Immunity Benefits of Vitamins
We all want to be in good health - and vitamins to support immunity are super important. In particular for men, Vitamins C and D can be important for immune system function. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect cells from damage [i]. It also helps the body to fight inflammation [ii], and whilst on this particular topic, it's important to point out that inflammation can cause some really detrimental effects to the body, such as damaging cells. Vitamin D can also combat this issue with how this active ingredient can aid the production of T-Cells [iv].
T-cells are white blood cells that play an important part in the immune system. They respond to foreign attackers in the body and once a cell becomes infected, T-cells will kick into action and begin attacking them. They are also commonly referred to as 'white killer cells'. One particular study linked the body's production of T-cells to supplementation of vitamin D [iii].
If you would like to read more about the role T-cells have in our body then read our full blog post here.
Vitamin D has a variety of additional potential health benefits, especially when it comes to immunity. With the recent Covid pandemic, immunity has become more of a trending topic with researchers looking into the links that Covid-19 has on our immune systems.
One study from Boston University suggested that you are 54% more likely to contract Covid-19 when deficient in vitamin D [v]. A similar finding was identified with another study into 154 cases of Covid-19 in India, which suggested that vitamin D levels were "strongly associated" with the severity of Covid-19 [vi].
At Nourished, our specially formulated ‘Vitamin D3’ is vegan and can be added to your very own gummy-nutrient stack today. You can also learn more about this ingredient on the link here.
Sleep Benefits of Vitamins
When we think of our health, sleep is a key element that men should keep on top of. The Sleep Foundation states that over 35% of adults in the US alone, report that they get less than the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night [vii].
A lack of sleep (or poor sleep quality) can lead to a vast array of negative effects on the body, including increasing your appetite [viii], leading to symptoms of anxiety/depression [ix] as well as negatively affecting sports recovery time [ix].
If your father is someone who is suffering from sleep issues, then two natural ingredients that could potentially help when incorporated into the diet are ashwagandha and tart cherry.
When supplementing ashwagandha for a period of 6 weeks, a 2020 study found that ashwagandha may improve the overall quality of sleep by "significantly improving the NRS (Non-restorative sleep) condition in healthy subjects" [x].
Melatonin levels can also be increased through the supplementation of tart cherry. This can improve your overall sleep time and help to reduce the negative effects that come with insomnia [xi].
You can learn more about the additional natural ingredients that can aid your sleep by reading our comprehensive guide here.
Stress Benefits of Vitamins
Whilst on the topic of ashwagandha, did you know that this active ingredient has been used in ancient medicine for 100's of years to help relieve stress?
One 2016 clinical trial found that ashwagandha can help with stress-related weight management and thus leading to improved well-being, happiness, less food cravings, and improvements in serum cortisol levels [xii].
This is important because stress can have many implications on our physical and mental health, including headaches, chest pains and feelings of being overwhelmed/worrying [xiv].
Serum cortisol can also be reduced with the supplementation of Lutemax 2020, which means that it could offer some powerful stress-fighting benefits and mood support [xiii]. This is the newest addition to the Nourished inclusion line-up and is a form of lutein, which means that it can also provide a variety of health benefits when it comes to eye health. You can learn more about the health benefits of Lutemax 2020 here.
One final ingredient we wanted to bring to your attention was scutel'up, which has again been used since ancient times as a natural way to combat stress [xv]. This works by reducing inflammatory cytokines that can lead to stress/anxiety, and reducing the 'Corticosterone' 'stress hormone' that our bodies naturally release [xv] [xvi] [xvii].
We hope that this blog post has given you some insight into how vitamins and minerals could improve your fathers health, in particular when it comes to stress, sleep and immunity.
How to Add These Ingredients to Your Diet?
The ingredients listed in this article can be added to your own personalised, freshly 3D-printed gummy nutrient today at Nourished!
Gummy nutrients are chewable, easier to consume and studies have shown that gummy form can lead to higher absorption of certain ingredients. To add these active ingredients to your personalised gummy, simply take our quiz!
Want to Learn More?
To find out more about the ingredients mentioned in this article, visit the studies listed below or visit the research page here:
[i] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707683/
[ii] https://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl/2015/295497/
[iii] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22069289/
[iv] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20684175/
[v] https://www.boston25news.com/news/health/boston-university-study-finds-vitamin-d-reduces-covid-19-risk/JYRFEMYN7JC33IQ4JTSLY5JY6U/
[vi] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34377451/
[vii] https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/sleep-facts-statistics
[viii] https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sleep/
[ix] https://www.thoracic.org/patients/patient-resources/resources/sleep-and-performance.pdf
[x] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945720301246
[xi] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20438325/
[xii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5871210/
[xiii] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28198205/
[xiv] https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/stress/
[xv] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6025220/
[xvi] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874111001590
[xvii] http://greenplantsextracts.com/our-products/scutellup/
