During the change of seasons, when the temperature drops sharply before winter, special attention should be paid to health care. This is because when the temperature drops rapidly, the body cannot adapt to the difference in external temperature and immunity is lowered. When your immune system is weakened, you are vulnerable to many diseases, including allergies, colds, and the flu. Pharmacist Ji-young Kim recommended vitamin B group as a nutrient that should be taken at this time to boost immunity.
Vitamin B Immune Group ㅣ Source: Getty Image Bank
B vitamins are also called immune system vitamins. This is because vitamin B is involved in the production of T lymphocytes, the body’s immune system, and prevents illnesses such as colds and allergies caused by weakened immunity. Among the B vitamins, especially B6, B9 and B12, they play an important role in generating the first front-line immune response to pathogens entering the body.
Immune enhancement mechanism of B vitamins
Cells infected with a pathogen become a host for the pathogen, failing to function properly and synthesizing substances for the pathogen. At this time, NK cells (natural killer cells) play a role in detecting these abnormal cells and removing them immediately. NK cells, which represent the body’s primary innate immunity, then secrete various cytokines and chemokines to activate adaptive immune cells such as dendritic cells, T cells, and B cells. This immune response is activated directly by B vitamins.
In addition, B vitamins aid the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats to help create energy for our body to fight even if viruses invade the body. In addition, the nutrients in the food you eat can be used well and can do their job, contributing to the improvement of immunity.
How to take the B vitamins?
Vitamin B is abundant in meat, fish, grains and vegetables, so if you keep a balanced diet, you can supplement it to some extent. Representative foods of vitamin B include spinach, chicken breast, eggs, tuna, milk, broccoli, and brown rice. However, modern people are often deficient in vitamin B due to overwork and lifestyle habits such as drinking and smoking. In this case, taking vitamin B as a food supplement can also be one way.
Vitamins of group B, which one to choose?
Unlike other vitamins that have a single component, B vitamins consist of a total of 8 types: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12. Pharmacist Ji-young Kim advised: “Since these eight substances are organically linked and work, make sure they are all included.” Among these, products containing the active form of benfotiamine are recommended for vitamin B1. Benfotiamine is rapidly absorbed by the body and its medicinal effect lasts for a long time.
Pharmacist Jiyoung Kim said: “Modern people who are exposed to fatigue and stress often use vitamins and run out easily. Since B vitamins are water soluble, excess components absorbed by the body are excreted in the urine. At this time, as vitamin B2 takes on a yellowish color, the color of the urine can change to fluorescent yellow or light green.
When selecting a high content product, it is necessary to check the content of B3 and B6. This is because there is a risk of side effects in the event of an overdose. Vitamin B3 can cause side effects such as redness and burning when consumed in excess. Therefore, in the case of niacin, the maximum intake limit should not exceed 35 mg and in the case of nicotinic acid amide it should not exceed 1,000 mg. If vitamin B6 is taken in high doses (50 to 200 mg) over a long period of time, symptoms including ataxia and sensory neuropathy can occur. The higher daily intake of vitamin B6 is 100 mg.
Some people complain of gastrointestinal upset such as heartburn the longer they take high-content vitamin supplements. To reduce these side effects, you can choose a product containing magnesium oxide from the high content products. Magnesium oxide neutralizes stomach acid.
Help = Pharmacist Jiyoung Kim
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