Have you ever had people harp on you about eating your vegetables? Or heard the old saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”? There’s a lot of truth behind consuming fruits and vegetables to keep your body healthy—but there’s more to it than that.
The immune system is a vastly interconnected and complex system with a sole purpose of keeping your body healthy. It does this through two systems—the innate (immediate) defense system and the adaptive (acquired) defense system. In order for these two components to operate, they need to be fueled. And that fuel comes in the form of vitamins and minerals.
Despite how healthy you may think you eat and live, the truth is that everyone needs a bit of extra love, and that’s where supplementation comes in key.
We’re giving you a rundown of the top vitamins to support women’s immune systems and why they’re important to keep your line of duty active and on guard.
Why Our Immune Systems Need Support
As much as we’d like to think we keep our bodies healthy, things happen that can just beat our immune systems down.
We get stressed, don’t sleep well, don’t eat properly, and over-exercise in an attempt to take the stress away, which puts further strain on our bodies. And when we add nutrient deficiencies on top of that, we’re just adding fuel to the fire.
We want to believe that doing everything right for our bodies means every organ system will function optimally, but that just isn’t the case.
While your muscular system or respiratory system may not take the heat for that, your immune system does. And when your immune system isn’t performing at its peak, it’s hard for other systems, as well.
Some of the most disruptive factors to immune function include:
- Sleep - Sleep is a big one for every system in your body. Without good quality rest, your body can’t perform. It’s simple. And when you’re sleep-deprived, your body consistently releases cortisol and other stress hormones to keep you awake and alert, and cortisol is a hormone that suppresses immune function. So, improper sleep impairs the function of both the adaptive and innate immune defenses, disrupts growth hormone secretion, interferes with immunological memory formation, and leads to increased susceptibility to infection, weight gain, fatigue, and subsequent hormonal imbalances 1.
- Stress - Acute stress can be really beneficial for the body and can actually enhance immunoprotection, but when it becomes a constant thing, it’s one of the worst things you can do for your immunity 2. Chronic mismanaged stress suppresses or dysregulates both the innate and adaptive immune responses by disrupting type 1-type 2 cytokine balance, triggering low-grade chronic inflammation, and suppressing numbers, trafficking, and function of various immunoprotective cells. And if that wasn’t enough, chronic stress can also increase disease susceptibility, specifically cancer, by suppressing protective immune responses and/or exacerbating pathological immune responses that contribute to disease formation 2.
- Diet - When it comes to diet and immune function, it goes both ways. Deficiency of a specific nutrient needed to support immune function will impair immune responses, whereas excess intake can also impair responses 3. Studies continually show that protein-calorie malnutrition, essential fatty acid deficiency, and low vitamin and mineral intake all result in some semblance of impaired immunity. Nutrients are required for several aspects of the immune system, including synthesis and secretion of cell signaling molecules, cell proliferation, free radical formation, and the suppression of immune activity at the end of a response 4. When you lack any of the nutrients needed for these processes, the responses are impaired. So, whether you’re not eating enough, eating too many processed and refined foods, or are missing out on nutrients due to dietary restrictions, supplementing to ensure you’re hitting your targets prevents any adverse immune effects.
- Physical activity - Lack of physical activity and too much can both be dangerous for the immune system. Too much exercise can elevate cortisol levels and trigger inflammation that subsequently impairs cellular immunity, while too little exercise increases body weight, causes systemic inflammation, and suppresses immune responses 5. Research finds that if you’re looking for optimal cellular immunity, moderate-intensity physical activity is best.
Now that you see why optimal nutrition and lifestyle habits are essential for supporting a healthy immune system, let’s turn to the top supplements for powering up immunity.
The Essential Nutrients For Women’s Immune System
#1 Zinc
If there’s one nutrient that can support your front-line defenses, it’s zinc. Zinc a powerhouse for supporting the normal development and function of cells that mediate the innate immune responses like neutrophil and natural killer (NK) cells 6.
It’s also required for strengthening the epithelial barrier that protects the body from invading pathogens 7. As a powerful antioxidant, it helps to stabilize cell membranes, and it’s suggested to play an important role in preventing free radical-induced damage during the inflammatory response.
A zinc deficiency affects macrophage function, along with phagocytosis, intracellular killing, and cytokine production 6. It also adversely affects the growth and function of T and B cells—the cells involved in the adaptive immune response.
#2 Selenium
Selenium is a powerful mineral that mediates both the innate (non-specific) and adaptive (specific) immune responses.
It modulates levels and activity of neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, natural killer cells, and the complement system involved in the innate immune system, and T (cell-mediated) and B (antibody-mediated) cells in the adaptive immune system 8.
A selenium deficiency has been linked to impairment of virtually all aspects of the immune system and interferes with its ability to respond appropriately to infections.
Because it’s inherent to all immune tissues, sufficient concentrations are needed for T cell proliferation, lymphokine-activated killer cell activity, NK cell activity, delayed-type hypersensitivity responses, and vaccine responses 9.
#3 Vitamin D
If there’s one way to support your immune system, it’s by getting out in the sun! Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, is key for modulating both the adaptive and innate branches of the immune system.
Immune cells express both the vitamin D receptor (VDR) along with the enzyme that actually synthesizes vitamin D3, making it a super important nutrient for immune health 10. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a higher risk of infections, but also an increased susceptibility to autoimmune diseases.
