How to Avoid a Summer Virus 

Make Excellent Dietary Choices

Think immune-supportive nutrition. Every time you choose a meal, a snack, food or a drink you are making a decision that affects you and your body positively or negatively, so choose wisely. Pack your diet full of fruit and vegetables, to take advantage of their health-giving properties. 

Fruits and vegetables have evolved to produce bioactive compounds primarily as a means of protecting themselves from various environmental threats, including pests, and diseases. These nutrients also offer significant health benefits to humans and can make light work of invading pathogens when we consume them. The key is to make your fruit and vegetable choices wide-ranging and colourful to gain all the protective compounds they have such as:

• Phytoalexins: These antimicrobial compounds are synthesized in response to pathogen attack and help inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

• Polyphenols: These help plants cope with various stresses, including heat, and oxidative stress. They can scavenge reactive oxygen species and prevent cellular damage

• Tannins: The bitter taste of these compounds deter herbivores from eating plants and also interfere with their digestion.

• Alkaloids: Found in plants like tomatoes and potatoes, they can be toxic to insects and animals that feed on them.

• Glucosinolates: Found in cruciferous vegetables, can be toxic to pests and reduce their feeding.

• Saponins: Found in legumes and other plants, have antifungal and antibacterial properties

• Vitamins and minerals: Powerful defence nutrients such as vitamin C, D, A & E, zinc and selenium are essential for the proper functioning of the immune system

• Flavonoids: These pigments, found in many fruits and vegetables, absorb UV light and protect plant tissues from damage caused by excessive sunlight.

• Carotenoids: These pigments not only contribute to the coloration of fruits and vegetables but also protect against photooxidative damage from UV radiation.

Shop Strategically 

As well as fruits and vegetables, many other foods contain immune-enhancing nutrients: On your next supermarket trip, fill your trolley with a good selection of these nutrient-dense foods:

Rich in vitamin C – berries, blackcurrants, citrus fruits, melon, red peppers, leafy green veggies, broccoli

Rich in Zinc – nuts, seeds, wheat germ, all bran, barley, oysters, crab

Rich in Selenium – Brazil nuts, walnuts, lentils, tuna, sunflower seeds, swordfish, cod, mussels

Rich in Vitamin A – carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, spicy kale mango melon tomato broccoli

Rich in Vitamin E – pine nuts, sunflower seeds, sweet potato, avocado, chickpeas, almonds salon, tuna

Rich in B vitamins – whole grains, yeast extract, nuts, seeds, fish, lentils pulses, leafy green veggies

Avoid for Reduced Risk

Steer clear of sugar, alcohol and smoking. All of these substances can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb and use essential nutrients that support immune function. Sugar suppresses the immune system and hinders white blood cells from effectively destroying bad bacteria and viruses. 7 Alcohol disrupts the communication between the immune system and beneficial bacteria in the gut and impairs the body’s ability to defend against infections and recover from trauma. 8 Smoking is known to impair immune responses, making smokers more susceptible to infections and slower to recover from them. 9

Exercise Regularly

Get out and walk during breaks every day, aiming for at least 30 minutes in total. It is generally accepted that regular bouts of short-lasting exercise are a powerful intervention to improve immune function. 6

Bolster Your Immune Defences with Targeted Supplements

Sometimes when a virus hits hard and your body kicks off an immune response, it can be helpful to double up on key nutrients to enhance and support your diet. Keep it simple and don’t overcomplicate your supplement protocol, three or four products will do the trick!

• Vitamin C

An old favourite and for good reason. Vitamin C is known for its ability to protect cells from oxidative stress and to maintain a normal functioning immune system. Research evidence has shown that taking vitamin C can help to shorten the duration of viral infections like the common cold. 3

• Vitamin D

Vitamin D works in several ways to support a healthy reaction to disease and has been shown to maintain a normal functioning immune system. It is one of several key nutrients which are vital for early defence against infections and is also involved in biological pathways that maintain immune tolerance and reduce autoimmune responses. 1

