4 vitamins that can boost your immunity

At this times of Covid, there is uncertainty regarding what can be best for our immunity. Many end up consuming nutritional supplements but forget to notice that our natural foods have more bioavailable and absorbable nutrients than any other nutritional supplements out there. Below are the nutrients that play a major role in our immunity.

Vitamin C:

This super vitamin is found in citrus fruits like amla, orange, guava, lemon, strawberry, kiwi, and papaya. It is also known to be a powerful antioxidant as well as an anti-inflammatory nutrient. A lot of Vitamin C is used up during stress periods and hence it is important to replenish our body with this vitamin. It is also quite sensitive to air and heat as well due to which foods containing this vitamin must not be kept out for long and must be immediately consumed.

Vitamin D:

This vitamin is seen to be deficient in majority of indians due to lowered exposure to sunlight, clothes majorly covering our body, dark complexion and usage of creams that block UV-rays exposure. It is also not much available in foods except for non-vegetarian food items like liver, eggs, fishes like salmon,tuna, etc but is not bioavailable. There are a lot of researches done on this vitamin and its connection to immunity. According to a study conducted in 2010 by Baeke et al, deficiency of Vitamin D has been associated with increased risk of autoimmune diseases like Type 1 Diabetes and also in infectious diseases like Tuberculosis. Another study conducted in 2020, also hypothesizes a protective role of Vitamin D against covid-19.

Vitamin A:

It is not just the eyes that this vitamin has an influence on! Vitamin A has been shown to influence T and B Lymphocyte functioning along and also has been shown to have a protective role against infectious diseases.

Vitamin E:

Vitamin E is not just for the skin but also is seen to be a powerful antioxidant. Foods rich in Vitamin E include nuts, spinach, pumpkin and beets.