By Kate Leo
College move-in is an exciting time where students come back to campus, hug their friends tightly after not seeing them for three months, decorate their new living space, and organize their class schedule for the year. However, college move-in also means living with several people and sharing common space. Because of this close proximity with other people, germs are spread easily, and the immune system is susceptible to become infected. I am living in my sorority house this year with 38 other people, and something that is out on almost everyone’s desk is EmergenC. I often take EmergenC when I feel a cold coming on, but how does it help?
EmergenC is advertised as an immune booster as it contains many vitamins that are naturally supposed to help. Vitamin C is the vitamin most prevalent in EmergenC, with each packet containing 1,000 mg. This dose is 1667% more than the recommended daily dose. Our bodies do not naturally produce Vitamin C, so it is important we get it from foods like oranges, leafy vegetables, potatoes, peppers, etc. Vitamin C ultimately helps to build up the barrier in our body to fight against pathogens. However, studies suggest that Vitamin C is most effective when you combine it with physical stress in exercise. This combination cuts down the risk of colds by 50%.
Vitamin B is also in EmergenC which helps to metabolize food into energy and also create red blood cells to move oxygen around the body. Therefore, Vitamin B helps someone have more energy and boost their immunity.
Zinc is the next main ingredient to EmergenC. Zinc naturally helps the development and function of immune cells, so it is crucial to maintaining a healthy system. It has also been found to limit the amount of inflammation that occurs. However, some researchers debate if the amount of 2 mg in EmergenC is enough to make a difference. It is easy to get zinc in food as it is found in meat, seafood, nuts, and dairy, so it is wise to seek more than is in a packet of EmergenC.
Other ingredients include manganese that helps the overall immune system and bone density as well as folic acid which helps amino acid production. EmergenC is supposed to limit your symptoms of a cold and prevent the onset of one. However, there are many other factors that play into a healthy self such as sleep, exercise, and gut health. EmergenC should not be a sole defense against sickness, but it is an easy way to obtain nutrients believed to overall boost your immunity in times one may believe they are more susceptible to sickness.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/emergen-c#bottom-line https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323550.php https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29099763
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