Lombardy Chiropractic Clinic 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 mentioned being vitamin C, and rightly so. Vitamin C plays an instrumental role in an immune system that works well. In addition to spine pain care, Lombardy Chiropractic Clinic asks our Augusta 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 add to low vitamin C status and found that vitamin C levels are influenced mostly by dietary intake. Diet can be influenced by cultural features 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. So many issues seem to add to vitamin C levels and need to be thought about when making global recommendations for dietary intake. (1) Vitamin C levels are not studied well enough around the world especially 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) Lombardy Chiropractic Clinic may not be able to address the vitamin C levels of those around the world, but we are available to our Augusta 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. Insufficient vitamin C plasma levels were found 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 little or no signs of low vitamin C levels. (3) Lombardy Chiropractic Clinic encourage our Augusta chiropractic patients recognize 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 careful balance of many issues; one is a well-functioning immune system. Researchers have established levels of intake of micronutrients like vitamins A, C, D, E and zinc, but many people are low. Deficient 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 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 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 detect optimal levels of intake for at-risk people. (4) Lombardy Chiropractic Clinic is ready to check the vitamin C levels of our Augusta chiropractic patients and help them adjust it as needed.
CONTACT Lombardy Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the role chiropractic may play in immune system health along with how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management works.
Make your Augusta chiropractic appointment today. Together, we can delve into just how well you are fueling your body to keep the immune system working best!
