Amelia Chiropractic Clinic Describes the Role of Vitamin C for a Healthy Immune System

The immune system works hard. Like any organ or machine, it needs fuel to keep working hard. The fuel for the immune system is an extensive list of micronutrients, the most talked about being vitamin C, and rightly so. Vitamin C plays an instrumental role in a healthy functioning immune system. In addition to spine pain care, Amelia Chiropractic Clinic works with our Fernandina Beach 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 mostly by dietary intake. Diet can be influenced by cultural aspects like traditional cooking methods with traditional core foods like grains which have little vitamin C to give. Environmental factors play a role like geographic region, season, climate, and pollution. Demographic issues 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 cancerinfluence C levels. So many issues seem to add to vitamin C levels and should be considered 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. Relying on completed studies, researchers report that vitamin C deficiency is common in low-, middle- and even in subgroups of people in high-income settings. (2) Amelia Chiropractic Clinic may not be able to address the vitamin C levels of those around the world, but we are here for our Fernandina Beach 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 best obtained by regular dietary intake. 41.8% of participants in the 2003-2005 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) has inadequate levels of vitamin C. Deficient vitamin C plasma levels were found 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 folks are at greater risk for inflammatory driven disease with little or no signs of low vitamin C levels. (3) Amelia Chiropractic Clinic encourage our Fernandina Beach chiropractic patients know 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 delicate balance of many issues, one being a good functioning immune system. Researchers have set levels of intake 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’s most required. 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 made. This would help detect optimal levels of intake for at-risk people. (4) Amelia Chiropractic Clinic is prepared to analyze the vitamin C levels of our Fernandina Beach chiropractic patients and help them adjust it as needed.

CONTACT Amelia 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 have in immune system health along with how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management works.

Make your Fernandina Beach chiropractic appointment soon. Together, we can delve into just how well you are fueling your body to keep the immune system working optimally!