Which Is Better for Immune System, Vitamin C or Zinc?

Spread the love

Which is better for the immune system, vitamin C or zinc?

Strangely, people ask these types of questions. I think that it would be the same situation, but a different topic if you would ask what is better for inflammation: Cordyceps or Quercetin? However, it is great when people take an interest in what is going on inside them.

Vitamin C and zinc are both essential for the immune system. They work as antioxidants fighting free radicals and support innate and adaptive immunity. Vitamin C bolsters the immune system and promotes the production of interferon, which helps protect against viruses. Zinc participates in the production of immunoglobulins that fight against infections.

Table of Contents

How does vitamin C help the immune system?

Vitamin C

Vitamin C supports many immune systems functions, such as

Vitamin C supports the epithelial barrier function against invaders
Vitamin C sits in phagocytic cells, such as neutrophils. These phagocytes are cells that can ingest or sometimes digest bacteria and other foreign substances.
Vitamin C boosts the skin’s ability to detect and collect foreign microorganisms and substances
Vitamin C can strengthen chemotaxis and microbial killing

The immune system protects the body in various ways, from inside and out.

Additionally, vitamin C boosts the differentiation and proliferation of B- and T-cells. These white blood cells are part of the immune system that fights against intruders.

Vitamin C helps prevent and treat respiratory and systemic infections. You know there is an infection; a problem needs to be addressed—high doses of vitamin C help to deal with that.

How does zinc help the immune system fight various intruders?

Zinc helps the immune system fight infections.

Like vitamin C, zinc is essential to the evolution, function, and progress of NK (natural killers), neutrophils, and cells mediating innate immunity.

Do you know what these NK cells do to intruders? According to Wikipedia, natural killer cells respond immediately to a virus-infected cell and kill them without waiting for the command. If we do not have these killer cells, our bodies will be flooded with thousands of microorganisms.

Of course, we do not live in a sterile environment. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, toxins, and other foreign substances surround us.

Fortunately, our immune system, with the help of zinc and vitamin C, can do its job protecting us from infections.

Zinc

Zinc does an excellent job of keeping cells from the immune system ready to fight various microorganisms.

Zinc participates in the production and activity of many significant immune cells.

Cytokines, messengers of the immune system, depend on zinc. Additionally, zinc aids in the creation and activation of the immune system’s white blood cells.

Do you know that it is innate immunity?

Innate immunity is the first line of the body’s defense. With the help of zinc and vitamin C, attack cells are activated, pushing, killing, and removing intruders such as bacteria, viruses, or foreign substances.

If the first line of defense does its job correctly, we do not need to worry about infections or other diseases. Think about it.

There is more information about the immune system, such as ways to have a lifelong immune system without worrying about catching illnesses.

Our immune system is the best protection and defense mechanism that prevents foreign intruders from spoiling our lives.

Wrapping up

I can not state that vitamin C is better for the immune system than zinc. Of course, vitamin C has more qualities compared with zinc. However, both sufficient substances keep the immune system strong and able to protect us.

Vitamin C supports innate and adaptive immunity. Research shows that vitamin C helps improve healing from respiratory infections and the common cold. Zinc, in the same way, helps stop invaders in the beginning when it interferes with the lodging of microorganisms at the mucous membranes in the nose and throat.

Additionally, zinc effectively reduces the harshness of the common cold, especially if it begins within 24 hours of experiencing symptoms.

Knowing that our bodies are complex and everything in them depends on each other( for example, magnesium participates in zinc metabolism, and zinc helps the absorption of magnesium or zinc and copper need to be balanced), we can not throw away some nutrients and depend only on the rest.

Vitamin C and zinc are essential to a thriving immune system’s work. Without them, foreign invaders would have more chances to occupy our precious bodies.