Why should you take zinc to support your immune system?
Zinc is an often-overlooked mineral and powerful antioxidant that's essential for all-round good health. It plays a variety of important roles, including boosting immune function, metabolizing nutrients (such as vitamin A), promoting wound healing, and growing and repairing body tissue.
Interestingly, our bodies don‘t store zinc, so it‘s important to get enough every day – either from food in a well-balanced diet, or by supplementing through vitamins. Zinc also supports cell function and helps around 100 enzymes carry out their duties throughout the body.
Needless to say, this is one vitamin we don‘t want to be deficient in!
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How zinc supports our immune system
Too little zinc: your immune system may become susceptible to infection. This means that we‘re prone to getting infections more regularly and illnesses might be harder to treat – or they could be more severe than a common cold or flu.
Deficiency can also lead to appetite loss and slower than expected growth.
Zinc helps our bodies to build immune system cells known as T lymphocytes. T cells, a type of white blood cell, functions to actively kill off infected cells. They play a crucial roll in defending our bodies against viruses, antibiotics antibacterial, and bacteria. Zinc can also help prevent the rhinovirus (which causes most colds) from lodging in the throat and nasal passages.
Sources of zinc
Zinc is critical for our immune system. Make sure you‘ re getting enough for your daily requirement to help ward off invading viruses and bacteria this season – and all year round.
Natural sources of zinc can be found in a variety of foods, including shellfish, meat, legumes (such as chickpeas, lentils, and beans), pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, cashew nuts, dairy, eggs, and oats.
If you ‘ re looking for a convenient supplement for your family, consider giving Vital Zinc Complex a try. This potent mineral includes 33g of vitamin C for an additional immune boost and it also helps to support healthy hair, skin, and nails.