The presence of tens of times higher amount
of Vitamin C in our white blood cells when compared to the plasma of other
cells, gives us some idea of the importance of Vitamin C in our immune system.
White blood cells are the warriors of our body. They are the defense force of
our body who fight against all the germs (bacteria and viruses) which attack
our body. Hence one of the weapons given to them to fight against infectious
disease is Vitamin C.
How does vitamin C do this? How do they help our body to
fight against infectious diseases? Studies show that Vitamin C
affects the functions of phagocytes. Phagocytes are a type of white blood cell
that ingests or engulf bacteria, foreign particles, and dying cells to protect
the body. Studies also show that Vitamin C helps to fight against diseases by
producing a type of protein(i.e. interferon) as a response to the presence of
virus infection. There are several other ways Vitamin C aids in fighting
against harmful organisms that enter our body.
One of the diseases that Vitamin C helps fight is common cold. Studies found that regular use of Vitamin C supplements alleviates and shortens the common cold. However, it also indicated that the effect of using Vitamin C after the first symptoms of a common cold depends on the amount of Vitamin C that is being used. Hence a higher dose of Vitamin C is more effective than a lower dose. ( Eat Oranges regularly to top up your daily Vitamin C levels )
Vitamin C is also known to be effective in treating
pneumonia patients. Even from very early studies, it has shown that
Vitamin C influenced the condition of pneumonia patients to a noticeable
extent.
Various evidence points out to the beneficial effect of vitamin C including fighting against infectious diseases like common cold and pneumonia. Hence vitamin C is an important nutrient that needs to be included in your diet to improve your immune system.
