Vitamins have been in the news as a means to fight disease, and there’s some truth in that claim. But while vitamins are definitely essential to the performance of all of our bodily systems, it’s important to know what vitamins can and cannot do.
What Is a Vitamin, Anyway?
Vitamins are organic compounds that support many functions in the body, right down to the cellular level. We need vitamins for growth, development, our immune system, brain health, bone health and more. They help us maintain homeostasis, a term that refers to how your body keeps all of its systems in a healthy balance. Vitamins are key not just for us to function optimally but for our very existence.
Where Does Nutrition Come In?
If you have a depleted system of any kind, you’d expect that system to perform poorly. It’s the same with the immune system — if it doesn’t get the fuel and nutrition it needs, along with sleep, exercise and low stress, it’s not going to function as well as it might. If you’re not feeding the cells that fend off inflammation, infection and viruses, or if you have a weakened system, you’re going to get a diminished response. So while vitamins cannot “cure” you if you contract a disease, they are important in protecting your body from infection in the first place.
Absorption Is Key To Support the Immune System
Let’s say you’re consuming all of the recommended vitamins and minerals to support your immune system. If your body cannot absorb them — and there many reasons for this — they will do you little good. “Bioavailability” refers to your body’s ability to take up and utilize nutrients from food and supplements. Things that might affect the bioavailability of vitamins:
- Interactions. Vitamins and minerals can affect the absorption of one another. An example: Vitamin C will enhance the absorption of iron, while the mineral calcium will inhibit the same.
- Certain medicines. It’s always a good idea to talk with your doctor before you start taking anything new, so you can understand any interactions.
- Health conditions. Those with conditions like ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease can have absorption issues.
Heating or frying also can diminish the impact of some vitamins, before your system even has a chance to absorb them.
Am I Deficient?
The best way to know if you are deficient in any vitamin or mineral is with a blood test ordered by your doctor. Deficiency can set you up for a higher risk of contracting diseases because your immune system can be compromised. Vitamin deficiencies are rare in the United States, because we tend to get a lot of vitamins in our food supply. People with pancreatic issues, alcoholism or those who have had a gastric bypass can have issues, but these conditions are not common.
How To Get the Right Vitamins: Natural Sources vs. Supplements
If you have been diagnosed with a deficiency, vitamin supplements likely will be necessary; talk with your doctor. For people who are not diagnosed as deficient, whole foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains are the best way to get needed vitamins and minerals; they also provide fiber to feed your gut microbiome.
Keeping the bacteria in your gut healthy supports immune health — the gut and the immune system have a symbiotic relationship, meaning a close, prolonged relationship between two systems. Scientists are just beginning to understand the mechanism and connections of this relationship and how these systems interact to maintain homeostasis and prevent excess inflammation. The body can make some vitamins on its own but if the good biota in your gut are upset, that compromises its ability to make those vitamins.
Vitamin Toxicity
Vitamins A, D, E and K all carry a risk of toxicity if you consume too much, because they are fat soluble, meaning they are digested and stored in our fat cells. We can’t just excrete excess in our urine as we do with Vitamin C or B12, which are water soluble. If we have too much of these vitamins we can experience a sort of overdose, although this only occurs if you are consuming really extreme amounts, for instance via supplements. The cure? Stop taking the vitamin and your system will correct itself in time. That’s why medically managed cases of vitamin deficiency usually taper off the supplements; you don’t want to stay on them forever.
Listen to Your Grandma
Chicken soup is touted as a cure for everything from the common cold to a broken heart. And while that’s not technically possible, chicken soup is good for your immune system, packed with vitamin A from carrots, vitamin C from celery and onions, protein and zinc from the chicken and antioxidants from onions and herbs. Plus, it’s easy on your stomach and provides fluids and electrolytes. She might not know it, but your Grandma instinctively pushes chicken soup for the same reason dietitians urge you to eat colorful foods: The vitamin and mineral content of food is reflected in its colors, which is why we’re often told to “eat the rainbow.” Soups are an easy way to add lots of color to your diet in one dish, and the vegetables are thoroughly cooked, making them more palatable for some, and easy to digest. Chicken soup not a thing in your culture? Find out what soups your grandmother recommends and go for it.
The Bottom Line
Will vitamins and minerals keep you from getting a disease, or cure it if you have one? No, or at least there isn’t evidence for that. But in a complex and fast-changing world where you cannot control myriad daily exposures to who-knows-what, paying attention to your nutrition and immune system is one of the most important things you can control in terms of living your best and healthiest life.
This content is not AI generated.
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