Boost Your Immune System + Fight Off Sickness With These 2 Superstar Vitamins
If you find yourself always fighting off every virus that comes your way, your immune system might need a little boost. While it’s normal to get sick every so often, constantly battling a cold or flu isn’t.
In my telehealth functional medicine clinic, it’s my job to empower people to take back control over their health. You no longer have to be at the mercy of whatever bug comes your way. Instead, you can take steps to boost your body’s defense mechanisms. So let’s take a deeper look at how your immune system functions and how you can keep from getting sick with my favorite tools.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Make Your Life a Cleanse
SUBSCRIBER-ONLY GUIDES FOR GUT HEALTH, VIBRANT ENERGY, HEALTHY FOOD & CLEAN ALCOHOL
Get FREE access to these + giveaways, recipes, & discount codes in personal emails from Dr. Will Cole.
Your Immune System
Your immune system contains two types of white blood cells that help to fight off intruders like viruses and bacteria, called TH1 and TH2. Like a seesaw, TH1 and TH2 need to balance each other, as if on a seesaw. When the seesaw gets unbalanced and either TH1 or TH2 become dominant, you fly right off and into the inflammatory autoimmune spectrum, putting you at greater risk for autoimmune disease and getting sick.
If you have a weak immune system, chances are it has to do with one or more of these factors:
1. Lack of T Regulatory cells
A lack of T Regulatory (Treg) cells can lead to a weakened immune system as these cells are needed to maintain balance between your TH1 and TH2 cells. (1) Check out my article for ways you can boost Treg cells naturally.
2. Gut problems
Did you know that close to 80% of your immune system is actually located in your gut? Because of this, underlying gut problems like leaky gut syndrome, SIBO, and dysbiosis can all contribute to a weak immune system and a higher likelihood of getting sick.
3. Nutrient deficiencies
Your body relies on a specific ratio of nutrients to function optimally. Certain nutrients like Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 play a vital role in the health of your immune system. Therefore, it's important to have your nutrient levels checked to determine if you have any deficiencies and what might be contributing to them. For example, gut dysfunction can further perpetuate the absorption of nutrients and can lead to deficiencies.
Shop This Article
Dr. Will Cole's Personal Picks
To Elevate Your Wellness
The best nutrients for your immune system
In order to have a strong immune system we need to fight these immune system disruptors at the source. By focusing on correcting nutrient deficiencies, we can leverage vitamins and the role they play in our immune system for better health.
Vitamin D + Immunity
As a fat-soluble vitamin, vitamin D is utilized by every single cell of your body and acts more like a hormone by regulating a multitude of pathways in your body - including how well your immune system functions.
For example, low levels have been linked to autoimmune conditions like IBS (2) and Multiple Sclerosis (3) whereas symptoms have been shown to improve when vitamin D deficiencies are corrected. Vitamin D is also needed for your body to produce enough T Regulatory cells to keep your immune system balanced.
But for how much our body needs vitamin D to function, it is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies. Since it’s difficult to get enough vitamin D through sunshine and food, supplementation is often necessary. I suggest taking anywhere between 2,000 and 6,000 IU of vitamin D per day.
Vitamin K2 + Immunity
Another one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in the Western world, Vitamin K2 is also essential for a strong immune system by supporting healthy inflammation levels. In fact, one study found that vitamin K2 was effective at inhibiting the pro-inflammatory iNOS in the spinal cord and the brain immune system in rats that had multiple sclerosis symptoms. (4)
More recent research has confirmed Vitamin K2 as one of the body’s main inflammation modulators with one study showing its ability to inhibit pro-inflammatory NF-kB pathways and interleukins that flare up during COVID-19 infections. (5)
There are several types of K2, but I suggest looking for the MK-4 version. MK-4 regulates gene expression in specific ways that no other form of vitamin K does. You can take anywhere between 100 to 200 mcg per day.
The Takeaway
The great thing about fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D and vitamin K2 is that they enhance the absorption of one another when taken together. Plus, taking them at the same time can help vitamin D levels from going too high. A win-win in my book!
If you are looking to take advantage of this vitamin synergy, I usually suggest taking a vitamin D3-K2 supplement to ensure you are getting enough of these nutrients to make a difference in strengthening your immune system. However, not all supplements on the market are created equally. That’s why I formulated my supplement, The D3-K2.
When formulating this supplement, I made sure to choose Vitamin D3 as it has been shown in multiple studies to be twice as likely to raise vitamin D levels than other forms of vitamin D. I also chose to include menaquinone-7 (MK-7), a highly bioavailable and bioactive form of K2, to balance hormones and enhance absorption of vitamin D.
Whether you are looking to boost your immunity during cold and flu season or strengthen your immune system due to gut dysfunction or another underlying health problem, you can’t go wrong with vitamin D3 and K2.
And since we are right in the middle of cold and flu season, I wanted to make it even easier for you to fight off all the bacteria and viruses headed your way.
From now until Sunday November 13th, get 15% off The D3-K2 with the code SHINEBLOG at checkout!
As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe.
Photo: unsplash.com
Start Your Health Journey Today
FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE CONSULTATIONS FOR PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
References:
- Palomares, Oscar et al. “Role of Treg in immune regulation of allergic diseases.” European journal of immunology vol. 40,5 (2010): 1232-40. doi:10.1002/eji.200940045
- Carter, M J et al. “Guidelines for the management of inflammatory bowel disease in adults.” Gut vol. 53 Suppl 5,Suppl 5 (2004): V1-16. doi:10.1136/gut.2004.043372
- Simpson, Steve Jr et al. “Higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D is associated with lower relapse risk in multiple sclerosis.” Annals of neurology vol. 68,2 (2010): 193-203. doi:10.1002/ana.22043
- Moriya, Masayuki et al. “Vitamin K2 ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats.” Journal of neuroimmunology vol. 170,1-2 (2005): 11-20. doi:10.1016/j.jneuroim.2005.08.001
- Goddek, Simon. “Vitamin D3 and K2 and their potential contribution to reducing the COVID-19 mortality rate.” International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases vol. 99 (2020): 286-290. doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2020.07.080
View More At Our Store
Purchase personally curated supplements
and Dr. Will Cole’s books!
The information on this website has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration or any other medical body. We do not aim to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. Information is shared for educational purposes only. You must consult your doctor before acting on any content on this website, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition.
Our content may include products that have been independently chosen and recommended by Dr. Will Cole and our editors. If you purchase something mentioned in this article, we may earn a small commission.
BY DR. WILL COLE
Dr. Will Cole, DNM, IFMCP, DC is a leading functional medicine expert who consults people around the globe, starting one of the first functional medicine telehealth centers in the world. Named one of the top 50 functional and integrative doctors in the nation, Dr. Will Cole provides a functional medicine approach for thyroid issues, autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, and brain problems. He is the host of the popular The Art Of Being Well podcast and the New York Times bestselling author of Intuitive Fasting, Ketotarian, The Inflammation Spectrum and the brand new book Gut Feelings: Healing the Shame-Fueled Relationship Between What You Eat and How You Feel.
Gut Feelings
Healing The Shame-Fueled Relationship
Between What You Eat And How You Feel