What are the best vitamins for the immune system?

Lots of things factor into your immunity, especially your lifestyle, diet, environment, stress levels and age. In terms of diet, it's best to ensure you're getting enough of the vitamins that are known to support your immune system on a daily basis. One of the easiest ways to do this is making sure you eat at least 7 portions of vegetables a day and 2 servings of fruit. However, due to the way our food is processed and handled as well as certain cooking methods, it's likely a lot of the key nutrients have been zapped by the time the food reaches our plates. We're also often so busy that we simply can't eat enough veggies and fruit in our diets in one day! That's where supplements come in, giving you an easy and efficient way to support your immune system and general health.

The best nutrients for your immune system are vitamins C, D, curcumin, omega 3 and glutathione as they all play a vital role in your immune response and inflammation levels. Adequate amounts are essential to ensure your physical barriers (like your skin!) and immune cells are functioning properly to defend your body against germs and bacteria.

Certain situations, like infections, stress and pollution, decrease your nutrient stores, meaning you might require more than the average person! You can be deficient in several micronutrients at once, and even just a slight deficiency can prevent your immune system from functioning properly.

Best vitamins for immune support

The most well-researched nutrients for immunity are vitamin C and D which both feature in the Zooki Immunity bundle!

Vitamin C for immunity

Vitamin C is well-known for supporting the immune system at a cellular level. It’s a highly effective antioxidant, protecting your body from the damaging effects of free radicals and oxidative stress. It also helps your immune cells do their jobs in fighting germs and bacteria, for example, by helping your white blood cells (your body's key immune cells!) produce cytokines. Cytokines are communication proteins that transmit information to other cells, therefore promoting the body's ability to act against foreign invaders.

Taking vitamin C supplements can support your immune system against respiratory and systemic infections, especially when taken in high doses. Some studies have found that vitamin C can shorten the amount of time people are ill with a cold, and cold symptoms were also a bit milder in people who took it.

Vitamin C Zooki helped maintain my energy levels when I was unwell with Covid, and it also helped to improve my appetite, which dropped significantly. Being able to eat a nutritionally dense diet whilst you are unwell is essential for fighting off viruses more quickly.

Vitamin D for the immune system

Vitamin D plays modulates your body's immune response and plays a key role in bone health. Deficiency in vitamin D is associated with increased autoimmunity as well as increased susceptibility to infection. Individuals with lower vitamin D levels (<30 ng/ml) were more likely to report a recent upper respiratory tract infection than those with sufficient levels.

Glutathione for immune health

Glutathione has been found to support the strength of your immune system and is included in the Zooki Immunity+ Bundle! It does this by helping your cells produce more bacteria-fighting substances. It's also known as your body's master antioxidant, present in almost all of your cells and important for recycling other essential antioxidants in your body, like vitamin C and E.

Omega 3 & Curcumin for immunity

Since Omega 3 and Curcumin both help reduce inflammation levels, they have an indirect effect on the immune system! Omega 3 Zooki also includes added Vitamin D3 to tick all the boxes.