THE ROLE OF NUTRACEUTICALS IN PANDEMIC
The impending pandemic today has created a panic situation throughout the world. This emergency situation has created an eye opening in the people because there is no vaccine that is available and the only saviour at this point of time being the own immunity of the people. Though the pharma companies are working tirelessly for the vaccine in a fast track process it is definitely going to take time then how can people overcome this pandemic situation? The only answer is being highly immune and builds up the immunity by taking the immunity boosters in the form of foods. Hence the role of nutraceuticals is being highly important to boost up the process. Different types of nutraceuticals are needed and some of them including vitamins, minerals, iron, zinc etc. The aim of this article is to throw light on the nutraceuticals that are the need of the hour in this pandemic situation.
ROLE OF IMMUNE SYSTEM IN IMMUNITY
Immune system is a complex physiological system which helps in protecting a person from the invasion and attack of different microorganisms present in the environment. This immune system is a very distinct mechanism involving a lot of cells and systems. There are a lot of barriers which protect the human body into all systems. It is considered as the first defence of the body. Hence immunity is playing a crucial role at this point of pandemic. Therefore, enhancing is immune response is only available option in this situation of pandemic. The best way to boost up the immune system is by having different vitamins and minerals available. These can be taken in the form of different nutraceutical forms. Hence the role of nutraceuticals is considered to be enhanced in this pandemic situation
ROLE OF NUTRACEUTICALS
Different forms of nutraceuticals are available in market and there are different vitamins and minerals that are recommended to be taken during a pandemic. These included in the daily routine are proven to enhance the immune function of the individual. The following are some important ones given with the RDA recommended values that are the daily recommend values.
VARIOUS NUTRACEUTICALS AVAILABLE FOR BOOSTING IMMUNE SYSTEM
Below are mentioned some nutraceuticals with their recent recommend dietary allowance per day values set.
Vitamin A: Different forms of vitamin A include retinol and carotene which play major roles in immune response. The carotenes (alpha carotene, beta carotene, lycopene, lutein, etc.) also are implicated in immunity.The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin A for men and women is 900 and 700 μg /day.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C is considered extremely important in the present situation which is considered as deficiency will lead decrease in immunity. This acts as an immunity booster. For adults, the recommended daily amount for vitamin C is 65 to 90 milligrams (mg). For prophylactic dose should be 500 mg daily.
Vitamin D: This vitamin is considered extremely important as Vit D works in part by promoting the production of cathelicidin, an antimicrobial peptide which helps to boost the immunity process.The RDA of vitamin D is 400 IU for children , 600 IU for 70 years, and 800 IU for people over 70 years
Vitamin E: Vitamin E is considered important since it enhances both humoral and cell-mediated immunity. 200 international units daily in adults to boost up immunity.
B Vitamins: Vit B is a complex vitamin and its deficiency has been shown to depress immunity; lack of vitamin B12 and folate are proven to cause megaloblasticanemia other vitamins of B include thiamine, riboflavin and Pantothenic acid plays an important role in optimal immune response.
Iron :Iron is considered extremely important for the cells that enhance our immune response.The RDA VALUE OF IRON intake from foods and supplements is supposed to be 13.7–15.1 mg/day in children aged 2–11 years, 16.3 mg/day in children and teens aged 12–19 years, and 19.3–20.5 mg/day in men and 17.0–18.9 mg/day in women older than 19.
Zinc: Zinc is considered very important to enhance immune responses.Recently zinc has gained a lot of importance to enhance the immune system. Currently, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for zinc is 8 milligrams (mg) a day for women and 11 mg a day for men. Zinc is naturally found in many different foods, and is also available as a dietary supplement. For prevention from COVID-19 doses should be 15 mg daily.
Probiotics: The role of probiotics has always been important as they enhance the immunity. The gastrointestinal tract consists of many linings which help in protecting the tract from various infections. There are some inbuilt bacteria that play an important role in this process they include pre and probiotic bacteria. They protect the gut wall. They are more prone to increase the immunity of the GI tract in the body. There are a lot of probiotics available in the form of nutraceuticals and these are taken abundantly today by the people to raise the immunity.
CONCLUSION
Life without these nutraceuticals is difficult to get on as these are required to enhance the immunity and these pandemic situations demand a boost up of the immune response from individuals and the only way is to increase the uptake of these vitamins and minerals. This article states only some of the available ones but there are still a lot of them available in the market which increases the immunity. The most important is the RDA values of these as these are compulsory to be taken in a day. There will be a revision of these RDA values from time to time and also the age group matters different age group individuals require different quantities and also there is a change for pregnant and elderly people.
Therefore, today in the view of second wave of the rapidly increasing pandemic again through out the world nutraceuticals in pandemic is an important point of discussion today as we are in a critical situation and also it is important for the people to get educated to know the importance of their consumption to overcome this situation.
Dr Sanjay Agrawal
Leading Pharmaceutical Consultant and Editor-in Chief of IJM Today
