Vitamin D and Zinc: 4 Ways It Boosts Your Immunity

Supports Innate And Adaptive Responses

If you want your immune system to keep you protected, you need to ensure both the innate and adaptive components work efficiently and effectively. Zinc and vitamin D work together to strengthen these responses.

Zinc is required for normal development and function of cells involved in nonspecific immunity, such as neutrophils and natural killer cells.

A deficiency of zinc can impair adaptive immune responses by preventing outgrowth and certain functions of T lymphocytes ². On top of that, vitamin D also plays critical roles in regulating the responses of B and T cells, especially in the case of autoimmunity ³.

Receive unique insights, advice and exclusive offers.

Email address Subscribe

Fight Autoimmunity

A deficiency of vitamin D has been linked to an increased risk of autoimmune disorders like MS, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and diabetes ³.

A recent study sought to investigate the effects of vitamin D and omega-3 supplementation on autoimmune disease risk and found that compared to the placebo, participants taking vitamin D supplements (with or without omega-3s) reduced AI disease risk by a whopping 22% ⁴.

Reduces Cold Duration

If you happen to catch a cold, zinc can help to reduce the duration of it. On top of boosting immune function in general, studies have found that taking zinc can reduce the length of the common cold in healthy people if taken within 24 hours of symptom onset ⁵. As well, if you’re taking zinc and do happen to catch a cold, your symptoms are also less likely to persist over seven days.

Reduces Inflammation

Inflammation is a normal component of an immune response against an invading pathogen. Inflammatory cells and cytokines are released upon immune system activation to trap bacteria and other offenders, or initiated to start the process of healing.

Under normal circumstances, the immune system does its job and the inflammatory cascade subsides, but when it becomes pathological, it can lead to development of inflammatory-based diseases. There’s a large body of research suggesting that both zinc and vitamin D play important roles in inflammation.

Vitamin D plays a key role in regulating the production of inflammatory cytokines and inhibiting the proliferation of pro-inflammatory cells, while a zinc deficiency has been associated with significant increases pro-inflammatory cytokines ^{6, 7}.

Studies suggest an inverse relationship between circulating levels of vitamin D3 and various inflammatory markers such as CRP and interleukin (IL)-6. Zinc is also heavily involved in modulating pro-inflammatory responses via targeting nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), a transcription factor that is a key regulator of pro-inflammatory responses ⁸.

1. Eat A Rainbow Of Food

Brightly colored foods are loaded with phytonutrients that support optimal immune function. A 2021 review of 87 articles looked at the effect of 24 phytonutrients and nutrients on immune function ⁹.

Some of these included acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR), beta-glucans, coenzyme Q10, curcumin (turmeric), frankincense, garlic, ginger, isoflavones, lipoic acid, N-acetyl cysteine, omega-3 fatty acids, resveratrol, selenium, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), vitamin E (d-alpha- and gamma-tocopherol), and zinc.

They found that many of these nutrients exhibit immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties that regulate nuclear factor-Kappa B, tumor necrosis factor-a, interferon-g, interleukin-6, and CD4+ T cells, among others. Together, phytonutrients and nutrients play a significant role in modulating immune function and reducing inflammation.

2. Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important factors involved in maintaining health and well-being, and it’s an easy way to boost your immune system.

Sleep deprivation has been linked to various adverse health outcomes, along with an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke ¹⁰.

During sleep, specific components of the immune system are upregulated. Specifically, we see an increased production of cytokines linked to inflammation, and while an injury doesn’t trigger this type of inflammation, the cells and cytokines involved in this response help to strengthen the adaptive immune system ¹¹.

But sufficient sleep is also required for strengthening immunological memory, which plays a role in reinforcing the immune system’s ability to remember how to recognize and react to pathogens.

3. Manage Your Stress

Stress is a biggie for your immune system. Acute stress can be beneficial for the body and actually strengthens immune responses, but when the stress response doesn’t subside, it can cause chronic low-grade inflammation that makes your body less effective at responding to pathogens or stressors.

That’s because stress is linked to inflammation, and chronic inflammation leads to dysregulation of immune function and increases the risk of chronic diseases ¹².

To avoid having stress alter your immune function, implement stress management techniques like deep breathing, meditation, gratitude journaling, earthing, or walking in nature.

4. Move Daily

Exercise is a great way to stimulate immune function. Moderate-intensity exercise can strengthen and improve immune responses to vaccinations, reduce low-grade chronic inflammation, and improve various immune markers in several diseases ¹³. However, there’s a fine line between enough and too much exercise.

If you fall on either end of the spectrum, it can suppress immune function, in part due to increases in circulating levels of stress hormones that inhibit various aspects of the immune system.

There is a period of transient immune dysfunction after heavy exertion that results in physiological, metabolic, and psychological stress that are associated with immune dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress, and muscle damage ¹⁴.

On the other end, lack of physical activity can result in adipose tissue accumulation and muscle dysfunction, which can have nasty side effects for both your innate and adaptive immunity ¹⁵.

Inactivity tends to increase systemic inflammation (increased levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, CRP), impair natural killer cell cytolytic activity, and reduce T-cell proliferation and cytokine production, all of which affect your ability to fend off pathogens.

5. Support With Supplements

When it doubt, supplement it out. While we don’t advocate for replacing a good diet with supplements, they can be a great crutch to bolster a clean, balanced diet.

There are two supplements in which we stand behind to supercharge your immune system: PL-Immune™ and Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multi®.

• PL-Immune™ is an ultramodern dynamic immune support supplement built to support even the toughest and most complex immune challenges. It’s a probiotic and antioxidant super-stack that activates multiple types of immune cells. Restoring fast, frontline defenses and supporting your natural immune function for robust long-range health.
• Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multi® is an innovative multivitamin designed for active individuals. It helps restore nutrients that may be missing from the diet to support healthy cell performance across all body systems. NutriGenesis® is ultramodern nutrition technology unique to Performance Lab® that supplies vitamins and minerals bioengineered with cofactors that boost absorption and maximize benefits. In NutriGenesis® Multi, you’re getting 100%+ DV of 17+ essentials all encapsulated in NutriCaps®—Prebiotic-infused and vegan-friendly capsules for digestive comfort and peace of mind.