We all know it’s coming: the dreaded cold, flu, and virus season that the cooler weather brings. As the kiddos return to school, sniffles and coughs tend to return to our houses and workplaces.
Thankfully, there’s a lot we can do to prepare. Along with getting our recommended vaccines, we can live a healthy lifestyle by eating well, exercising, prioritizing sleep, and reducing stress. We can also remember the germ-fighting habits that the pandemic taught us, including washing our hands well and avoiding others when sick.
Supplements may also play a role in our respiratory seasonal bug-fighting toolkit. Remember to always check with your health care practitioner to make sure that a supplement is right for you and/or your child.
Curious about curcumin
The active ingredient in the spice turmeric, curcumin is a natural compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published recently in the Journal of Dietary Supplements involved 99 healthy Japanese adults who either took a placebo, or one of two different types of bioavailable curcumin supplements for a period of 12 weeks.
The participants who had consumed the curcumin supplements experienced fewer days with common cold symptoms compared to the group that consumed the placebo, and no adverse effects were noted. Bioavailable supplements are important, since curcumin isn’t normally well absorbed by our bodies.
Echinacea and hops
Although many of us know about echinacea, hops (used in brewing) may be a little less familiar to us as a supplement. According to a 2023 in-vitro study published in Nutrients, a combination supplement containing echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) and hops extracts (Humulus lupulus) may help us fight viruses, thanks to its immunomodulatory and antiviral properties. The study researchers call for further study to confirm efficacy and safety in humans.
Valiant vitamin D
In a recent systematic review, researchers reviewed 289 articles published from 2000 to 2023 that explored the benefits of vitamin D on our immune systems.
The authors concluded that maintaining healthy vitamin D levels “is associated with significant risk reduction from viral and bacterial infections, sepsis, and autoimmunity.” They add that vitamin D doesn’t prevent viral infections like COVID-19, but it does help to reduce symptomatic disease and complications. Meanwhile, a vitamin D deficiency can leave us susceptible to several viral infections.
Vitamin D is hard for Canadians to obtain from the sun or our diets alone, but supplements are widely available in a variety of forms. If you’re unsure of your vitamin D levels, ask your health care practitioner for a test.
Excellent elderberry
European elderberry (Sambucus nigra)) is a well-known dark purple berry often used as a natural health product. Elderberry is traditionally used to prevent or treat the common cold, the flu, and other respiratory viruses.
A 2023 systematic review published in Molecules evaluated the chemical constitution of elderberry and its multiple beneficial effects on human health, concluding that it has antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, along with many other health-promoting benefits due to its “very rich source of anthocyanins (approximately 80 percent).”
This article was originally published in the September 2024 issue of alive magazine.
Leah Payne is a writer, author, and editor based in Vancouver, BC. She is the author of Get Outside! and Less is More. (Headshot credit: Notting Hill Photography).
Emilie Richardson-Dupuis
Heidi Fritz, MA, ND
Stephanie MacDonald