Vitamin C for Immune Support + How Much We Recommend During a Pandemic

There’s no need to explain that strong immune systems have never been more important. As we try to make healthy choices (choosing real foods over processed, getting enough sleep, and developing helpful stress management techniques), there are countless outside factors that end up stressing our immune systems despite our best intentions.

Many people think vitamin c when they want to boost immunity, which is a great start. When our immune systems need a little extra support, adding a vitamin C supplement may be a helpful first line of defense.

Within our bodies the highest levels of vitamin C are found in the white blood cells; the cells of our immune system that help fight disease and infection. These cells use vitamin C to fight infection when our immunity is compromised, which then depletes the levels in our body. This vitamin C up and down cycle is why it’s important to provide our bodies with a continuous supply (more on this below). For daily life, we recommend supplementing with a small amount (100-200mg) of vitamin C to help prevent infection, though we recommend a higher dose to lessen the severity and duration of an infection. (1) Keep in mind that certain populations tend to need a higher amount of vitamin C intake to reach adequate levels, these include smokers, lactating women, and anyone who exercises heavily or is under high amounts of stress. (2)

Before you grab any vitamin C off the shelves, beware that all vitamin C supplements are not created equal. It’s critical to find a vitamin made of quality ingredients that is actually absorbable in your body, otherwise what’s the point?

Here are our top four reasons that NutriKey’s Complete C 1000, is a great choice:

• It’s highly absorbable, more so than the average vitamin C supplement.
• It’s easy on the stomach (buffered to prevent stomach upset).
• Our NutriKey clients have reported that they’re able to take higher amounts of Complete C 1000 withoutthe side effects commonly associated with plain ascorbic acid like above-mentioned stomach irritation and loose stools.
• It’s on sale! Complete C 1000 is 15% off all the month of September.

How Much Vitamin C To Take and When

We want to help our immune system stay strong all day, which means that the dose and timing of your vitamin C supplement is very important to consider. During regular times 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily might suffice to start, but in light of COVID-19 we think it may be helpful to take a higher amount of 4,000 to 6,000 milligrams spread throughout the day.

More on that “spread throughout the day” comment above. Unlike some supplements you can take once, it’s important to take your vitamin C supplements throughout the day versus all at once to provide continuoussupport to our immune systems. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning it doesn’t have the ability to be stored in the body and any excess is excreted when you use the bathroom. Maintaining a continuous supply spread throughout the day solves this issue.

As the pandemic rages on, we’re offering our Complete C-1000 at 15% off all September long. Take advantage of the sale and rest assured you are helping support your body during these trying times.

Sources:

(1) Carr AC, Maggini S. Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017;9(11):1211. Published 2017 Nov 3. doi:10.3390/nu9111211

(2) Institute of Medicine (US) Panel on Dietary Antioxidants and Related Compounds. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2000. 5, Vitamin C. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK225480/