|
Nutrient |
Dose |
Reason |
|
Calcium |
1,000 mg/day |
Supports healthy defenses by transmitting messages through nerves and cells and by activating enzyme reactions. |
|
Magnesium |
400 mg/day |
Enhances innate and acquired immune responses. |
|
Vitamin C |
1,000 mg/day (during cold and flu season) |
In clinical research, people who took 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily experienced fewer colds than those taking a placebo. However, the increased virus-fighting action ceased after two weeks. |
|
Vitamin E |
200 IU/day |
Protects white blood cells, the body’s critical immune defenders, from free radical damage. |
|
Zinc |
12 mg/day |
Contributes an essential cofactor to more than 100 enzymatic reactions in the body, including many protective functions. |
|
—A.L. |
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Source: Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition by Eleanor Noss Whitney, et al. (West Publishing Company, 1998). |
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