Will Vitamins Help?
Have you seen any posts on Social Media with a caption like, “everyone is hoarding toilet paper, but no one is getting vitamins to boost their immune system so they can better fight the coronavirus” with a picture of a fully stocked section of vitamins? Have you seen an empty section of vitamins with your own eyes at the grocery store and was confused because you were under the impression that they don’t help with coronavirus? Do you feel guilty that you haven’t bought any vitamins or have you bought vitamins, but don’t really feel like they’re helping? Have you read conflicting information online about vitamins? These are just some of the questions that come up when it comes to this subject. . . so let’s get right into it and clear up some of the confusion.
One important thing to know and remember is that vitamin supplements are not the entire picture when it comes to getting vitamins like vitamin C and D in your body. That’s something the average person knows at least somewhat, but it can be easy to forget or be unaware of how many foods there are that are a great source of vitamin C and D. To better understand the relationship between vitamin C, vitamin D, and coronavirus. . . we need an understanding of what these vitamins are and what they do.
Vitamin C
What is vitamin C? Vitamin C is an ascorbic acid that acts as an antioxidant in the body. It’s a vitamin your body needs to form blood vessels, cartilage, muscle, and collagen in bones. . . it’s vital to your body’s healing process and more.
There is no clear evidence that vitamin C will help any of us with coronavirus and we should all keep in mind that the word “help” varies. Vitamin C may very well help us fight coronavirus, but there isn’t enough research out for anyone to say something like “You know if you get enough vitamin C in your body, you’ll be better off against coronavirus than others are that don’t have as much vitamin C in their body, right?” and it is a concrete fact. Below is a list of foods that are high in vitamin C for if you want to get more of it in your system since it definitely does help your immune system run better.
Vitamin D
What is vitamin D? Vitamin D is essential for building strong bones since it helps your body absorb calcium. You probably know vitamin D mostly from the fact that you can get it from the sun. You can get it from the sun, from supplements, and through your diet. Having a good amount of vitamin D in your system has been linked to reduced risks of cancer, weight loss, decreased depression, reducing your chance of getting the flu, and more. The reduced chance of getting the flu is probably the most relevant thing by far since the coronavirus has been compared to the flu (even though they are two very different things).
It’s very important to take note that Vitamin D is in the same situation as Vitamin C. There is not enough information to say that it will help you with coronavirus, but there are many benefits, it’s great for your immune system and you definitely don’t want to end up with vitamin D deficiency. Below is an image with some foods you can get some vitamin D from.
The Bottom Line is that both of these vitamins are very beneficial in many ways and could possibly help in some way with coronavirus, but there is NOT enough research to say much about the connection for sure. Since they’re both great things to have in your body, get more of both in your system and take care of yourself overall.
Learn more about more foods which can help with your immune system at Trusted Nutrition’s other article: Eat These Foods To Help Strengthen Your Immune System
