Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers 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 an extensive list of micronutrients, the most mentioned being vitamin C, and rightly so. Vitamin C plays an instrumental role in a healthy functioning immune system. In addition to spine pain care, Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers works with our Baton Rouge chiropractic patients to pay attention to their body’s fuel levels of nutrients like vitamin C. Nutrition is important!
LOW VITAMIN C LEVELS
Researchers studied what factors contribute to low vitamin C status and found that vitamin C levels are influenced mainly by dietary intake. Diet can be affected by cultural factors 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 severe infection or cardiovascular disease or cancerimpact C levels. So many issues seem to contribute to vitamin C levels and need to 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. Relying on completed studies, researchers report that vitamin C deficiency is not unusual in low-, middle- and even in subgroups of people in high-income settings. (2) Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers may not be able to fix the vitamin C levels of those around the world, but we are here for our Baton Rouge chiropractic friends!
ROLE OF VITAMIN C IN IMMUNE FUNCTION
Vitamin C is a well-known 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 deficient levels of vitamin C. Deficient vitamin C plasma levels were noted 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 little or no signs of low vitamin C levels. (3) Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers encourage our Baton Rouge 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 many issues; one is a good functioning immune system. Researchers have established intake levels of micronutrients like vitamins A, C, D, E and zinc, yet many people‘s levels are low. Deficient levels of such nutrients impair the immune system and weaken its response when it’s needed most. In a study of 26,282 adults over age 19 in the 2005-2016 NHANES study, a “prevalence of inadequacy” was found 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 suggested. This would help detect optimal levels of intake for at-risk people. (4) Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers is prepared to check the vitamin C levels of our Baton Rouge chiropractic patients and assist them in adjusting it as needed.
CONTACT Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the role chiropractic may have in immune system health as well as how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management works.
Make your Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment soon. Together, we can delve into just how well you are fueling your body to keep the immune system working best!
