When Life gives you lemons – be grateful for Vitamin C!
Vitamin C is believed to be a great immunostimulatory additive, which helps in recovery from any sort of infectious disease, be it of viral or bacterial nature. Hot tea with lemon and honey and a sack of oranges are commonly found on a bedside table of an ill person, as well as all kinds of medicine with the huge inscription “With Vitamin C”. But is its contribution to recovery supported by scientific data or is it just a marketing ploy, benefiting from our traditions and ignorance?
Well, science says:
Vitamin C is involved in all steps of protection against pathogens
- Vitamin C prevents entry of the pathogens by supporting collagen synthesis in our skin
The skin layer is the first line of defense against harmful bacteria, fungi, and viruses. In case the skin is damaged – pathogens can enter through the wound.
Vitamin C helps in preventing pathogen entry
It supports collagen synthesis, which makes skin more elastic and also helps in wound healing.
While there are various skin creams containing Vitamin C available on the market, such creams are unable to provide sufficient amounts of Vitamin C, as skin cells uptake nutrients from blood, not from the skin surface
- Vitamin C helps the cells of Innate Immunity to destroy pathogens
If the pathogen did enter our body – the goal of innate immunity cells to locate it quickly and clear the infection.
Vitamin C enhances the motility of Innate Immunity cells, which helps them in achieving that goal.
- Vitamin C helps in generating more of Adaptive Immunity Cells and Antibodies
If the Innate Immunity did not clear the infection – Adaptive Immunity interferes.
Vitamin C helps to produce more T cells, which go to the site of infection and support Innate Immunity cells in their fight. Supplementation with Vitamin C also results in higher Antibody production by B cells
- Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant
Our skin is constantly exposed to sunlight, and that means to UV light as well. The impact of UV light induces the generation of Reactive Oxygen Species in our skin. ROS are also generated by Immune cells during their fight against the pathogen.
Reactive Oxygen Species are aggressive molecules, that cause oxidative stress when their abundance is not regulated properly. Vitamin C, as well as other antioxidants, interacts with ROS and prevents oxidative stress.
To sum up,
vitamin C has been studied for decades and there is plenty of studies acquired, which are focused on its role. Role of Vitamin C in Immune System functions in more details is described in a review by Anitra C. Carr 1
| Immune System | The function of Vitamin C | References |
| Epithelial barriers | Enhances collagen synthesis and stabilization | [30,31,32,33,34,35] |
| Protects against ROS-induced damage | [36,37,38,39,40] | |
| Enhances keratinocyte differentiation and lipid synthesis | [41,42,43,44,45] | |
| Enhances fibroblast proliferation and migration | [46,47] | |
| Shortens time to wound healing in patients | [48,49] | |
| Phagocytes (neutrophils, macrophages) | Acts as an antioxidant/electron donor | [50,51,52,53] |
| Enhances motility/chemotaxis | [54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63] | |
| Enhances phagocytosis and ROS generation | [64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71] | |
| Enhances microbial killing | [54,55,57,58,70,72] | |
| Facilitates apoptosis and clearance | [71,73,74] | |
| Decreases necrosis/NETosis | [73,75] | |
| B- and T-lymphocytes | Enhances differentiation and proliferation | [62,63,76,77,78,79,80,81,82] |
| Enhances antibody levels | [78,83,84,85] | |
| Inflammatory mediators | Modulates cytokine production | [75,77,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94] |
| Decreases histamine levels | [56,61,95,96,97,98,99,100,101] |
Surely, everyone is more than interested in giving a hand to our immune system. We all hope for the best but are preparing for the worst.
In case the worst-case scenario takes place and SARS-CoV-2 infects our body – it must be able to fight back. The better our Immunity works – the fewer complications will develop and the easier it will be to live through the disease.
However, one should remember, that our body needs support, even if it never actually gets infected!
Governmental measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are mostly focused on minimizing people's contact with each other and thus preventing SARS-CoV-2 transfer from one person to another. The best thing we can do for the others and ourselves is to follow the regulations and restrictions necessary.
However, this is not all there is to it!
Currently, there is no vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, while various therapeutical approaches are being tested. Nevertheless, each and every one of us has a weapon against the virus that was given to us by nature, not science.
Don’t mix them up:
COVID-19 = Coronavirus disease 2019 – an infectious disease of respiratory organs, that was first diagnosed in Wuhan, China2.
SARS-CoV-2 = Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 – a virus that is causing COVID-19. Evidently, it is originating from bats, thus human infection is a result of zoonosis3,4. Currently spread all over the world and is causing a COVID-19 pandemic.
Our greatest weapon against COVID-19 is our Immune system!
If the worst-case scenario does take place and we do get the virus transmitted to our body, our immunity is the most important line of defense that prevents severe COVID-19 and its complications from happening. The problem is that in this situation our immune system could be already weakened, even if we are not infected yet. That could happen due to several reasons:
- Stress
There is no need to explain, how stressed we all are at the moment. Spreading panic, social isolation, financial troubles have become a part of our everyday routine. However, stress negatively affects our immune system, so it is important to keep a level head5
- Drug overconsumption
In a desperate attempt to strengthen their bodies, some people tend to consume anti-bacterial and anti-viral drugs as “preventive measures”. Unfortunately, when consumed and combined “blindly” drugs give the opposite effect and can induce severe damage to immune system6. Overdosing is another danger.
