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5 Must-Have Vitamins for Your Immune Support Supplement

Last updated: December-29,2021

5 Must-Have Vitamins for Your Immune System Support Supplement

Who doesn’t want to boost their immunity? It’s not a trick question, but it does make you realize the potentially ubiquitous demand for immune health supplements across all demographics. As a supplement business owner, are you catering to this market that encompasses all age groups, all ethnicities, and crosses all geographical boundaries?

To understand a little bit about how the immune system works, let's think of it as an action-packed movie.

  • The action is happening right inside your body when foreign invaders (usually pathogens) attack.
  • Immune cells jump into action, forming our first line of defense against “the enemy.”
  • Once immune cells have made contact with the enemy, these cells begin to multiply and gradually overwhelm the foreign invaders neutralizing toxins.

The actual process is, of course, far more complicated, but what we want to focus on are the star of our show - vitamins for boosting the immune system.

How Does The Immune System Work?

Which Vitamins Are Good for the Immune System?

Vitamins A, D, C, and E help build the body's immune response by producing physical and chemical barriers preventing the "bad guys" from entering the body and doing their damage. Working with this team of superhero vitamins is vitamin B6 supporting critical biochemical reactions designed to blow away harmful invaders.

These are the best immune-boosting supplements, and adequate daily intake can help to keep the immune system primed and ready to fight an invasion.

Immune Boosting Vitamins Can Work to Benefit Both the Young and Old

Consumers want to be healthy throughout the year, so they generally don’t need a particular reason or a special season to buy immune health supplements. Nevertheless, there are three unique segments supplement brand owners may want to consider targeting for immune-boosting vitamins:

  • Parents want to proactively support the immune health of their kids through supplements that contain the best immune-boosting vitamins for their kids.
  • Immune-protecting vitamins are popular among seniors with age-related vitamin deficiencies that make them more susceptible to bacteria and other pathogens.
  • Dieters may not get the vitamins their bodies need through their limited food intake. Immune-enhancing vitamins, such as vegan immune-boosting vitamins, can help meet this gap.
Immune Support Supplement Facts

Now let's put the spotlight on our knights in shining armor – the superhero vitamins that help build the body’s immune system:

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is needed by the body to launch an effective immune response while minimizing damage to the body. This vitamin cannot be stored by the body – so, fresh ammunition is needed daily!

With the U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed) containing more than 25,300 studies [i] on vitamin C, it is the most extensively studied immune-boosting vitamin.

Popular supplement formats: powders, tablets, and capsules

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B, otherwise known as pyridoxine, plays a vital role in the production of antibodies.[ii] It also works in other important areas that help the immune system function efficiently.

The science: PubMed contains more than 4,000 studies [iii] that support the link of vitamin B6 with immune health. The benefits of taking vitamin B6 include supporting optimal immune function, particularly in older individuals.[iv]

Supplement formats: Capsules

Vitamin E

Scientists have discovered more vitamin E in immune cells than in other blood cells. The high concentration suggests that vitamin E plays a big role in promoting healthy immune function.[v]

The science: PubMed contains over 15,500 studies [vi] related to immune health and vitamin E’s role as a lipid-soluble antioxidant. The benefits of vitamin E include boosting the protective immune response to pathogenic challenges.

Supplement formats: Capsules

Vitamin A

Vitamin A works as an antioxidant and is involved in the development of the immune system. The World Health Organization (WHO) correlates optimal immune functions in children with adequate levels of vitamin A recommending that in some children, supplementation may be necessary to meet nutritional gaps.[vii]

The science: PubMed contains over 13,500 studies [viii] related to immune health, making it the third-most extensively studied vitamin for immune health in our group. This study shows it can enhance immune function providing a better defense against multiple pathogens.[ix]

Supplement formats: Capsules

Vitamin D

In recent years, interest in vitamin D’s role, and its benefits to immune health has risen dramatically.  Vitamin D sufficiency has been associated with a healthy immune system, making the benefits of an adequate intake of vitamin D obvious.

The science: PubMed provides over 17,000 scientific studies [x] related to the subject. It is the second-most studied vitamin for immune health in our group, coming right after vitamin C. It works by regulating signaling among innate (already existing) and adaptive (in response to a foreign body) immune cells.[xi]

Supplement formats: Capsules

Use Our Award-Winning Vitamin Contract Manufacturing Services

How do you make an impact in the immune supplement market when there are so many products already being sold? Simply put, it begins with a high-quality formula manufactured by a qualified contract vitamin manufacturer. It doesn't end there, though.

supplement-packaging-design-tips-infographic

Your high-quality formula needs to catch the attention of a prospective buyer - whether they're shopping in a store or making their purchase based on advertisements they saw on Facebook or Instagram. In fact, studies show that you only have 90 seconds to make a first impression with your product. That's why having an eye-catching supplement label and packaging design can make your product look like a unicorn in a sea of donkeys.

Want to know more? Go ahead an contact the team at NutraScience Labs! We have over 120 years of contract supplement manufacturing experience and have helped more than 2,300 brand owners either create high-quality nutraceuticals from scratch or improve their existing formulas.

For more information, call 855-492-7388 to speak to one of our representatives or send us your request for a free manufacturing price quote.

References:

[i] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=vitamin+c+immune

[ii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8302491

[iii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=immune+health+vitamin+B6

[iv] https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-B6

[v] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7011499/

[vi] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=vitamin+e+immune

[vii] https://www.who.int/immunization/programmes_systems/interventions/vitamin_A/en/

[viii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=vitamin+a+immune

[ix] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6162863/

[x] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=vitamin+D+and+immune+regulation

[xi] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166406/

April 30th, 2020

About the Author:

 
Gene Bruno

Gene Bruno, MS, MHS, RH(AHG) - Mr. Bruno possesses over 43 years of dietary supplement industry experience. With a Master's degree in nutrition and a second Master's degree in herbal medicine, he has a proven track record of formulating innovative, evidence-based dietary supplements. Mr. Bruno currently serves as both the Senior Director of Product Innovation at Twinlab Corporation and Professor of Nutraceutical Science at Huntington University of Health Sciences.