• Zinc

Zinc is an immune warrior, jumping in at the first opportunity to interfere with viruses that try to invade your throat and nasal passages. Its contribution to normal immune function and protecting cells against oxidative stress is the key to its effectiveness in neutralising viral infections before they proliferate and cause too much damage. Vegetarians and vegans are found to be deficient in zinc by as much as 47%. 4 so should be especially careful to support their immune system with supplements. Studies confirm there is a decline in zinc levels with age, making the elderly more susceptible to infections. 2

• Silver

Silver has been used extensively since the nineteenth century for a variety of medical purposes including anti-viral, antifungal and antibacterial applications. These health benefits have been identified in more recent studies. 5 One often overlooked but effective way to protect yourself from viral infections is to reduce the spread of germs by keeping your doorknobs clean. An antimicrobial spray is a simple solution.

Make Sure your Supplements Can Reach the Target Cells and Tissues

You can be sure of this by choosing supplements that have superior-quality ingredients in optimal doses that ensure the nutrients are highly bioavailable. Give your immune system the support it needs with these four outstanding products: 

Neutrient D3+K2 – a fast and convenient way to increase your vitamin D and K intakes. It comes in a small handy spray that delivers the nutrients rapidly into the bloodstream via the soft tissues in the mouth. It also contains vitamin D3 the most bioactive form of vitamin D

Neutrient Total C – is a unique vitamin C formula with high-quality ingredients that have been specially chosen to optimise the absorption and uptake of vitamin C, far exceeding the uptake limitations of other standard vitamin C products

Neutrient Zinc Lozenges - contain vitamin C for additional immune support and are especially helpful because they bathe the throat tissues in zinc where viruses typically multiply. Lozenges dissolve in the mouth, allowing zinc to be absorbed through the mucous membranes, which can enhance its bioavailability

Results RNA ACS200 - Extra Strength Colloidal Silver is a great addition to your armoury of quick and easy home remedies, plus it comes in a handy spray that you can carry around. Sprays applied to mucous membranes (like those in the mouth) may be absorbed more quickly compared to other forms of supplementation. 

Editor: Alejandra Toro, Pshychologist, MSc Nutrition and Behaviour 

References

1. Aranow C. Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med. 2011 Aug;59(6):881-6. doi: 10.2310/JIM.0b013e31821b8755. PMID: 21527855; PMCID: PMC3166406.

2. De Almeida Brasiel PG. The key role of zinc in elderly immunity: A possible approach in the COVID-19 crisis. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2020 Aug;38:65-66. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2020.06.003. Epub 2020 Jun 16. PMID: 32690179; PMCID: PMC7297178

3. Gorton HC, Jarvis K. The effectiveness of vitamin C in preventing and relieving the symptoms of virus-induced respiratory infections. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1999 Oct;22(8):530-3. doi: 10.1016/s0161-4754(99)70005-9. PMID: 10543583

4. Schüpbach R, Wegmüller R, Berguerand C, Bui M, Herter-Aeberli I. Micronutrient status and intake in omnivores, vegetarians and vegans in Switzerland. Eur J Nutr. 2017 Feb;56(1):283-293. doi: 10.1007/s00394-015-1079-7. Epub 2015 Oct 26. PMID: 26502280

5. Silver https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3304363/

6. Simpson RJ, Campbell JP, Gleeson M, Krüger K, Nieman DC, Pyne DB, Turner JE, Walsh NP. Can exercise affect immune function to increase susceptibility to infection? Exerc Immunol Rev. 2020;26:8-22. PMID: 32139352.

7. Sanchez, A., Reeser, J. L., Lau, H. S., Yahiku, P. Y., Willard, R. E., McMillan, P. J., ... & Levenson, S. M. (1973). Role of sugars in human neutrophilic phagocytosis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 26(11), 1180-1184.

8. Sureshchandra, S., Raus, A., Jankeel, A., Ligh, B.J.K., Walter, N.A.R., Newman, N., Grant, K.A., Messaoudi, I. Dose-dependent effects of chronic alcohol drinking on peripheral immune responses. Sci. Rep. 2019, 9, 7847.

9. Stampfli, M. R., & Anderson, G. P. (2009). How cigarette smoke skews immune responses to promote infection, lung disease and cancer. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 179(5), 458-465.