5 supplements for building immunity

Nutrient	Dose	Reason Advertisement
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.
Source: Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition by Eleanor Noss Whitney, et al. (West Publishing Company, 1998).