Can taking supplements support your immune system? Here’s what you need to know

There’s one vitamin we should always all be taking (Image: Getty)

Dietary supplements could be a little bit of a tough topic to get your head round.

What may profit one individual, may not be appropriate for one more however there’s one vitamin complement that everyone within the UK needs to be taking in the course of the autumn and winter months.

Right here’s what you have to learn about these immune-boosting nutritional vitamins…

Can taking dietary supplements actually enhance your immune system?

Lesley White, a pharmacist advisor at Boots, tells Metro.co.uk. that a wholesome balanced weight-reduction plan ought to present the vitamins to make sure most individuals to remain wholesome.

‘The exception to that is vitamin D,’ she provides.

‘In contrast to different vitamins, it’s tough to get sufficient vitamin D from weight-reduction plan alone, though it's current in some meals like oily fish (similar to salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel), purple meat, egg yolks and in fortified meals together with some fats spreads and breakfast cereals.

‘The primary supply of vitamin D is from the motion of direct daylight on our pores and skin when open air.’

Throughout the autumn and winter months, the solar isn’t sturdy sufficient within the UK for us to make sufficient vitamin D. 

So, between October and early March, Lesley advises that the NHS recommends that we should always all take a day by day complement of 10mcg vitamin D to help our bones, muscle groups and, you guessed it, our immune programs.

‘Some teams of individuals,’ she says, ‘together with these with darkish pores and skin and those that cowl most of their pores and skin ought to take a day by day vitamin D complement all yr spherical.

‘With busy lives, it may be tough to at all times eat as healthily as we all know we should always and should you really feel your weight-reduction plan could also be missing in sure vitamins, it's a good suggestion to take a complement. 

‘Vitamin C and zinc, discovered in lots of dietary supplements, present good help for the immune system.’

But it surely’s vital to know which dietary supplements is perhaps helpful for you.

‘In case you are contemplating taking multiple complement containing the identical nutrient or are at present taking any medicines,’ says Lesley, ‘at all times converse to your pharmacist earlier than doing so to make sure the extent of that is protected.

‘Additionally, converse to your pharmacist in order for you normal recommendation about any meals dietary supplements.’