<h3>Are The Supplements You're Taking Good Quality Supplements?</h3>
While everyone loves a bargain, there are some problems with shopping for supplements using only price as a guideline. The difference in quality between different brands of supplements is often considerable. And taking quality supplements to help stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic is especially important!
<h3>Coronavirus and Supplementation</h3>
<em><strong>Plus, since people with low immunity are at a higher risk for coronavirus, then it would be a good idea to boost our immune systems in order to reduce our risk of acquiring it</strong></em>. Supplementation is one part of boosting our immunity. Following a healthy lifestyle, and eating a proper diet will help as well.

There are many micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc.) that research has shown are very beneficial to our health. And in particular, very beneficial to our immune systems.
<h4><strong>Vitamin D Helps Reduce Viral Upper Respiratory Infections </strong></h4>
Vitamin D is associated with a reduction in the incidence of colds and influenza.  People with lower vitamin D levels have a higher the prevalence of upper respiratory tract infections from viruses like coronaviruses, rhinoviruses, and influenza. And a single high-dose of vitamin D, combined with antibiotics has been shown to improve and resolve pneumonia.1

Other antioxidants, such as alpha lipoic acid, vitamin C, and vitamin E, if  already in the system, are effective for the treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress.

Getting overly stressed increases our chance of getting sick. Keep in mind that the immune system is suppressed from excessive exercise, emotional stress, and lack of sleep.

[caption id="attachment_4356" align="alignleft" width="500"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-4356" src="https://www.drfields.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Quality-Supplements-500x500.png" alt="Quality Supplements" width="500" height="500" /> <strong><em>Boost Your Immune System with Quality Supplements</em></strong>[/caption]
<h4><strong>Various Flavonoid Antioxidants, Such as Quercetin and Grape Seed Extract, Demonstrate Anti-Viral Activity</strong></h4>
Flavonoid antioxidants, such as quercetin and resveratrol exhibit anti-viral activity against common viruses that cause upper respiratory tract infections, including influenza A (H1N1) and B. And the compounds found in green tea extract, have shown anti-viral activity against the SARS coronavirus. <b>2</b> Since COVID-19 is essentially SARS2, it wouldn't be a bad idea to take these micronutrients.

Grape seed extract exhibits potent antioxidant capacity, as well as anti‑bacterial, anti‑viral, anti‑carcinogenic, anti‑inflammatory and anti‑allergic actions. Respiratory viruses cause inflammation in the epithelial cells of the lungs (as does COVID-19), and increase the risk of respiratory distress and pneumonia. Grape seed extract inhibits the abnormal release of proinflammatory cytokines caused by the virus. <strong>3,4</strong>
<h3>Boost Your Immune System with Quality Supplements</h3>
Again, since a low immunity increases the risk of infections, then it makes sense that boosting immunity will help you to remain healthy. And by boosting immunity, your immune system will be better able to deal with the onslaught of viruses and bacteria.

If you are not taking quality nutritional supplements, you might want to consider doing so, after first consulting with your own licensed health care professional.
<h3>Choose Quality Supplements</h3>
Quality pure raw ingredients and quality manufacturing of potent supplements make a huge difference in effectiveness. Not all supplements are created equally.

We want our supplements to help provide better healthy. When you choose your wine or ice cream, the only physiologic concern is taste. But what a difference between the quality of a cheap product and a good one. Compare the taste of a premium ice cream to the cheap store brand. Compare inexpensive wine to Lafite Rothschild. It should be obvious that the difference between the quality of supplements should be at least as great.
<h4><em>Quality and Bioavailability Are Important</em></h4>
Bioavailability has to do with how well the supplement is utilized by the body. There is gasoline in coal. But you can’t just run your car on it. Similarly, there are ingredients listed on a supplement’s label that are as useless to your body as coal is to your automobile.

What about the quality of components? Take calcium, for example. Oyster shell has calcium, but the body can’t use it (just like your car can’t use the gasoline in coal). Calcium carbonate is cheap, but is not well absorbed. Calcium citrate is much more expensive than the oyster shell or the carbonate. A high quality supplement will use the citrate, a poor one will use oyster shell. There are similar quality issues for just about every vitamin and herb.
<h4><em>Read the Label on Supplements</em></h4>
Many companies don’t actually produce their own vitamins, and they don’t test what they buy. Without testing, you can be lied to about the content of the product. Second, by the time the product changes hands several times, anywhere along the line someone can substitute cheaper or even phony ingredients and not be held accountable. The product can be contaminated when it changes hands. Familiarize yourself with ingredients, and read the label.
<h4><em>Do Your Research</em></h4>
Are the products tested for quality or for contaminants? Where did the materials come from? Most of the botanicals purchased in the US come from the Far East. There are manufacturing practices in some Third World countries that would surprise many Americans.

How is the tablet or capsule made? Bioavailability can be affected by something as simple as how the tablet is made. Many manufacturers use inert ingredients that interfere with the absorption of the nutrients. Even capsules can contain inert ingredients that interfere with absorption.

There’s a lot to know when buying supplements and herbs. Educate yourself about the product quality, and realize that self-treatment with bargain basement supplements is not a good idea.
<h3>A Combination Approach For Staying Healthy</h3>
Finally, just taking even quality nutritional supplements is not sufficient. We all need to eat well, get regular restorative sleep, reduce stress, exercise, maintain a healthy weight, not smoke, and use alcohol in moderation. All of these factors affect your immune system’s ability to keep you healthy. Now, as always, it is important to try to follow all of these recommendations as much as possible in order to stay healthy.

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<h3>References</h3>
<ol>
 	<li>Slow S, et al. Effect of adjunctive single high-dose vitamin D3 on outcome of community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalised adults: The VIDCAPS randomised controlled trial. Sci Rep. 2018 Sep 14;8(1):13829.</li>
 	<li>Park HR, et al. Synthesis and antiviral evaluation of 7-O-arylmethylquercetin derivatives against SARS-associated coronavirus (SCV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Arch Pharm Res. 2012 Jan;35(1):77-85.</li>
 	<li>Kim SJ, et al. Pretreatment with a grape seed proanthocyanidin extract downregulates proinflammatory cytokine expression in airway epithelial cells infected with respiratory syncytial virus. Mol Med Rep. 2019 Apr;19(4):3330-3336.</li>
 	<li>McNamara, Ladd. "Covid-19fighting fear and the coronavirus pandemic with precautions and quality supplements." <i>medRxiv</i>(2020).</li>
</ol>