JAKARTA – Talking about the vitamins you need to maintain the immune system, there are at least two types that you need to fulfill, namely vitamins C and D.
“If you are deficient in vitamin D, it impacts your susceptibility to infection. I don’t mind recommending (vitamin D),” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “Another vitamin, vitamin C because it is classified as a good antioxidant and if you want to consume one gram or more, then it is not a problem,” he added.
Amesh A. Adalja, senior researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Health there was evidence vitamin D did help fight respiratory infections. Vitamin D is fat-soluble and occurs naturally in some foods, such as fatty fish, beef liver, cheese and egg yolks, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (NIH).
This vitamin is produced in the body when UV rays from the sun hit the skin and triggers what is known as vitamin D synthesis. In the body, vitamin D can do many things including strengthen bones, reduce inflammation, and aid immune function. This is the main reason vitamin D can be useful as a supplement, according to Dr. Adalja.
Regarding immune function, one systematic review and meta-analysis of data from 11,321 people in the BMJ found that people who took weekly or daily vitamin D supplements were less likely to develop respiratory infections than those who didn’t.
Furthermore, a systematic review and other meta-analysis of 5,660 people published in PLOS One showed that vitamin D supplementation had a protective effect against respiratory tract infections.
What about vitamin C?
Water-soluble vitamin C is naturally present in some foods, such as oranges, strawberries, broccoli, and tomatoes. This vitamin is also known as an antioxidant which plays an important role in immune function.
One review and meta-analysis conducted by researchers in Cochrane found that people who took vitamin C supplements when they had a cold had an 8% reduction in infection (adults) and 14% (children). In addition, consuming 250 milligrams to 1 gram of vitamin C a day is said to reduce the risk of getting a cold by 50 percent.
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