#4 Vitamin C
Vitamin C is everyone’s go-to for immune support, and there’s a good reason for it. It contributes to proper immune responses by supporting the adaptive and innate arms of the defense system, but also acts as a powerful antioxidant to protect cells against damage by free radicals and prevent environmental oxidative stress 11.
It also plays a role in enhancing differentiation and proliferation of B- and T-cells—both part of the adaptive immune response—as well as enhancing the function of various cells of the innate immune system.
#5 Probiotics/Prebiotics
Probiotics are a biggie and a significantly undervalued supplement where immune function is concerned. The GI tract is home to a massive and highly complex communication network of microbiota that makes up the human microbiome.
Aside from supporting digestion, it has evolved to provide numerous roles to the host, some of which include nutrient synthesis, protection against pathogens, and immune system regulation 12.
The microbiome plays important roles in the training and development of key parts of the innate and adaptive immune system, but the immune system also helps to maintain critical features of host-microbe symbiosis 13.
It’s believed that imbalanced microbiota-immunity interactions under certain environmental conditions contribute to the pathogenesis of several immune-mediated diseases.
And if you want a balanced gut, probiotics are one of the most widely recognized supplements for achieving this, but they support immune health even further when combined with prebiotics.
This is because probiotics help to repopulate and balance gut microbiota populations, while prebiotics serve as the food that fuels probiotic bacteria and enables them to thrive.
#6 Glutathione
Glutathione is not typically a supplement you’ll see for immune health, but it should be. It’s the major antioxidant produced in your body and is insanely powerful for protecting cells against oxidative stress and free radical damage. There are two ways in which glutathione supports proper immune response 14:
1. Enhances activity of T-cell lymphocytes 2. Stimulates production and activation of natural killer (NK) cells
When the delicate balance of glutathione levels is thrown off in the body, it can profoundly affect lymphocyte function and overall immune health.
Bonus Supplements
If you want to take immune support to the next level, ensuring you give your entire body everything it needs to function is key—not just your immune system. That’s where these bonus supplements come into the picture.
Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi for Women
Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi isn’t just your average multivitamin. It’s an ultramodern multi designed for peak human performance.
Without adequate nutrient levels, immune system function is impaired, and disease susceptibility increases. So, rather than compromising your defense system, ensure levels are always up to par.
Multi contains 17+ essential vitamins and minerals to replenish depleted stores and support healthy cell performance across every body system.
Bioengineered with cofactors that boost absorption and maximize benefits, you’re getting one of the cleanest and most effective women’s multivitamin supplements for full foundational body-wide health support.
Performance Lab Prebiotic
Did you know that your gut houses over 70% of your immune system? Most people don’t recognize the importance of good gut health for supporting the immune system, but you can’t have one without the other, and poor function of one is going to interfere with the function of the other. It’s a symbiotic relationship that needs to be supported.
Like we talked about before, probiotics and prebiotics are critical parts of a good immune-boosting supplement stack (and really, general health and well-being).
And unlike most other probiotic supplements that contain dodgy strains or come dead on arrival, Prebiotic is different. It’s 2-in-1 probiotic + soluble fiber support for healthy metabolic and microbiome performance.Rather than introducing a plethora of new colonies into your gut, Prebiotic instead nourishes your existing probiotic colonies with Orafti® Synergy1 (Inulin-FOS from chicory root) for robust growth and health.
As a result, Prebiotic delivers safer, more reliable, natural microbiome support for enhanced digestion, immune function, fat loss, and more.
Final Thoughts
The role your immune system plays in protecting your body is nothing short of spectacular, so honor and cherish it by providing the nutrients it needs to thrive.
Whether it’s a multivitamin, immune-boosting supplement like PL-Immune, probiotic, or all three, when the next cold or flu comes around, your body will be thanking you (and you’ll be thanking it) for giving it what it needs.
References
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- FS Dhabhar. Effects of stress on immune function: the good, the bad, and the beautiful.Immunol Res. 2014;58(2-3):193-210.
- CE Childs, PC Calder, EA Diet and Immune Function.Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1933.
- S Percival. Nutrition and Immunity: Balancing Diet and Immune Function. Nutrition Today. 2011 Jan; 46(1):12-17.
- MP da Silveira, KK da Silva Fagundes, MR Bizuti, É Starck, RC Rossi, DT de Resende E Silva. Physical exercise as a tool to help the immune system against COVID-19: an integrative review of the current literature.Clin Exp Med. 2021;21(1):15-28.
- AS Prasad. Zinc in human health: effect of zinc on immune cells.Mol Med. 2008;14(5-6):353-357.
- JM Mullin, KM Diguilio, MC Valenzano, et al. Zinc reduces epithelial barrier compromise induced by human seminal plasma.PLoS One. 2017;12(3):e0170306.
- H Gill, G Walker. Selenium, immune function and resistance to viral infections. Nutrition & Dietetics. 2008 Jun; 65(s3):S41-S47.
- RC McKenzie,TS Rafferty, GJ Beckett. Selenium: an essential element for immune function. Immunol Today. 1998;19:342–5.
- C Aranow. Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med. 2011;59(6):881-886.
- AC Carr, S Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017;9(11):1211.
- HJ Wu, E Wu. The role of gut microbiota in immune homeostasis and autoimmunity.Gut Microbes. 2012;3(1):4-14.
- D Zheng, T Liwinski, E Elinav. Interaction between microbiota and immunity in health and disease.Cell Res. 2020;30(6):492-506.
- E Dröge, R Glutathione and immune function.Proc Nutr Soc. 2000;59(4):595-600.
