There's a lot of confusion with Coronavirus right now about the differences between:

• Immune-boosting
• Antibacterial
• Antiviral

So, let's get specific here.

When we're talking...

Immune-boosting

This is something that can be used to support the body's immune system overall. 

Maybe it helps improve the strength of the killer T cells in the body. Maybe it increases the number of them. Maybe it improves white blood cell count or decreases stress faster.

There are a LOT of ways the immune system can be generally supported. This is the "vaguest" term used among the three, but it's important to understand that it relates to anything your immune system is trying to do.

Antibacterial

Things that are labeled antibacterial have been proven to kill bacteria.

That might sound redundant, but it's a clear distinction to make. Bacteria are living organisms with a defined category in the Animal Kingdom. 

Bacteria meet all 7 Characteristics of Life, as currently defined & recognized by scientists worldwide at the time of this blog's publishing (March 2020). 

That is important to clarify, because...

Antiviral

Viruses are NOT technically alive.

That's right: viruses do not meet all 7 characteristics of life, therefore they cannot technically be "killed." 

We'll use the term "deactivated" for this blog post, when we discuss ending a viruses ability to do harm to organisms.

This might be a weird concept, because viruses seem to have goals and reasons for spreading... and they do.

They meet 6 out of the 7 characteristics of life. So they act very similarly to living things in many ways. 

That being said, just because something is antibacterial does not make it antiviral. However, many antibacterial substances also seem to inhibit or slow the ability of viruses to spread. 

Nutrients to Boost Immunity

Now that we have this groundwork laid out, let's talk about nutrition to prevent illness.

Immune-boosting nutrients

A few proven vitamins, minerals, amino acids & adaptogens shown to help improve the immune system are:

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin E
• Folate
• Iron
• Selenium
• Elderberry
• Astragalus Root
• Ginseng
• Maca
• High-antioxidant foods (reduce overall stress in the body, allowing immune system to focus on what it actually needs to fight) 

Again, these are generally immune-boosting nutrients / adaptogens that have been shown to help the body overall fight stronger against disease or infection in some way. 

When it comes to antiviral foods, those are more specific:

• Zinc - seems to have a large "deactivation" effect on many of the most damaging viruses we've seen recently, including H1N1 (Swine Flu) (1)
• Garlic - inhibits replication of viruses (2)
• Dandelion - shown in recent years to inhibit various strains of influenza (3)
• Lysine - an amino acid proven to enhance body's antiviral capabilities through its role in methylation (4)

And finally, when we're talking about antibiotic foods, it's more important to eat good bacteria in the form of probiotics than trying to kill what's currently in your gut.

Unfortunately, the over-prescription of antibiotics in Western medicine has left many people with damaged guts.

So if you believe you've got an overgrowth of bad bacteria in your gut, work with a specialist who can guide you through the probiotic process.

And if you're just looking to optimize gut health, focusing on a good probiotic to replenish the flora while eating lots of prebiotics to feed them seems to do the trick. 

The Easiest Immune Boosting, Antiviral Nutrient Blend

Our new Vitamunity Dailies are an incredible blend of all 3 subjects above: immune-boosting, antibacterial, and antiviral nutrients. 

The blend includes immunity boosters:

• Vitamins K2 + D3: This is the most bioactive and bioavailable forms of Vitamin K2 and Vitamin D3. K2 supports bone health and when taken together, the effects of both are further activated and amplified. 
• Liver Love: A collection of some of the most powerful antioxidants to help support phase 1 & 2 of liver detoxification. 
• Zen: Bovine glandular with targeted nutrients to support the body’s response to everyday stressors. Includes Zinc, which is highly antiviral. 

As well as good gut bacteria promoters & antiviral compounds: 

• Garlic: This contains gamma-glutamcysteines, alliin and allicin which help to produce antioxidants like glutathione (antiviral)
• Lysine: An essential amino acid needed for collagen and immune function, also proven to be effective at deactivating certain viruses (antiviral)
• Probiotic blend: Helps to replenish gut microbiome with healthy bacteria for better immune function overall

So if you'd like to help your body stay strong & fight viral infection, this blend is a great place to start. 

Resources for this article

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6049953/

(2) https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0192415X18500854

(3) https://rupress.org/jem/article-abstract/214/12/3597/42305