Besides socially distancing, masking up and taking other safety precautions like getting your flu shot and frequently washing your hands, there are two types of vitamins you might also want to add to your (and your kids’) COVID-19 prevention routine.
Those two vitamins are Vitamin D and Vitamin C.
That’s according to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who had a 37-minute Instagram Live interview with actress Jennifer Garner on Sept. 9 on various coronavirus-related topics.
Here’s why, as he told Garner when she asked how moms should be boosting their children’s immunity.
“If you’re deficient in vitamin D, that does have an impact on your susceptibility to infection. So I would not mind recommending — and I do it myself — taking vitamin D supplements,” said Dr. Fauci. “The other vitamin that people take is vitamin C because it’s a good antioxidant, so if people want to take a gram or two at the most of vitamin C, that would be fine.”
As for any other supplements like elderberry syrup and herbs: “Forget about them,” he said. Later, he added, “Any of the other concoctions and herbs I would not do.”
The Mayo Clinic recommends adults get 65-90 milligrams of Vitamin C a day and no more than 2,000 milligrams total. On average, if you’re eating a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables daily, you should be getting the recommended amount of Vitamin C.
Vitamin D is recommended in quantities of 400 international units (IU) for those under a year, 600 IU for ages 1-70, and 800 IU for people over 70 (400 IU in terms of vitamin D equals about 40 micrograms). If you don’t spend much time in the sun you may be susceptible to Vitamin D deficiency.
Dr. Fauci told Business Insider that a healthy immune system is best supported by getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and trying to keep your stress level low.
“That is much more healthy living than giving yourself supplements of anything,” he said in the publication.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
