Connected 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, Connected Chiropractic works with our Elgin chiropractic patients to notice their body’s fuel levels of vitamins like vitamin C. Nutrition is important!
LOW VITAMIN C LEVELS
Researchers studied what factors add to low vitamin C status and found that vitamin C levels are influenced mainly by dietary intake. Diet can be influenced by cultural aspects 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 serious infection or cardiovascular disease or cancerimpact C levels. Quite a few issues seem to contribute to vitamin C levels and need to be considered when making global recommendations for dietary intake. (1) Vitamin C levels are not studied very well around the world particularly in low- and middle- income countries. Completed studies have shown that vitamin C deficiency is commonplace in low-, middle- and even in subgroups of people in high-income settings. (2) Connected Chiropractic may not be able to fix the vitamin C levels of those around the world, but we are available to our Elgin 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 optimally 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 people are at greater risk for inflammatory driven disease with few if any signs of low vitamin C levels. (3) Connected Chiropractic encourage our Elgin chiropractic patients know if they are at risk for low nutrient levels and work to raise them 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 intake levels of micronutrients like vitamins A, C, D, E and zinc, yet many people‘s levels are low. Inadequate levels of such nutrients impair 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 deficiencies on the immune system is also suggested. This would help detect optimal levels of intake for at-risk people. (4) Connected Chiropractic is prepared to analyze the vitamin C levels of our Elgin chiropractic patients and help them adjust it as needed.
CONTACT Connected Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the role chiropractic may have in immune system health along with how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management works.
Schedule your Elgin chiropractic appointment today. Together, we can explore just how well you are fueling your body to keep the immune system working optimally!
