Can Supplements Help Boost Your Immune System?

The immune system plays a great role in helping us fight different types of infections. Therefore, it is not strange that numerous people are always on the lookout for products that can boost their immune systems. Some of the popular products that people usually use for this function are supplements.

However, can supplement truly help boost your immune system? Is the hype behind the use of supplements for improving the immune system, especially during this coronavirus pandemic, worth it? This article will answer these questions.

Contradictory views about the potency of supplements

Firstly, there are tons of contradictory opinions about the ability of supplements to boost the immune system. Some researchers argue that supplements don’t provide any benefits as they cannot combat any sorts of diseases. It is believed that an immune system is a well-designed unit that can inhibit parasites, viruses, and bacteria from causing infections. These researchers note that overloading the immune system with supplements or other products can make the immune system hyperactive; hence, the concerned individual could have autoimmunity or other kinds of issues.

On the other hand, there are claims that supplements can actually boost your immune system. According to some researchers, supplements contain various vitamins, herbs, minerals, and other important substances that may be able to enhance the way your immune system responds to bacteria, viruses, parasites, and so on. The researchers usually claim that many people have experienced a significant improvement in their ability to fight off infections after taking supplements.

What do supplements contain?

Generally, supplements are made of different substances, which can be grouped as probiotics and vitamin formulations. There is no doubt about the capability of vitamins to boost the immune system. This is because of the growing evidence that supports the ability of vitamins to prevent various health issues, especially in individuals that are suffering from severe malnourishment. Most vitamins are found in food that we eat; hence, we may not need to take them in the form of supplements.

Also, probiotics can improve your health. Simply put, the bacteria and other microorganisms in the guts may be important to your health. Nonetheless, there is little evidence on how these probiotics can enhance your immune system. So, we are only hopeful that the next decades will provide more evidence on how taking probiotics can be helpful.

To be more specific, the substances inside supplements include:

• Vitamin D

• Vitamin C

• Zinc

• Creatine

• Elderberry

• Selenium

• Garlic

• Curcumin

• B complex vitamins such as B6 and B12

• Propolis

• Licorice

• Astragalus

• Echinacea

Should you take supplements?

Based on the contradictory views about the potency of supplements, you may be wondering whether taking supplements is worth it or not. Of course, you can take supplements if you feel that you lack any particular vitamins or minerals that they contain. For instance, if you are diagnosed to be lacking enough vitamin E, C, and B6, you can go for a supplement that has them so that you can improve your immune system.

Despite this, you must be cautious to avoid any side effects of the supplements. This is because there is a limit to the amount of vitamins that your body can take daily. Although excess vitamins can be eliminated through your urine, you may still experience some side effects in a few cases.

Therefore, before taking any supplements, it is recommended that you speak to your physician to ensure that you don’t put yourself at risk.

In conclusion, there are still debates over the ability of supplements to boost your immune system. However, if recommended for you, don’t hesitate to take the right dose.