- Lack of Vitamin D
Stay-at-home lifestyle means less exposure to sunlight and thus – lover production of Vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D and its metabolites are of utmost importance for immunity to function properly: there are studies, evidencing the correlation between lack of Vitamin D and impaired immune function7
Bad news:
With this said, under the pressure of the circumstances it would be harder for our immunity to pick up a fight against SARS-CoV-2
Good news:
We can support our immunity – we just need to understand, how
Liposomal Vitamin C supplements
So, we have learned so far how important Vitamin C is. Now we would probably want to have as much as possible! Unfortunately, there is a point one should keep in mind.
Humans, unlike many other mammals, are unable to produce Vitamin C inside their bodies!
The genes, that encode enzymes, responsible for Vitamin C production, were mutated (damaged) at some point during evolution8. Now we cannot simply generate Vitamin C, as we generate Vitamin D under sunlight. This means, that we can only take it from external sources.
No doubt, there is Vitamin C in our food - and not only in oranges. However, one can never know for sure:
- What is the exact dosage of Vitamin C in these ingredients?
- Which part of Vitamin C disintegrated while preparing the meal?
- Will it actually be absorbed?
- Is this dosage enough for my body?
These questions can hardly be answered, if we ask ourselves that. It would be much easier if someone could just take care of them for us!
Wait
Someone did answer them for us!
But who did?
The developers and manufacturers of Vitamin C supplements!
Taking Vitamin C as a supplement gives us much more confidence and control, compared to relying on food as a source. There are plenty of supplements available on the market.
And the best of them is Optimunity Liposomal Vitamin C
Liposomal Vitamin C by Optimunity combines benefits of all “classic” of Vitamin C supplements with novel and unique features.
- Form
Optimunity Liposomal Vitamin C comes in capsules. This form is the easiest to use: there is no need to dissolve them, like sachets, or worry about their taste, like syrups.
- Dosage
Each capsule of Optimunity Liposomal Vitamin C contains 1500 mg of Vitamin C – which is a higher dosage compared to other Vitamin C supplements. It is recommended to take 1 capsule at a time, 1-2 times per day.
The dosage of Vitamin C is carefully adjusted during the process of manufacturing capsules. Since we do not “prepare” the capsules in any way – not a milligram of Vitamin C gets lost, unlike Vitamin C in our food.
- Absorption
Optimunity Vitamin C is Liposomal. This means, that Vitamin C molecules are packaged in tiny envelopes – liposomes. Liposomes are basically tiny spheres made of lipids.
This is what liposomes look like. Images acquired using cryo-TEM microscopy9
The benefit of Liposomal Vitamin C compared to non-liposomal one is more efficient absorption.
- Non-enveloped Vitamin C molecules are assimilated by our intestine cells only through special channels in the membranes of those cells. The number of the channels is limited and the uptake is slow, so a part of Vitamin C never gets absorbed
- Liposomal Vitamin C enters the cell independently of the channel. Since membranes of the cells are made of lipids and liposomal envelope is also made of lipids – they simply fuse and the content of the envelope – Vitamin C – ends up inside the cell.
- Natural ingredients
Optimunity Liposomal Vitamin C is 100% made of natural ingredients. It is also GMO-free.
- Green formula
Optimunity Liposomal Vitamin C does not contain any animal or dairy ingredients and thus is vegan-friendly
- Lab-tested
All Optimunity products have passed all necessary clinical test and their safety is confirmed in the lab
- 100 days money-back guarantee
Optimunity is as confident in their product. If you do not feel any improvements in your health after taking Liposomal Vitamin C supplement or just decided that it is not for you – you can send empty bottles back and get back your money without any questions.
Packages available:
1 bottle with 120 capsules for 60 days. If you are not sure, that you want to take the supplement – you can start from this small package
If you are serious about taking Vitamin C supplement – it is better to order 3 bottles with 360 capsules total. This is enough for 180 days and this offer is better in terms of price
If you have tried Optimunity Liposomal Vitamin C and now sure, that it works for you – just order Optimunity max! 6 bottles with 720 capsules total will supply you with Vitamin C for almost a year.
Summary
- Vitamin C keeps our skin elastic and promotes wound healing
- Vitamin C plays an important role in the functioning of our Immune System
- Vitamin C protects our cells from Reactive Oxygen Species, which are produced as a reaction to UV light or infection
- Relying on food as an only source of Vitamin C is not the best idea: neither dosage nor absorption can be measured or controlled
- Taking Vitamin C supplements is a better way to support your body during this COVID-19 crisis
- Liposomal Vitamin C by Optimunity is a high-quality supplement, which combines benefits of all “classic” of Vitamin C supplements with novel and unique features
- The dosage of Vitamin C in each capsule is exactly 1500 mg
- The absorption is highly efficient due to Liposomal enveloping of Vitamin C
- Optimunity Liposomal Vitamin C in vegan-friendly, 100% natural and has passed all necessary lab testings and clinical trials
- If you are not satisfied with the product – you can get your money back within 100 days
Stay healthy!
