Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office Describes the Role of Vitamin C for a Healthy Immune System
The immune system is a hard working system. Like any organ or machine, it needs fuel to keep working hard. The fuel for the immune system is a long list of micronutrients, the most talked about being vitamin C, and for good reason. Vitamin C plays an significant role in an immune system that works well. In addition to spine pain care, Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office asks our Groton chiropractic patients to notice their body’s fuel levels of nutrients 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 impacted mostly by dietary intake. Diet can be affected by cultural aspects like traditional cooking methods with traditional staple foods like grains which have little vitamin C to offer. 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 cancerinfluence C levels. Quite a few issues seem to contribute to vitamin C levels and should be considered when listing global recommendations for dietary intake. (1) Vitamin C levels are not studied well enough around the world particularly 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) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office may not be able to address the vitamin C levels of those around the world, but we are here for our Groton chiropractic friends!
ROLE OF VITAMIN C IN IMMUNE FUNCTION
Vitamin C is a well-known key factor in immune function and epigenetic inflammatory modifications. Vitamin C is best obtained by regular dietary intake. 41.8% of participants in the 2003-2005 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) has insufficient levels of vitamin C. Insufficient vitamin C plasma levels were noted in males, adults aged 20-59, Black and Mexican Americans, smokers, those who have 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) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office encourage our Groton chiropractic patients recognize 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 several issues; one is a well-functioning immune system. Researchers have set intake levels of micronutrients like vitamins A, C, D, E and zinc, but many people‘s levels are low. Inadequate levels of such nutrients damage the immune system and weaken its response when it is 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 recommendation for better understanding of the interactions of multiple nutrient deficiencies on the immune system is also made. This would help detect optimal levels of intake for at-risk people. (4) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office is prepared to check the vitamin C levels of our Groton chiropractic patients and assist them in adjusting it as needed.
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
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 as well as how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management works.
Schedule your Groton chiropractic appointment soon. Together, we can explore just how well you are fueling your body to keep the immune system working optimally!
