Layden Chiropractic Describes the Role of Vitamin C for a Healthy Immune System
The immune system works hard. Like a car or plane or boat, 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 significant role in a healthy functioning immune system. In addition to spine pain care, Layden Chiropractic asks our Plainville chiropractic patients to pay attention to their body’s fuel levels of nutrients like vitamin C. Nutrition is important!
LOW VITAMIN C LEVELS
Researchers examined what factors contribute to low vitamin C status and found that vitamin C levels are influenced mostly by dietary intake. Diet can be affected by cultural features 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 factors 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 severe infection or cardiovascular disease or cancerinfluence C levels. Quite a few issues seem to contribute to vitamin C levels and need to be thought about when creating global recommendations for dietary intake. (1) Vitamin C levels are not studied well enough around the world especially in low- and middle- income countries. Completed studies have shown that vitamin C deficiency is usual in low-, middle- and even in subgroups of people in high-income settings. (2) Layden Chiropractic may not be able to address the vitamin C levels of those around the world, but we are available to our Plainville chiropractic friends!
ROLE OF VITAMIN C IN IMMUNE FUNCTION
Vitamin C is a well-known 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 inadequate levels of vitamin C. Insufficient vitamin C plasma levels were found in males, adults aged 20-59, Black and Mexican Americans, smokers, those with higher BMI, and those with middle and high poverty to income ratio and food insecurity. These folks are at higher risk for inflammatory driven disease with little or no signs of low vitamin C levels. (3) Layden Chiropractic urge our Plainville 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 being a good functioning immune system. Researchers have established intake levels of micronutrients like vitamins A, C, D, E and zinc, yet many people are low. Inadequate levels of such nutrients damage the immune system and weaken its response when it’s most needed. In a study of 26,282 adults over age 19 in the 2005-2016 NHANES study, a “prevalence of inadequacy” was seen 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 made. This would help detect optimal levels of intake for at-risk people. (4) Layden Chiropractic is prepared to analyze the vitamin C levels of our Plainville chiropractic patients and assist them in adjusting it as needed.
CONTACT Layden Chiropractic
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 as well as how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management works.
Schedule your Plainville chiropractic appointment today. Together, we can explore just how well you are fueling your body to keep the immune system working best!
