By Previnex®
In light of what’s been going on with the coronavirus, I’ve been asked what, if anything, people can do to bolster immunity and their immune system. As a former research analyst in the nutritional supplement industry and now CEO of a company that focuses on prevention, I feel like I have a good perspective on this, which is what I want to share. Based on over 15 years researching nutritional and immune support supplements, here are some actionable steps that you can take immediately to bolster and protect your immune system and overall health in the face of coronavirus.
Probiotics
A growing body of evidence shows that probiotic supplements with Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species enhance antiviral immune activity and may reduce the occurrence, severity, and duration of viral respiratory tract infections such as influenza.1
Previnex® Probiotic contains 30 billion bacteria per serving via six clinically effective strains across these two specific bacteria species, along with a clinically studied prebiotic, NutraFlora®, that promotes the growth and colonization of healthy probiotic bacteria in the gut. Roughly 70% of human immune cells reside in the gut and taking a daily, ultra high quality probiotic is a must for enhanced immunity. The challenge is finding a product with the right bacteria strains, right levels of bacteria, and bacteria that can survive the acidity of your stomach to make it to your gut. The Previnex Probiotic delivers on all three and more.
Also, in light of these uncertain times where health and immune system function are increasingly important, and to make the health and immune system benefits of our probiotic supplement more accessible, effective immediately, we are lowering the price of our probiotic from $33.50 to $29.95 per bottle until the uncertain health environment that we’re in normalizes.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an important immune system regulator and vitamin D helps boost immunity by stimulating naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides, which protect the body by destroying invading microbes.2 These peptides exist in immune cells throughout the body, and are present in cells lining the upper and lower respiratory tract, where they have the ability to directly fight off viruses and bacteria that cause common immune and respiratory infections like colds and flu.3
I have two strong recommendations here. First, take 6,000-8,000 IU of vitamin D daily. Second, when you’re in a situation where you need to boost your immunity for near-term protection, take 6-8k IU just beforehand (on top of the 6-8k IU daily). For example, when I fly, I pop this amount of vitamin D into my system on top of what I already take daily just before takeoff to boost immunity, and there’s strong clinical data to support this.
Zinc Lozenges
Zinc lozenges are clinically proven to reduce the duration and severity of the common cold, but the mechanism by which zinc does this is important to understand. Zinc lozenges have been proven to be effective in blocking many viruses from multiplying in the throat and nasopharynx. If a virus can’t replicate, it won’t cause as much damage all else being equal, and zinc can stop the replication pattern of a virus and therefore its spread.
Cold-EEZE® and Zicam® are two popular over the counter products that can be purchased at your local pharmacy or drug store. These should be used several times a day when you begin to feel ANY cold-like symptoms commencing.
Beta Glucans
I have personally been researching beta glucans for the past year and without giving away our Previnex® product roadmap, this is an area that we are HIGHLY interested in given the strong clinical data we’ve seen on beta glucans strengthening immunity and protecting the immune system from invaders.
Beta glucans naturally boost the immune system by optimizing the body’s response to viruses, disease, and infection. Clinical studies have shown that beta glucans are immunomodular agents, which means they trigger a number of events that help regulate the immune system to make it more effective and efficient. Beta glucans stimulate the activity of macrophages, which are versatile immune cells that eat and demolish invading pathogens and stimulate immune cells to attack and stimulate lethal white blood cells that bind to tumors or viruses and release chemicals to destroy it.4
Beta glucans supplements are widely available and I recommend taking them in the form of baker’s yeast extract and reishi and shiitake supplements.
Summary
Prevention is truly the best medicine, especially in the uncertain times that we’re in, and taking a few simple steps can significantly boost your immunity, immune system function, and give your body and cells the best chance of naturally fighting off unwanted invaders.
1 Lenoir-Wijnkookp 2019; Mousa 2017
2 Aranow C. J Investig Med. 2011. 59(6):881-6
3 Wacker M, Holick MF. Nutrients. 2013. 5(1):111-48 & Gombart AF. Future Microbiol. 2009. 4(9):1151-65
4 Kim HS, Hong JT, Kim Y, Han S-B. Stimulatory effect of β-glucans on immune cells. Immune Netw. (2011) 11:191–5. 10.4110/in.2011.11.4.191
