Internal protection is just as important as external protection against infections. Food supplements can help to strengthen the immune system and prevent disease.

In the midst of the de-escalation process, we must continue to contemplate all the protection measures, especially hand washing and distance or protection from saliva droplets that may contain the virus.

However, there is one more thing we can do, and that is to strengthening our body's own protective barrier, the immune system. Numerous substances are part of the mechanism that activates the healing forces of our body. Our ability to defend ourselves against infection depends on their balance.

At Biosalud Day Hospital offers you a combination of key nutrients and which can fail at this moment due to different factors: lack of sunshine, an unbalanced diet or the metabolisation of nutrients.

This Prevention Pack that you can buy in Nutridelia's online shop. strengthens the immune system and we must bear in mind that:

• It is not a substitute for treatment prescribed by a doctor.
• For symptoms of covid-19 and other infections, you should always consult a specialist.
• The pattern of these nutritional supplements is designed to provide safe and effective doses of all their components.

The active ingredients of a prevention cocktail

Vitamin D and immune system. T cells are part of the immune system, the body's defence system, and react to viral and bacterial infections. Numerous studies have shown how vitamin D activates these cells, giving them the ability to act.

To maintain an adequate level of vitamin D, it is advisable to eat eggs, dairy products and oily fish and, if necessary, vitamin supplements. In addition, the maturation of this vitamin requires the action of ultraviolet rays to be activated. Especially during these days of confinement our source of direct light has been the electric light and we should take advantage of the hours of walking to receive these rays for at least twenty minutes.

Quercetin. This substance is the most common flavonoid in the human diet. It contributes to the stabilisation of the immune response and reduces inflammation. It has been shown to be an antiviral and may stop the formation of the cytokine storm, one of the consequences of covid-19 (Khaerunnisa et al. 2020).

The Zinc is the second most abundant trace element in our body, between 2 and 4 grams, and forms part of the structure of many proteins. Among other properties, it strengthens our immune system, making it essential when our body has to fight an infection.

Animal protein is a great source of zinc but if combined with a diet very high in fibre, it may not be assimilated by the body. On the other hand, there may be a zinc deficiency in people who follow a diet low in animal protein. In any case, supplements allow us to maintain an adequate level.

Vitamin C. Its beneficial effects on the immune system are due in particular to the fact that it stimulates a type of lymphocyte, the Natural Killer cells, which destroy infected cells and cancer cells.

In addition to accumulating in immune cells, it is involved in the proliferation of T and B lymphocytes, which are able to synthesise antibodies.

Vitamin C deficiency is associated with an increased susceptibility to infections. This vitamin acts at the first level of defence and can be found in the daily diet in oranges, strawberries, red pepper or broccoli, and supplements are very common.

Artemisia. This is an immunoregulatory plant that strengthens the defences in the recommended doses.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS THAT BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM