What about us?
Cold and flu season is here. I have four great-grandchildren who I’ve had the joy of being with recently. Luckily this past weekend when I spent time in their company on several occasions, they were all symptom free and healthy. I could kiss, cuddle, and share bits of food without worry.
If you have children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren, if you are a teacher, or drive a carpool of children, cold and flu season is not good news. Children and adolescents are particularly susceptible to respiratory infections (colds, sore throat, sinusitis, pneumonia, and bronchitis). That’s because:
- Their immune systems are immature.
- Their diet and sleep patterns are far from optimal.
- Increasing environmental pollution makes the problem worse.
And that’s a Problem. The WHO says:
• Respiratory diseases are the leading cause of childhood deaths globally.
• RSV alone results in 3.6 million hospitalizations and 100,000 deaths each year.
The death rates are not as high in the US, but every day your child is sick at home:
• They are not in school leaning.
• One parent has to stay home from their job to take care of them.
If you want to protect your child from respiratory infections and do it naturally, you need to strengthen their immune system.
We older people need to strengthen our immune systems, too.
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How do we do that? Vitamin C.
First, what did the new study about children, resistance to catching colds, and vitamin C tell us? Thanks to Dr. Steven Chaney for this interpretation.
• There was a significant negative association between serum levels of vitamin C and the risk of respiratory infections (In plain English that means as serum levels of vitamin C increased, the risk of respiratory infections decreased).
• For every 10 unit increase in serum vitamin C levels, the risk of respiratory disease decreased by 7%.
• Children and adolescents in the top quartile of serum vitamin C were 50% less likely to develop a respiratory infection than those in the bottom quartile.
Based on previous studies, the authors said the most likely mechanisms for the effect of vitamin C on the risk of developing a respiratory disease are:
1) Vitamin C exerts antioxidant protection against free radicals generated by immune cells, which protects the integrity of cells lining the respiratory track.
2) Vitamin C strengths the ability of neutrophils to clear pathogens (bacteria and viruses) from the blood.
3) Vitamin C inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokines, thereby reducing inflammatory responses that can worsen and prolong respiratory infections.
The authors concluded,
• “This study demonstrates a negative association between serum vitamin C and respiratory infection risk in a nationally representative sample of children and adolescents.
• These findings highlight the protective role of vitamin C against respiratory infections and underscore the importance of maintaining optimal vitamin C levels.
• Our findings suggest that vitamin C supplementation may be potentially used for the prevention and treatment of respiratory infections among children and adolescents.”
What Does This Study Mean For You?
And what the heck do they mean by serum levels?
Dr. Chaney did the calculations for us.
The average serum vitamin C levels in the highest quartile (the one with the lowest risk of respiratory infections) was 87 µmol/L. To estimate the dose of vitamin C required to reach that level I turned to the NIH “Vitamin C Fact Sheet For Health Professionals”. From data in that fact sheet, I estimate that the dose needed to reach 87 µmol/L is:
- 150-200 mg/day for children.
- 200-300 mg/day for adolescents.
This is a very rough approximation, but it provides you with guidelines you can use. And those guidelines suggest that you don’t need give your child a megadose of vitamin C – a chewable vitamin C supplement in the 250 mg range should be plenty.
Vitamin C is no magic bullet. A vitamin is just one component. Children and adults need the following for a strong immune system:
- A balanced diet composed of whole, unprocessed foods without a lot of fat and simple sugars. Unfortunately, American children currently get an average of 67% of their calories from ultra-processed foods.
- Adequate sleep. The recommendations are 9-12 hours for children aged 6-12 and 8-10 hours for adolescents aged 13-18. Unfortunately, 30% of school-age children and 75% of adolescents don’t get enough sleep.
- Adequate exercise. Unfortunately, children and adolescents spend far too much time on their electronic devices and too little time exercising.
- Ideal body weight. Unfortunately, ultra-processed foods and lack of exercise are packing on the pounds. Almost 40% of American children and adolescents are overweight or obese.
- Supplementation. Because most children eat too much ultra-processed food, I recommend a high-quality children’s multivitamin and a protein supplement to make sure they are getting the nutrients they need to build a strong immune system. That is, of course, in addition to the vitamin C supplement I mentioned above.
For parents, I have this advice. Pick your battles and be the example.
Happily Shaklee has a number of ways to get Vitamin C and a multi into the kiddos and yourself, especially if there is resistance to swallowing a pill.
- Vita C Chewable.
- Vita-lea Gummies (the chewable multivitamin)
- Shakleeskids super Immunity (15% off right now) Gummies for kids and grownups
Take care of yourselves and your families. Be well in the coming months and enjoy the rainy, chilly weather as best you can.
Did you enjoy this post? Find anything useful? Care to share with a family member or friend? Please share with others to get the word out about this new protein product. I thank you.
Be well, Do well, and Keep Moving. Betsy