VITAMIN D: Is your Immune System at Risk?
We tend to get sick more often during the colder winter months, and this correlates with the time when our vitamin D levels decline. Supplementation has been shown to reduce the risk of respiratory infections such as influenza. It also enhances the immune system response to infection and has a direct anti-infective activity. This makes vitamin D an important winter immune health prescription.
Regular exercise and eating a healthy diet full of antioxidant vegetables will also help to support your immune health during the winter months.
- Eat D rich foods: The best sources include oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, herring, sardines, tuna and cod. You can also get some from butter and eggs, as well as foods that have been fortified with vitamin D.
- Get out in the sun (safely): Exposure to direct sunlight is necessary for vitamin D production in the skin. In the summer months, you may only require a few minutes of sun exposure on the face, arms and hands to maintain adequate levels (dependent on where you live) however, in winter in southern Australia you may need more. Many people will maintain the right levels through incidental sun exposure.
Want to work out why you are getting frequently sick? Often the answer is not obvious, it takes careful analysis and investigation into your health and lifestyle including what nutrients you are eating, to find the answer. You can book online with Nutritionist, Linda Funnell-Milner and begin solving the puzzle to your health.
