Covid 19 and Vitamin C
I have asked our nutritionist Dr. Jane Jamieson (PhD) has written about the importance of Vitamin C and our Antioxidant formula for health and the immune system during this Covid 19 outbreak. After all, the more we can be prepared, the better and for those, like me, who’ve experienced the virus, it’s a boost to help us recover.
A recent article by the Daily Mail (7 th April 2020), highlighted the benefit of using vitamin C for treating the recent viral outbreak of the covid-19 virus.
Most animals make their own vitamin C and their bodies will dramatically increase the amount of vitamin C they make, during an infection. Humans, alongside chimpanzees and other apes, don’t make vitamin C themselves but find it in their diet from fruits, green leaves and other fresh plant foods.
Vitamin C is used by the cells in the immune system as fuel, to fight off infections. Intravenous vitamin C is being used in some of the Chinese hospitals and also some of the hospitals in New York as one of the treatments for covid-19.
There is much evidence to show that people’s nutrient stores get depleted during a prolonged or severe infection so you should ideally continue taking the same nutrients during recovery for a few weeks. This ensures, that your body can increase its nutrients stores, rebuild the immune system and repair any damage caused by the infection.
High doses of vitamin C can cause diarrhoea and irritation to the stomach. The food-state vitamin C (CoQ10 Antioxidants) is a good alternative because it is bound to amino acids which aid its absorption, causing less irritation. The antioxidant formula, in addition, contains other nutrients with make the vitamin C more effective. The function of vitamin C is supported or recycled by other nutrients such as zinc, selenium, co-enzyme Q10 and bioflavonoids, boosting your immunity in several ways.
High doses of vitamin C may also be one cause of kidney stones, but this is also less likely with the antioxidant formula. The amount of vitamin C is less than a supplement that contains only vitamin C and no other supportive antioxidants.
A high dose of vitamin C is not recommended If you are prone to storing an excess of iron.
If you think you might benefit from the antioxidant formula, and have a particular health condition, then either get in touch with me via albanystreetclinic@gmail.com or speak to your GP and a qualified nutritionist.
My recommendations are:
Pre-virus: take double the dose of the antioxidant formula and pair it with a food-state multivitamin such as the NFC Women’s or Men’s formula.
During infection: take twice the dose of the food-state multivitamin, with 4-6 times the dose of the antioxidant formula. This can be boosted with a food-state vitamin C if you like. Continue this throughout the infection.
Post-virus: take twice the dose of the antioxidant formula with 1-2 times the recommended dose of the multivitamin formula for at least 6 weeks. If you feel fully recovered go to a maintenance dose of the anti-oxidant formula and multivitamin.