Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka 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 for good reason. Vitamin C plays an instrumental role in a healthy functioning immune system. In addition to spine pain care, Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka asks our Sitka 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 learned that vitamin C levels are influenced mainly by dietary intake. Diet can be influenced by cultural features like traditional cooking methods with traditional core 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. So many issues seem to contribute to vitamin C levels and should be considered when creating 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 usual in low-, middle- and even in subgroups of people in high-income settings. (2) Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka may not be able to fix the vitamin C levels of those around the world, but we are here for our Sitka 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 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. Deficient 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 folks are at greater risk for inflammatory driven disease with little or no signs of low vitamin C levels. (3) Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka encourage our Sitka chiropractic patients know 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 careful balance of several issues; one is a good functioning immune system. Researchers have set intake levels of micronutrients like vitamins A, C, D, E and zinc, but many people are low. Deficient levels of such nutrients damage the immune system and weaken its response when it is most required. 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 explained as beneficial while a recommendation for better understanding of the interactions of multiple nutrient shortages on the immune system is also made. This would help identify optimal levels of intake for at-risk people. (4) Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka is ready to check the vitamin C levels of our Sitka chiropractic patients and help them adjust it as needed.
CONTACT Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka
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 along with how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management works.
Make your Sitka chiropractic appointment today. Together, we can explore just how well you are fueling your body to keep the immune system working optimally!
