Discount vitamins can give the first responders in our bodies the equipment they need to fight disease and aging by boosting our immune systems. So much depends upon this misunderstood, complex collection of organs and glands, yet most people take their immune system for granted. They don't know they have low immunity until a problem breaks out elsewhere. The immune system is not only the dragon at the door battling all attackers, but the canary in the cage -- the first system to be compromised when a person's health takes a turn for the worst.

Our society depends upon first responders, like firefighters, police, and medical teams. They can't respond to emergency without the proper tools, and neither can our immune systems. That means good nutrition. When human beings were still hunter-gatherers living in trees and caves, they had a more balanced diet; now much of the junk food people consume is actually harmful to the body. Stress, aging, prescription drugs, tobacco and alcohol, poor diet, too little sleep, and too much work all contribute to a weakened immune system. Plus every year brings new threats from bird flu and other emerging viruses until humanity is virtually under siege.

Now it's time to reinforce the immune system with those important vitamins, amino acids, and enzymes that make a difference in the body. It's never too late to begin a vitamin regimen for general good health, especially when multivitamins have become so common. Several recent studies have shown the benefits of adding supplements to the average diet to boost the immune system.

Vitamin D-3

The importance of Vitamin D in all its forms have been known for centuries, for as long as humans have consumed milk. In the Journal of Immunotherapy, 2000, Volume 23, scientists reported how Vitamin D-3 treatments in mice enhanced the immune system's reaction toward tumors. Studies showed that Vitamin D-3 increased T-cell immune activity against tumors and lessened the chance of spreading to other tissue, or metastasis. In mice and humans, a tumor leads to an increase in a bone marrow cell called CD34, which naturally suppresses the effectiveness of healthy T-cells to fight the tumor. Vitamin D-3 give T-cells a boost, lowers CD34, and keeps the tumor from spreading. This is exactly the kind of help the immune system needs.

Enzymes

Enzymes are one of the least understood of proteins, but also one of the most important for healthy immunology. Enzymes catalyze chemical reactions in the body -- they're like the sewage system, treating substances entering the body. Because enzymes can be inhibited or accelerated by other substances and conditions, they can sometimes do more harm than good. A stomachache is a simple example of this, and a common remedy is taking an antacid, which attempts to inhibit digestive enzymes in the stomach. Telomerase is an interesting enzyme that's been getting a lot of press. Found in stem cells, it allows cells to grow faster and live longer, and it's one of the reasons that stem cells duplicate so quickly. Whether Telomerase is the Fountain of Youth or one of the reasons for rapid cancer growth is still being researched, but common enzymes are known to help eyesight, digestion, and cell regeneration.

Antioxidants

In both the human body and the lawn furniture, oxidation is a chemical process best avoided. There's growing research that antioxidants help to protect virtually every cell in the human body, and we are discovering more and more antioxidants all the time. Alpha-lipoic acid is showing up more frequently in discount vitamins, because it reverses aging in cells. Melatonin protects the membrane cytoskeleton of red blood cells from structural changes due to oxidation. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and beta-carotene all do their best to protect the cells that make up our most important senses, plus our skin and hair. Selenium has been shown to block cancer growth in the breast tissue of rodents. Alpha-lipoic acid even increases the retention of Vitamin E in the cells of older people, as one vitamin helps another.

Good Old Vitamins

Thiamine, Riboflavin, and Niacin are also known as Vitamins B1, B2, and B3, respectively. They help the body convert carbohydrates and fat into energy, while they promote proper function of the heart, nervous, and digestive systems. Vitamin B2 is needed to form red blood cells and antibodies, so it's essential to the immune system. Riboflavin also helps prevent many types of eye diseases, including cataracts, which afflict many people in old age. Niacin is needed for a healthy liver and metabolism, and it aids in repairing cells and DNA. Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and Omega 3 fatty acids are all popular supplements that help to maintain a healthy immune system.

The effect of garlic on the immune system has long been debated, but there's no debate that garlic contains a natural antibiotic, anti-fungal agent called allicin. Calcium and Vitamins K and D are needed for good blood clotting and bone formation. A person could make a life-long study of dietary supplements and their uses, but the simplest way to start is with a good multivitamin from a reputable firm.

Junk in, Junk out

Common sense is integral part of the immune system, because protection starts with what we put into our mouths. Studies reported in Cancer Letters have shown that a diet rich in n-6 fatty acids (corn oil) promotes inflammation and the growth of tumors. Whereas a diet rich in fish oil, which contain lots of Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin E, slowed inflammation of the colon and other cancer-prone tissue. Hydrogenated cooking oils are now in such disfavor they've been banned from the city of New York. Whole books have been written on the dangers and empty calories found in refined sugar and refined flour, so there's no need to go into that here. Suffice to say that no attempt to improve the immune system can survive a lousy, careless diet.

Almost every week and especially during flu season, we get treated to the usual articles stating that merely washing our hands more often will help us avoid the sniffles. It sounds simple -- it is simple -- but how many people heed these warnings? No, we're more likely to stay out of drafts, when it's been proven that drafts do not cause colds. Regular check-ups with a doctor, regular blood tests, getting the proper vaccines, and giving up bad habits -- such as smoking -- are all known to keep human beings healthier. Nobody even debates that anymore, but how many of us take these simple preventive steps to aid the immune system? Common sense goes hand in hand with being healthy.

When Dr. Linus Pauling reported that Vitamin C helped the immune system fight the common cold, it was big news in 1970. Almost forty years later, there is really no excuse for ignoring the beneficial effects of vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements. Multivitamins are sold all over town and the internet, often tailored to gender and age, so anyone can start a vitamin regimen with complete confidence. So take your discount vitamins, and give your immune system every break it deserves.