At this time of the year with winter arriving and those winter colds and flu ramping up, many are looking at their options regarding immune supplements. Last week I wrote about zinc and the role it plays in helping treat colds and flu, with studies indicating it may shorten the length of a cold by up to 50%.

Vitamin C is also believed to play several important roles in assisting our immune system such as stimulating our production of white blood cells which in turn may protect our body against infection. It’s also believed it may help reduce the severity and duration of respiratory tract infections.

It isn’t all about the immune system, however. Vitamin C is also necessary in assisting the development and restoration of our body tissues. It helps our body to form collagen and as we know collagen is an important component of connective tissue which is important to maintain healthy joints, bones, skin, muscles – the list goes on. It assists our body to absorb iron as well as heal wounds.

Vitamin C can be found in several different forms and there is often confusion about the different forms of Vitamin C. Essentially Ascorbic Acid is the proper name for Vitamin C. Ascorbic Acid is Vitamin C in its basic form. For some, however, they find straight Ascorbic Acid can upset their stomach a little which is why it can be beneficial to combine Ascorbic Acid with Calcium Ascorbate and Sodium Ascorbate. By adding calcium salts or sodium salts to ascorbic acid, a buffer is created which enables far easier digestion and absorption. It is therefore far less acidic which minimises gastrointestinal discomfort. All of these forms can be found as individual supplements. They can be found in powder form or tablet.

These different forms of Vitamin C can also be found in combination with rosehips, bioflavonoids, hesperidin and rutin.

Rosehips which we know come from the beautiful rose plant are believed to have many health benefits including supporting a healthy immune system because of their high concentration of Vitamin C.

Bioflavonoids are often included in a Vitamin C supplement to help enhance the absorption of Vitamin C. Hesperidin and Rutin are both plant chemicals, which are frequently classed as bioflavonoids found mainly in citrus fruits.

A Vitamin C formula that I particularly like not only contains the three forms of Vitamin C, Calcium Ascorbate, Ascorbic Acid and Sodium Ascorbate, but it also contains Rosehips, Orange Fruit Powder, Hesperidin, Rutin, Bioflavonoids, Quercetin, Grapeseed and Elderberry Extract, Zinc Gluconate and Green Tea. I really think this is a Vitamin C formula which ticks many of the boxes when it comes to health and well-being.

Elderberry is a herb that has been much talked about over the past couple of years and has been found to be particularly helpful for some, in reducing the severity and relieving the symptoms of cold and flu, especially mild upper respiratory tract infections.

Vitamin C is one of the more commonly known antioxidants. Grapeseed and Green Tea are also well-known antioxidants which is why they are a great inclusion in this formula. These powerful antioxidants may help lessen our risk of chronic diseases and bolster our body’s natural defences.

Finally, as I’ve previously written zinc is great for our immune system which is another great inclusion in this formula.

For further information call Bev and the team at Go Vita, Your Health Shop in North St in Batemans Bay on 0244729737. Don’t forget to tune into Bev on 2EC every Wednesday at 12.45 pm on Go Get Healthy.