Minster Chiropractic Center Describes the Role of Vitamin C for a Healthy Immune System
The immune system is a hard working system. Like any organ or machine, it needs fuel to keep working hard. The fuel for the immune system is a long list of micronutrients, the most mentioned being vitamin C, and rightly so. Vitamin C plays an influential role in an immune system that works well. In addition to spine pain care, Minster Chiropractic Center asks our Minster chiropractic patients to pay attention to their body’s fuel levels of nutrients like vitamin C. Nutrition is important!
LOW VITAMIN C LEVELS
Researchers studied what factors add to low vitamin C status and learned that vitamin C levels are influenced mainly by dietary intake. Diet can be influenced by cultural factors like traditional cooking methods with traditional core foods like grains which have little vitamin C to give. Environmental factors play a role like geographic region, season, climate, and pollution. Demographic issues like age, race, sex, and socioeconomic factors like deprivation, education, institutionalization, and social class. Health factors like smoking, body weight, pregnancy/lactation, genetic variants, as well as diseases like serious infection or cardiovascular disease or cancerinfluence C levels. Quite a few issues seem to add to vitamin C levels and need to be considered when listing global recommendations for dietary intake. (1) Vitamin C levels are not studied well enough around the world especially in low- and middle- income countries. Relying on completed studies, researchers report that vitamin C deficiency is not unusual in low-, middle- and even in subgroups of people in high-income settings. (2) Minster Chiropractic Center may not be able to address the vitamin C levels of those around the world, but we are available to our Minster chiropractic friends!
ROLE OF VITAMIN C IN IMMUNE FUNCTION
Vitamin C is a well-recognized essential factor in immune function and epigenetic inflammatory modifications. Vitamin C is best obtained by consistent dietary intake. 41.8% of participants in the 2003-2005 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) has insufficient levels of vitamin C. Deficient vitamin C plasma levels were noted in males, adults aged 20-59, Black and Mexican Americans, smokers, those who have higher BMI, and those with middle and high poverty to income ratio and food insecurity. These people are at greater risk for inflammatory driven disease with little or no signs of low vitamin C levels. (3) Minster Chiropractic Center encourage our Minster chiropractic patients know if they are at risk for low nutrient levels and address those to be as healthy as possible!
IMMUNE SYSTEM
Health and well-being is a delicate balance of many issues; one is a good functioning immune system. Researchers have set levels of intake of micronutrients like vitamins A, C, D, E and zinc, but many people are low. Deficient levels of such nutrients impair the immune system and lessen its response when it is most required. In a study of 26,282 adults over age 19 in the 2005-2016 NHANES study, a “prevalence of inadequacy” was found for all of these:
- 45% for vitamin A
- 46% for vitamin C
- 95% for vitamin D
- 84% for vitamin E
- 15% for zinc
Supplementation is described as beneficial while a call for better understanding of the interactions of multiple nutrient shortages on the immune system is also suggested. This would help detect optimal levels of intake for at-risk people. (4) Minster Chiropractic Center is ready to analyze the vitamin C levels of our Minster chiropractic patients and assist them in adjusting it as needed.
CONTACT Minster Chiropractic Center
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the role chiropractic may have in immune system health along with how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management works.
Schedule your Minster chiropractic appointment soon. Together, we can explore just how well you are fueling your body to keep the immune system working optimally!
