3 Supplements to Consider for 🤧Temporary Immune Support
What is “temporary” support?
This means supplements that may reduce the duration or severity of sickness when taken during the first several days of feeling unwell. Here’s what the latest research shows:
1️⃣ Elderberry
Studies show that elderberry probably does not prevent the common cold or flu, but it may shorten the duration or reduce the severity. Elderberry can be taken as a liquid juice concentrate or in capsules. (PMID 33827515)
2️⃣ Vitamin C
There has been a lot of controversy around vitamin C, but a 2023 meta-analysis found that compared to placebo, vitamin C reduced the severity of the common cold by 15%. It may not shorten the duration of mild colds, but it may shorten severe colds. These stats are based on people who took at least 1 gram of vitamin C per day and who were healthy at baseline. (PMID 38082300)
3️⃣ Zinc
A 2024 comprehensive review of 34 studies on zinc in relation to the common cold found all kinds of mixed results but in the end, it concluded that zinc supplements may not prevent colds but may reduce the duration of ongoing colds. Zinc can be taken as pills or lozenges. (PMID 38719213)
Our immune systems are beautifully complex, so we can never expect a single nutrient or herb to be an overnight success.
Still, I like to keep these supplements on hand for a boost of support when I start to feel off.
Do you have a favorite immune-support supplement? Let me know in the comments ⤵️
Check out @Darbyfarms for your elderberry needs! 💜
REFERENCE:
emilä H, Chalker E. Vitamin C reduces the severity of common colds: a meta-analysis. BMC Public Health. 2023;23(1):2468. Published 2023 Dec 11.[link]
Nault D, Machingo TA, Shipper AG, et al. Zinc for prevention and treatment of the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024;5(5):CD014914. [link]
Wieland LS, Piechotta V, Feinberg T, et al. Elderberry for prevention and treatment of viral respiratory illnesses: a systematic review. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2021;21(1):112. [link]
