Multi-Vitamins and Minerals Bolster Brain & Immunity
Hello again everyone:
Multi-Vitamins and Minerals are not generally thought of as being hot news, but now we have some science that this combination of nutrients not only slows age-related cognitive aging, but also significantly improves immune function. Check it out:
“Taking a daily multivitamin for 3 years is associated with a 60% slowing of cognitive aging, with the effects especially pronounced in patients with cardiovascular (CVD) disease, new research suggests.
The findings “may have important public health implications, particularly for brain health, given the accessibility of multivitamins and minerals, and their low cost and safety,” said study investigator Laura D. Baker, PhD, professor, Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.”
“ Worldwide vitamin deficiencies play a primary etiological role in global disease burden [ 1 ]. About 35% of older adults in the United States, Canada and Europe are deficient in one or more micronutrients [ 2 , 3 ]. This is especially the case for vitamin C [ 4 , 5 ], zinc [ 6 ], and vitamin D [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. These deficiencies may contribute to age-related decline of the immune system [ 10 , 11 ], which is most often characterized by increased levels of inflammation, reduced innate immune function and reduced T-cell functio n [ 12 , 13 ].
Although many nutrients play vital roles in the immune system, numerous studies highlight the importance of vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc [ 14 , 15 ]. Vitamin C is important for neutrophil phagocytosis, motility, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, antimicrobial activity and monocyte locomotion [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Zinc sufficiency alters numbers and function of neutrophils, monocytes, natural killer T cells and B cells [ 22 , 23 ] and is an important mineral for neutrophil and monocyte chemotaxis [ 24 ]. Vitamin D is critical for both innate and adaptive immune function and it is required for induction of the cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide gene in activated monocytes/macrophages.”
Bottom Line:
It certainly seems like the habit of taking a high-quality multi-vitamin and mineral supplement is totally worth doing every day. In order to get therapeutic dosages of both vitamins and minerals, you need to take a separate multivitamin and a separate multimineral and this is an important distinction in this category of supplements. Also, make sure that the multivitamin has B-vitamins that are already activated. For example, B-6 should be labeled as Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate and not Pyridoxal Hydrocholoride. Your mineral supplement should be a true chelate, so look for minerals that are sourced from Albion (it will say so on the label). As a part of your pandemic preparedness, consider taking these supplements while you avoid processed foods, fast foods, and plasticizers/chemicals and seek out organic food sources.
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