immune support [1].
Studies available on zinc and vitamin C supplementation for immune health support intakes of up to 1 gram (or 1,000mg) of vitamin C and up to 30 mg of zinc [1].
Supplementing with these key nutrients is especially important for those who do not get adequate amounts in their diet.
Vitamin C and Zinc Food Sources
If you prefer to take a natural approach, you can boost your vitamin C and zinc intake by prioritizing foods that are rich sources of these nutrients.
You can find good sources of vitamin C in many foods, including citrus fruits, peppers, kiwis, strawberries, broccoli, and brussel sprouts.
You can also find good sources of vitamin C in fruit juices, such as orange, grapefruit, and tomato juice, as well as in some breakfast cereals [2].
You can find good sources of zinc in meat, fish, seafood, eggs, and dairy products. Zinc is in especially high concentrations in oysters. You can also get it from beans, nuts, and some whole grains, but these are not as bioavailable as animal sources [3].
What to Look For in a Dietary Supplement
Most drug stores and grocery food chains will have one, if not several, types of vitamin C and zinc dietary supplements available, along with combination supplements.
When choosing a supplement, avoid ones that contain a lot of added fluff or herbal ingredients, as the research on these are not strong. Just look for vitamin C and zinc. Nothing else is needed.
Choose from a reputable source and look for third-party testing on the label for quality and purity checks to ensure you are getting what you pay for.
Dosages can vary a lot from one to another. As mentioned above, you can take doses of up to 1,000mg of vitamin C and 30mg of zinc. It’s okay to choose one with slightly lower amounts if you also want to focus on including more food sources as well.
Along with including supplements, make sure you are prioritizing a healthy diet and maintaining adequate hydration to get the most out of them. Supplements are not a replacement for eating a balanced diet.
